Christmas

God is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24

The topic of Christmas has been covered extensively by many people for many years. Its pagan origins, it commercial value to the world, the fact that even the enemies of Christ celebrate it, are all indisputable facts. This study will not rehash these things but will take a strictly biblical view in relation to whether we as those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for the for-giveness of our sins and claim as our authority the Bible as being God’s word should be associated with this rite called Christmas.

The short answer is simply?no. You cannot keep Christ in something he was never in to begin with. There is a reason that the Bible does not preserve the actual day of the Lord’s birth, because God did not want us to know it. Which brings us to our first point.

Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

This study will not list all the reference to not adding to nor diminishing from God’s word. If you have had any desire toward God and his word you know them or can easily find them. Sufficient is the fact that God’s word does not tell us to celebrate or recognize his birthday in any form or way, which means to do so is adding to and diminishing from his word. The next point is as our lead verse states, we must worship God in, “spirit and in truth.” Is there anything more physical and less spiritual than Christmas? Is there any truth in christianizing the pagan rite.

1. Were we told to recognize Christ birthday?—No.
2. Is Christ birthday within a month either way of December 25th?—No.
3. Were shepherds in the field at night in December?—No.
4. Were there three wise men?— No, the Bible does not say how many.
5. Were the wise men in the stable, did they see the baby in the manger?— No, they showed up two years later; that is why Herod had all the children two years old and younger killed.
6. Is the Christmas tree in anyway associated with Christ?—No, in fact we are told in no uncertain terms not to have one.
7. Is there a Santa Clause?—No, what would he have to do with Christ?
8. Are there flying reindeer?— No.
9. Are there elves?—No.

If we tell our children all these lies, how do we expect them to suddenly believe that Jesus was the Son of God who died for their sins. We must worship God in, “spirit and in truth”.

1 John 2:21 …no lie is of the truth.

Matthew 2:7-16 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. ¹¹And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, … ¹⁶Then Herod, … sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

At this point we have the act of Christians recognizing the Xmas rite as adding to God’s word and that everything about the Xmas story is a lie. It is amazing that in the face of this that so many Christians have and continue to blaspheme God’s word. But there is more. What about the tree and the holiday itself?

Jeremiah 10:2-8 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. ³For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. ⁴They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. … ⁸But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

Here, more than six hundred years before Christ, we are told that the hea-then have a rite where they put up a tree and do all the things done at Xmass with it. We are told not to learn their ways is so doing. Can anyone be so foolish as to say this is not the pagan rite celebrated in December? Is this not a similitude of what we are not suppose to do? Will you feel comfortable stand-ing before the judgment seat of Christ excusing your participation with, “yes, but I did not worship the tree”, that you, “just did it for the children”.

Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

I have been in several local congregations where the “Pastor ” would not have any public displays or functions within the Church stating that whether or not one celebrated Xmas was a private matter just so they could say they were against it but celebrated it in their homes to make their wives and children happy. God hates hypocrisy, and we wonder why Christianity is in decline.

I have one purpose in life, to preach and teach the truth of God’s word. The Lord Jesus Christ has no part nor should we have in the pagan rite of Xmas. The same applies to Halloween and Easter.

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