Why do we celebrate Christmas?

[NRoof]

I am trying to get to the truth of the “Christian Holidays” and I have some concerns about Christmas.

Christ was most probably not born on December 25th.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." Luke 2:8.

Did the shepherds kept sheep outside in the winter? The best information I can find says sheep were brought in under cover before mid-October to protect them from the cold rainy season that would follow.

What did Jesus Christ say about the purpose for his birth? Why did He, as God, choose to "dwell among us?" In the
Gospel of John, Jesus is quoted as saying,

"For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37).

Most sources I have checked state Christmas is not the Messiah’s birthday at all!
And this holiday, important as it seems to so many, is of pagan— Babylonian—origin!
But does that make any difference?
Isn’t it all right to go ahead and observe it anyway?
Isn’t the "Christmas spirit" a good and splendid thing, regardless of how it got started?
Isn’t it okay if you are worshipping the Savior in your heart?

Any good encyclopedia will verify the fact that Christmas came out of paganism.
Encyclopedia Britannica has this: "Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ). Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church. It was not instituted by Christ or the apostles, or by Bible authority—it was picked up afterward from paganism."

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 1, page 24:
"December 25th, celebrated as Christmas only since the fourth century AD was chosen by early Christian leaders for both practical and symbolic reasons. In the pagan Roman Empire it had been the date of the beginning of the year’s most popular feast, the Saturnalia, a time of wild holiday abandon. It was also astrologically significant, occurring as the winter sun began to move back toward its zenith in the summer heavens. It was the day, in other words, when all could see that the cycle of the seasons would continue and that life would begin again after the symbolic and literal death of winter."

Gift giving was a large part of the celebrations surrounding the Roman Saturnalia, another festival that had influence on the development of Christmas during the fourth century. It also revolved around the first day of winter and the "return of the sun" and was the merriest feast of the year for the Romans. As part of the revelry, slaves and masters switched places to act out an "upside down" world. All work and business were stopped during Saturnalia and moral restrictions were cast off producing a carnival-like atmosphere.

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” John 7:7

The world that hates Christ and His blood atonement for sin makes more fuss about Christmas than any other holiday.   If December 25th were really the birthday of Jesus, would the world have anything to do with it?

You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Galatians 4:10-11

"For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37).

What would Jesus say about being honored with a holiday that endorses so many untruths?

There is actually a lot more I could put here but this has gotten long enough for now.  Please understand I am not trying to start a war but simply get to the truth of why we celebrate things that seem good on the surface but have little or no truth behind them.

Thanks for your help,
Norm

[Sulfurdolphin]

Hi NRoof,

You Quoted:

 Christ was most probably not born on December 25th

I (Michael) Quoted:

 Mithra was born on the 25th of December...which was taken over by the Christians in 4 .A.D.

There is No evidence used Dec 25th as the birthday of Christ in 4 A.D.! In fact, almost all scholars agree that this date was adopted centuries later. To be more specific Joseph Cambell notes that the date was adopted in 354 AD. Thus, the adoption of this date says Nothing about the influences of Mithraism on the formation of Gospel accounts.

 How was Mithra born?

 Mithra was born by emerging from a rock with a dagger in one hand, a torch in the other hand, Phrygian cap on his head. No mention of a "virgin birth".


 Sulfurdolphin (Michael) Quotes:

 When was The Messiah Born? Succoth (Tishri 15 October)
 Also Succoth is known as The Feast Of Tabernacles.
 The Messiah was born in the Biblical Year 4000.

When they arrived in Beit-Lechem, the inn was full of festival goers and taxpayers, and there was no room for them. {However, because it was Succot,} they were content to stay in a temporary shelter {that had been made especially for Succot, as the scripture commands. On the first day of Succot, which is a Shabbat rest,} the time came for Miryam to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She then wrapped him in work towels and laid him in a food
storage bin that was placed there for temporary provisions.

http://www.messianic.com/yeshua/chap2.htm#BIRTHYESHUA

http://www.messianic.com/articles/

Michael

Hope this you out NRoof





 

[Shammu]

I do not celebrate christmas, I celebrate Jesus Christ (Yeshua)  birth. Even though Christ was born in about, the third week of October, from my studies.

[NRoof]

I do not celebrate Christmas, I celebrate Jesus Christ (Yeshua)  birth. Even though Christ was born in about, the third week of October, from my studies.

This is what I have done in the past as well.  We have even made a birthday cake for Jesus as a way to instruct my children.  I'm not sure why this is bothering me as much as it is, but it is.
I feel as though I am lying to my children and others when I profess we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  I also feel I am being lied to when the same is professed at Church.

My birthday is in October.  If I were to celebrate it in December and pass it off as my birthday I would be lying.

While at Church last week the pastor started talking about Christmas and the significance of the upcoming holiday and I literally felt a heaviness on my heart.  This feeling has not gone away and has in fact gotten worse as I have researched the history.

Norm

[Soldier4Christ]

My family celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ every day of the year.

[MalkyEL]

I think that most christians celebrate christmas because they believe it is honoring God in some way - unforunately, history repeats itself.  It seems that people will continue "to do what is right in their own eyes", when God has a different idea . . .
They miss what He wants, because they are inward focussed.  

Running the race is not about holidays and celebrations, even if they are in Jesus Name - it is about running, casting off the hinderances that weigh us down keeping our eyes on Him, Who is the goal.  We are instructed to worship in Spirit and in Truth, not under a tree piled high with gifts.

Please do not misunderstand.  Christmas is a time when much good is done, perhaps because it causes those emotional altruistic juices to flow.  And God will use what He will to get His work done.  But never, does He instruct us to celebrate Christmas or any other holiday, nor does He condone them.  His Grace and love has always covered a multitude of sins and always will.

Shalom, Nana

[Brother Love]

I have a BIG tree, and I have a lot of lights on the outside of my house. We will eat a lot of good food (LARGE HAM) and we will spend a lot of money on presents.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

[Pilgrim]

In the Image of Christ
Colossians 3:8-11

“Christ-mass”

     “Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 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.  For 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”     Jeremiah 10:1-4


        It may come as a surprise to many that the origin of Christmas actually predates the birth of Jesus Christ by hundreds of years.  Perhaps it comes as an even greater surprise that the origin of Christmas is rooted in heathen religions and beliefs, and not the Word of God.  This is easily verified with just a little research, research that amazingly few are willing to do. Personally I have examined many encyclopedias, newspaper articles, the internet, and pagan as well as Christian sources.  All the resources that I have studied trace the origin of Christmas back to heathen religions and beliefs well before the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

        Did you realize that no one knows on what day the Lord Jesus was born.  You can search the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find from its pages what day the Lord Jesus was born.  In fact the Bible tells us that the shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night at the time the Lord Jesus was born indicating mild weather, certainly not the dead of winter (Luke 2:6-8).  It was the Roman Catholic Church in the 4th century A.D. who chose December 25 as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ.  It chose December 25 because it was the time that the heathen were celebrating Natalis Solis Invicti, the birthday of the Unconquerable Sun.  Instead of condemning the idolatrous festivities and practices of the heathen, the Church of Rome absorbed them and “Christianized” them.  Instead of celebrating the birth of the god’s of the heathen’s they now would celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Instead of SUN worship they now would have SON worship.  The Roman Catholic Church called December 25 “Christmas” which means, “the Mass of Christ”. Almost all of the heathens customs and forms of celebrating were retained by the Church and given different meanings (see The Two Babylons, by Hislop).  Thus the Roman Church allowed the heathen to continue their idolatrous ways under the guise of celebrating Christ’s birthday with the Church of Rome’s blessings.

        Our opening text clearly exhorts, “Learn not the way of the heathen”. What is the way of the heathen here? They take a tree from the forest, they deck it with gold and silver, and they fasten so it doesn’t move. Sounds very much like the Christmas tree wouldn’t you agree? It amazes me that people calling themselves  Christians take part in this without any indication from the Scriptures that it was preformed at Christ birth or afterwards. The Gospels, Acts, the Epistles and Revelation give neither example nor teaching on which to found such a celebration. Does no one wonder where, then, such celebrations came from? Why, unbelievers do the same thing with no regard to Christ at all! How can Christians supposedly be worshiping Christ through this, while at the same time unbelievers are celebrating with no reverence to HIM at all? You must ask yourself in the light of our Scripture, who’s right and who’s wrong? After all what does a pine tree have to do with Christ birth?  Nowhere in the Scriptures do we read of God’s people embracing the way of the heathen with God’s blessing. Whenever God’s people adopt the ways of the heathen it eventually brings God’s judgment upon them. In the book of Colossians we read the following warning.

     “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”  Colossians 2:8

        Friends, one of Satan’s greatest tools of deceptions is his ability to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15).  It is by this means that he seeks to deceive the Christian.  Christmas is apparently one of his greatest deceptions ever, since it is so widely accepted and defended, and people seem to be held captive by it in spite of its lack of Biblical support.  This is a strange phenomenon! Surely if Christmas was of God it would easily stand the test of Scripture, but it does not.  With just a little research an unbiased person who is a seeker of truth would clearly see that Christmas is a lie based upon “the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”  This is abundantly clear when one learns that Christmas and almost all of its trimmings predate the birth of Christ by hundreds of years.  We would do well to heed the warning of Colossians 2:8 and BEWARE least we become SPOILED by the vain deceit of Christmas.

        John 4:24 says “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”  How can we even pretended to honor and worship God in participating in Christmas when it is based in vain deceit rather than truth?  John 4:24 says that God MUST be worshiped in spirit and TRUTH. There is no room for compromise here, no matter how well meaning or sincere one may be in their participation in Christmas.  Where is the Biblical doctrine of Christmas celebrating? There is none! Christmas fails the test of Scripture.

        Many professing Christians have already been spoiled by the vain deceit of Christmas. This is evidenced by the fact that they refuse to allow God’s Word to judge their participation in the idolatrous practices of Christmas.  On this subject, apparently, the Bible does not matter. It appears that their minds are made up and they don’t want to be confused by the facts. To them Christmas is like a sacred cow, not to be touched or criticized by anyone, even the Lord!  How sad and grieved the Lord must be over this. Not once in the Scriptures do we find the Lord reflecting on HIS birth. Instead we find HIM consistently pointing to the future to the salvation that He would secure for human beings by dying on the cross as the perfect Substitute. No, we don’t find a commandment to remember HIS birth but we do find the commandment to remember HIS death (1Cor.11:24-26).  How much better we would be if we would heed the will of God that we find in the book of Romans.

     “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and  perfect, will of God.”    Romans 12:1-2

         It is God’s will and command that we do not conform to this world.  Christmas is “after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”, and therefore we should obey the Scriptures and not conform to the world’s customs.  You see, when one participates in Christmas he is doing just the opposite of what God commands in this verse.  Instead of conforming to this world God wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  This happens as we study the scriptures and learn from them how to live our lives in a way that pleases God.  God wants us to be able to prove what His GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT will is.  We should do this so that we can apply God’s will to our lives and live in a way that is more pleasing to Him, because we love Him who first loved us.

        Dear friend my purpose in writing these words is not to cause trouble with you.  I know first hand how controversial this subject is with those that have a strong traditional and emotional attachment to the practices of Christmas, especially those who regard Christmas as an untouchable matter, like a sacred cow.  I write knowing that there are those that want to honor God in all their ways and are not aware of the deceptions of Christmas.  I pray that God will use these words to enlighten them to the dangers of Christmas and move them to a closer walk with God.  Christianity is about following Christ (Luke 9:23), and to do that the Lord said one must “deny self, and take up his cross...” not his Christmas tree!


Also read the articles "Truth" and “Convictions or Conveniences?”for more on Christmas.

Visit our web site for more articles and information at  http://nlbchapel.org

[Brother Love]

18 More Days

[Pilgrim]

In the Image of Christ
Colossians 3:8-11

“Convictions or Conveniences?”

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

        Years ago, a friend and I owned a small business. At the time we had one employee. We all attended the same small gospel assembly. Our employee was just getting started in public preaching. I can remember one of his first sermons, it was on the subject of faith. In his attempt to explain what it meant to walk by faith he used the example of owning life insurance. He explained that having life insurance was not walking in faith and showed a lack of trust in the Lord. He spoke about this topic with great conviction and passion.
        A few weeks later my business partner and I were approached by our insurance agent, who told us of a great deal on life insurance that was being offered on a limited-time-only basis. My partner and I decided to take the offer and purchase the life insurance. We talked about offering this life insurance policy at the company’s expense to our employee, but remembered the message he preached about life insurance just a few weeks earlier. We both thought that he would turn down the offer without a second thought, based upon his publicly known “convictions.”
        However, to our surprise he didn’t even hesitate to take us up on the offer. When we asked him about his publicly known “convictions” against having life insurance, he said that he had done a lot of thinking on the matter lately and had changed his views. How convenient for him to simply change his views at the very time he was being offered “free life insurance!” Apparently, and to his own shame, this man’s convictions were very flexible and subject to change when it suited his own interest.
        Sadly, we often come across men like this whose convictions are really nothing more than conveniences. Under the right pressures or circumstances you will find out that most men really don’t have convictions, and what they passionately claim are strong convictions are nothing more than conveniences. I have heard that in other countries some Christians under the pains of torture and death have been told to renounce the Lord Jesus Christ. Some have even saved their lives by renouncing the Lord Jesus, or so they think!

        “And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father's, and of the holy angels.”   (Luke 9:22-26)

        Yet, many others over the ages have lost their lives under such circumstances, only to find them according to the above Scripture. A man once told me, “you never know what’s in a man until he’s squeezed!” How true that statement is. It’s easy to boldly proclaim one’s “convictions” when they haven’t been put to the test. But, test those same “convictions” by trials of persecution, or by temptations of pleasure and personal gain, and one will quickly find out what one is made of, convictions or conveniences.
        When the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13), he basically was telling them to be men of true convictions and to stand firm without wavering in those convictions no matter the persecution or temptation. In those days it was harder to be a man of convictions; one’s faith was constantly being tested by trial, temptation, or both. Christians were being hunted down and persecuted for what they believed. Unlike today, the term “Christian” had true meaning and purpose. If one were to be called Christian in those days it meant that he had forsaken all other so-called gods and the pagan culture associated with them, to follow the one and true God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
        In today’s pluralistic mindset, you can call yourself a Christian and still embrace the pagan gods of old. In many of today’s so-called evangelical churches occult activities run rampant in such things as prayer visualizing techniques, prayer labyrinthian, yoga, 12 step programs, psychology, partaking in pagan holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and Easter, just to name a few. To be involved in these things ignorantly is one thing, but to continue in them after you have received the truth about them is quite another. Paul received the Lord’s mercy for his great sin of persecuting the church because he did it in ignorance (1 Tim. 1:12-17). Can you imagine what would have happened to Paul had he continued persecuting the church after the Lord Jesus revealed to him that he was really persecuting the very God he claimed to serve?
        Today’s church is suffering greatly from a lack of men of true conviction who are ready to suffer for what they believe, men who are true men, men who are sound in the faith. Today’s church is designed to meet one’s comfort level rather than bring spiritual health (“sound doctrine” means literally “healthy doctrine”). The emphasis is on making people feel comfortable, therefore you dare not preach to them the whole counsel of God, but only the things that will make them feel good about themselves. Preaching against sin and repentance is shelved because they make one feel uncomfortable and folks will likely leave for a more comfortable environment that will tolerate their laxity and sin, or worse yet, partake in it. I was shocked driving home from work one October day when I saw a sign in a church parking lot saying, “Kids come here tonight for your Halloween treats.” Halloween treats!  What are so-called Christians doing partaking in pagan holidays? Sadly, many churches partake of this wicked holiday to a much greater degree by holding their own haunted houses and Halloween parties. One must ask whose side these so-called Christians are on anyway? With their mouth they profess the Lord, but in their activities they deny Him (Titus 1:16)
        What blasphemy it is for those claiming to be Christians to partake in the celebrations and customs that belong to the devil. Where are the “true men of conviction” in the church today? Why are they not opposing such wickedness? Do they think that God has said in vain, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]” (Eph. 5:11) or that He really didn’t mean it in regards to Halloween, or any of the other holidays that honor Satan, such as Christmas and Easter? I can hear the excuses of those without true convictions already saying, “We partake of these holidays for the children”, "everybody else is doing it,” “I have Christian liberty to partake in these events,” “it doesn’t mean the same things to me as it does the pagans,” “my family won’t understand if I take a stand against these things,” “my wife feels strongly about celebrating Christmas, it’s a big tradition in her family,” and you can go on and on. But God is not looking for excuses; He’s looking for men who will be men and that will stand firm upon His Word without compromise, not those without convictions that find it convenient for their own personal gain to ignore and disobey His Word.
        Dear friend, is your spiritual life one of strong convictions, or of weak compromise and conveniences? It takes a real man or woman to stand against the currents of this world. It’s much easier to go with the flow of this world and do as the world does than it is to stand against it. If you chose to be a man or woman of conviction, God says you will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Unfortunately, most of the persecution will come from those that claim to be Christians who are so worldly that they even make the pagans blush.

        “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will  serve  the LORD.” (Josh 24:15)

Visit our web site for more articles and information at  http://nlbchapel.org

Also see "THE CHRISTMAS JESUS CAME TO MY HOUSE" at  http://www.nlbchapel.org/Christmashome.htm

[Bern]

Pilgrim, that was a challenging and moving article.. " the Christmas Jesus came to my house". It has made me think a lot more about where my priorities lie, do they lie with pleasing my unsaved family, with their ungodly traditions, or with my Lord and Saviour. Thanks for posting this.

[Patzt]

Pilgrim, thanks for that article "THE CHRISTMAS JESUS CAME TO MY HOUSE".    

[Brother Love]

No more CHRIST-mas, Easter, Halloween, etc, etc. I guess I will join the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society this saturday.

[Pilgrim]

No more CHRIST-mas, Easter, Halloween, etc, etc. I guess I will join the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society this saturday.

Hi Brother Love,

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You got me wondering why you want to trade one false religion for a different one? God bless.

Pilgrim

[Brother Love]

No more CHRIST-mas, Easter, Halloween, etc, etc. I guess I will join the Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society this saturday.

Hi Brother Love,

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You got me wondering why you want to trade one false religion for a different one? God bless.

Pilgrim

Thats NOT nice Bro