The Christmas Question, Is it Biblical?

It is that time of year of colored lights, brightly wrapped packages, cookies and carols. It is also that time of year when social media and my email account is invaded by the Christmas question. I have had believers come to me and ask if it is okay to celebrate Christmas. They have friends, fellow believers, who see Christmas as somewhat appalling. Their friends explain that the roots of Christmas stem from paganism and its symbols are elements of pagan worship. They are concerned with Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, Christmas lights, mistletoe, and those stockings hung by the chimney with care. These folks grew up with the celebration but their well meaning Christian friends present a good case to abandon, if not actively oppose, this "pagan based" festival. They do enjoy the holiday and focus on Christ but they want to be true to God's Word, thus the Christmas question.

The anti-Christmas scholars usually have three arguments to enlighten those who are trapped in this unbiblical tradition. First, unlike celebrations like Passover, there is no clear call by God in the Bible to set aside a day of celebration for Messiah's birth. Second, the festival was originally the celebration of the winter equinox, tied to the worship of Roman and Greek goddesses. And third, December 25 could not possibly be Christ's birthday. The arguments have a grain of truth, but is there more here than we might see at first glance?

I should make it clear that I have no objection to those who have an objection to the Christmas celebration. They are free to hold their opinion and to be obedient to their conscience and convictions. I do get concerned when they somehow feel that they have a better standing with God or that those who disagree are somehow immersed in some unbiblical celebration. That by celebrating the arrival of God's Son, Messiah, in December is an affront to God, if not an out and out sin. Let's take a look at each of these objections.

First, there is no call of God to have this Celebration. True, but does that make it wrong? There are required celebrations in God's Word. The three pilgrim festivals of Passover, The Feast of Tabernacles, and Pentecost. There is also the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Kipper, Rosh Hashanah, among others. God also commanded an observation of the New Moon, (which, by the way has parallels among the pagans) and a weekly seventh day Sabbath observance. If these are commanded in Scripture shouldn't we observe these? It seems that, if no Biblical basis can be found for a Christmas  celebration, we should eliminate such a celebration, then shouldn't finding a Biblical command for celebrations obligate us to those Biblical celebrations?

Speaking of celebrations, it seems reasonable to consider a well known Jewish holiday called Hanukkah. This tradition comes from Maccabees, writings that are recognized as valuable but not on the same level as Scripture. Also, the celebration of Purim comes from a decree signed by Queen Esther and Mordecai (See Esther 9). The Lord never commanded either of these celebrations, but God's people, the Jews, follow them faithfully. They are reminders of God's deliverance and His faithfulness. I could point out that Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds and some Gentile Magi celebrated the birth of Messiah. If we choose to do so, it seems we are in good company. Many of those who find aspects of the Christmas traditions unpalatable tend to ignore the commanded celebrations and few would take off every new moon as a day of rest and reflection (Numbers 29). I am told, that the reason that these Biblical and traditional celebrations are not required, is that we are under grace, not the Law, so such legalities do not apply to believers today. So grace applies to celebrations we ignore but not to one, Christmas, we might choose to celebrate. I'm not sure I follow the logic in that argument.

Second, the festival was originally the celebration of the winter equinox tied to the worship of Roman and Greek goddesses. Actually this is not quite true. It is true that there was a long standing celebration in both Greek and Roman mythology of a goddess of fertility or love, or some such variant, who needed to fulfill her obligation to go to the god of the underworld at the time of the winter equinox. Her absence would bring cold and the apparent death of the earth. Come spring she returned and everything came back to life. The winter celebration was a sort of goodbye party filled with drinking and no small amount of debauchery. The Romans en masse enjoyed the celebration. Enter Constantine. Constantine credited his rise to power to an epiphany he experienced before a major battle. Constantine became a believer in God and His Son. He declared his empire to now be the Holy Roman Empire and required all Romans to believe. He was also no political novice. To retain favor he, along with the early church fathers, proclaimed a day of celebration for the birth of Christ to be held at the same time as the equinox celebration. The tradition of this Christmas celebration has been observed for the many centuries that have followed. Is there some element of a connection here? Well, yes and no. It was to appease the masses who wanted the equinox celebration to continue, but the celebration was not to honor the gods or goddesses of Greek or Roman mythology. It was to honor the birth of God's Son.

Third, December 25 could not possibly be Christ's birthday.This one is true and is backed up by scripture. Luke 2:8 informs us that the shepherds were in the fields keeping watch over their sheep. The only time of year this would be true would be the fall, around September, or the spring, around April. It would not have been true in the winter, in December. I lean toward the spring time due to the temple service of Zacharias and the timing of Elizabeth's and Mary's pregnancies. The reality is we do not know the precise date. It is also true that December 25 is not even close. Yet, the day was set up as a celebration of His birth, not necessarily His birthday. However, it is an event worth celebrating. By the way, you may have noticed the pagan goddess celebration pretty well died out. Few still honor her on the winter equinox. However, much of the world celebrates the birth of God's Son. I guess Constantine's idea won.

God's people, the Jews, determined that the events of God's deliverance in the days of Esther were worth remembering. They also decided that God's miraculous burning of the oil in the time of the deliverance in Maccabees was likewise worth celebrating, even if God did not command them. It seems the arrival of The Deliverer would be worthy of celebrating as well.

If you disagree, I am fine with that. I am actually a bit more miffed that we ignore the Jewish calendar for Passover, leading up to the resurrection of our Lord. Many call the day Easter, which is a variation of the name of that pagan goddess returning from the underworld she went to in December. But that is for another day.  For now I wish you all a Merry Christmas, or not, I will leave that up to you.