IS IT BIBLICAL TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
This question always crops up during the Christmas season as atheists, scholars and Christian skeptics write long articles in leading newsletters while questioning the legitimacy of these age-old Christian traditions.
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
While I agree with the view that there is no express command in the New Testament Scriptures that compels Christian communities to celebrate Christmas, I disagree with the notion that the celebration of this event is unbiblical or ungodly.
Nothing can be further from the truth!
Let me qualify my statement below.
It is instructive that the Bible does not have specific commands for every instruction or prohibition, and neither does it describe every issue known to man today by specific words or terms.
For example, Evangelical and Pentecostal church traditions forbid their faithful from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco, cigarettes and addictive narcotic drugs of various descriptions and yet there is no express prohibition for such items in the New Testament Scripture!
So if [God forbid!] that one faithful came to church one Sunday morning with a bottle of Vodka or puffing a Fidel Castro cigar and sat in the pews while arguing that alcohol or cigarette smoking is nowhere mentioned or expressly prohibited in the Bible, how would the minister handle that kind of situation?
The argument that there was no specific mention of the celebration of Christmas by the New Testament Church [assuming that this claim is biblically valid] is no reason for discarding these noble church traditions at the snap of the finger!
Here is why...
Most of the Christian traditions that we observe today were developed by the Church over centuries of Christian practice.
Some of the church traditions we observe today do not even appear in the New Testament Scriptures yet Christian communities consider them godly!
How do we justify them?
The New Testament Church practices captured in the Bible are silent on any other celebrations besides the Lord's Table and Baptism.
It is however instructive that the church never had everything right at ago! She methodically developed doctrines and practices over the centuries, even as she discarded others along the way. Are you aware that Roman Catholic church instituted the doctrine of penance in the medieval period and it was not until the 15th century Reformation that this practice was questioned? Penance involved the payment of money to the church in lieu of sins of departed relatives so that their punishment at purgatory was lessened!
The church has come through periods of self definition. We did not always get everything right...
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
Picture this...
We can observe from Acts 6 that some church offices were possibly inaugurated by default or under some emergency of sorts! They were later carefully reconstituted with clear guidelines for the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15, 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-7).
Notice further that the qualifications for those appointed to serve tables were possibly overstated so that Stephen, an evangelist by calling, was mistakenly assigned to serve tables.
Stephen was shortly thereafter martyred while doing what he knew best: preaching the word of God. He delivered a powerful sermon under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, yet this ministry was the preserve of the apostles!
Now back to our Christmas issue...
As pointed out earlier, one does not require a specific biblical command in order to discern that a particular thing or practice is permissible or prohibited in the Bible.
We need to appreciate the holistic nature of the biblical Scriptures when read in their passage contexts and in truth.
To my knowledge no such word as "Christian wedding" or "church wedding" exist anywhere in the Bible, but few Christians would doubt that church weddings are legitimate biblical practices for the Christian community if we accept that Genesis 2:22-25 and other relevant Old Testament Scriptures speak into this practice.
My guess is that if we went by the "letter of the law" approach, such practices would definitely be open to debate.
The Pharisees had a penchant for reading the letter of the law and ignoring the spirit of the law and Jesus often rebuked them for their hollow religious legalism (see Matthew 23:23 on the teaching on the tithe].
There is no manifest error with Acts 12:4 regarding the use of the word Easter in the KJV as alleged.
Leading Bible translations such as NAB and the NKJV 2007 editions render the same word as "Passover" which carries the same meaning as Easter.
My view is that it is inappropriate to conclude that there was a translation error in the above scripture without any exegetical evidence.
The mention of Easter or Passover in this verse is significant in showing that Passover took a new meaning when Christ, the Passover Lamb, was offered at Calvary.
It is therefore regrettable that some Bible teachers choose to rubbish these holy commemorations by falsely declaring them unbiblical or unchristian!
It is instructive that the 2nd to 4th century church era is collectively understood as the early church period which ended after the 4th century when the Roman Catholic Church subverted the word of God by creating a religious dynasty that advanced teachings and practices that contradicted the authority of Scripture.
The Roman Catholic Church ruled the Christian sphere for nearly 1,000 years, teaching heresy and persecuting the true followers of church who were the true believers until late 1500s when resistance to its cultic and apostate reign arose from reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther.
By late 1500s to mid 1600s, the Reformation began to take shape until the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were totally rejected by the Protestant Reformation.
WHY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IS BIBLICAL
Now back to our Christmas issue...
I find no evidence in the Bible to suggest that the celebration of Christmas is sinful or that it violates any passage of Scripture.
I regret to state that the conclusion carried in the article which opposes the Christmas and Easter traditions is based on arguments advanced by New Age teachers and has no biblical merit at all.
The argument that Christmas or Easter are reserved for the gathering of friends and that these two occasions "have lost their original religious significance" is decidedly false.
The people of this world may have their idea about Christmas or Easter but this in no way implies that the church should discard these important celebrations!
If anything, we should retrace our lost convictions on these and other important Christian traditions that have been discarded.
While Christmas relates to the celebration of Christ's incarnate birth, the Easter celebration reminds us of the suffering that Christ endured for our redemption and His triumph over death through His resurrection and ascension to heaven.
To blot out the two celebrations from our Christian calendars, under the pretext that they are not commanded by Scripture is, in my considered view, sacrilegious and a great dishonor to our Risen Lord!
Now as regards when Jesus was born, I agree with the author that Jesus may not have been born on 25th December. However, dates aside, the commemoration of His birth is significant to the true followers of Christ.
Those who insist on dates other than the traditional December 25th are at liberty to celebrate on any other date(s) that they consider to resonate with their convictions.
Let me conclude by saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are close to the hearts of those who love the Lord.
Those who chose not to celebrate these seasons are at liberty to do so. However, any attempt to discredit these important Christian calendar dates by appealing to church history is hollow and futile!
My concluding view is that both celebrations are biblically legitimate and nothing concerning their celebration or commemoration by the Christian community violates the Scriptures.
If anything, God is glorified by a Christian congregation that chooses to honor Christ by recalling His incarnate coming which is at the heart of the finished works of the cross.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019
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