.
Christmas
As Christians should we celebrate Christmas?
Whether Christians should celebrate Christmas or
not has been debated for centuries.
There are equally sincere and committed
Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why
not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes.
But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give
clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by
Christians?
First, let us look at the reasons why some
Christians do not celebrate Christmas.
One argument against Christmas is that the
traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism.
Searching for reliable information on this topic
is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that
sources often contradict one another.
Bells, candles,
holly, and yuletide decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship,
but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to
paganism.
While there
are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more
traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the
Savior of the world in Bethlehem.
Bells are played to
ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the
Light of the world (John 1:4-9).
A star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree
to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to
remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to
mankind.
.
Another argument against Christmas, especially having
a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes
and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16.
But this passage refers to cutting down trees,
chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver
and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see
also Isaiah 44:9-18).
The passage in
Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate
argument against Christmas trees.
Christians who choose
to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible does not give us the date
of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true.
December 25 may not
be even close to the time Jesus was born.
Arguments on both
sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of
shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking.
None of these points
are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact
that the Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born.
Some see this as
proof positive that God did not want us to celebrate the birth, while others
see the Bible’s silence on the issue as tacit approval.
Some Christians say
that since the world celebrates Christmas - although it is becoming more and
more politically correct to refer to it as “the holidays” - Christians should
avoid it.
But that is the same
argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults
such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity.
Those Christians who
do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim
Christ as “the reason for the season” among the nations and to those trapped in
false religions.
As we have seen,
there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas.
At the same time,
there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course,
whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision.
Whatever Christians
decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with
which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views.
Nor should either view
be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating.
As in all things,
we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5).
We must accept one
another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.
What Really
Happened On December 25?
.
Christmas or
Xmas?
.
.
CLICK HERE . . .
.
.
CLICK HERE . . .
.
What
Child Is
This?
CLICK HERE . . . to view complete playlist . . .
.
No comments:
Post a Comment