Christmas and the Christian

Christmas is commonly regarded as one of the most important holidays of Christianity. However, it has been a source of controversy over the years since Christians were never commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is a manmade holiday that came about after the New Testament. Therefore, this article will examine whether it is permissible to celebrate Christmas religiously.

The earliest record of Christmas being observed as a religious holiday is in the fourth century. It was first celebrated at Rome in 354, at Constantinople in 379, and at Antioch in 388. For a long time, this was enough for me to refrain from viewing Christmas as anything other than a secular occasion. If it did not develop until centuries after the New Testament, I felt we must keep Christ out of Christmas. However, I have changed my position for two reasons.

The main reason I changed my position has to do with the example of Jesus. He celebrated manmade religious holidays and never expressed concerns about their right to exist. For instance, the “Feast of Dedication” was a religious holiday that came about during the intertestamental period. It commemorated the cleansing and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus after it had been defiled by Greek oppressors. This feast did not originate with God. When He revealed the various feasts that Jews were to observe, it was not one of them. It came about during the four hundred years of divine silence. Yet Jesus participated in the holiday without reservation (John 10:22-23).

The Lord’s presence at the “Feast of “Dedication,” along with the fact that neither He nor the writer John raised any objections to it, is strong evidence that it is permissible to keep such holidays. Moreover, it is likely that the feast Jesus observed in John 5:1 was the “Feast of Purim,” which was another manmade religious holiday. It was instituted by Mordecai to commemorate Jewish deliverance from attempted genocide by the Persians (Esther 9:26-28). Hence, we have examples of Jesus doing the very thing some Christians condemn. The feasts of Dedication and Purim were no different than Christmas in terms of their origin, yet our Lord had no problem observing them.

Another reason I changed my position comes from Paul. In his letter to the Romans, he gave approval for Christians to observe “days” that they regarded as being religiously significant. He said they could keep those days according to their own convictions and should not be condemned by others for doing so (Romans 14:5-10). Hence, whether it be Passover in the first century or Christmas in the twenty-first century the application is the same — individuals who choose to observe these days are to be accepted. The only qualifier given is that it be done to honor God.

Romans 14 is crucial to this issue. Paul said we are not to pass judgment on Christians who set aside certain days as being religiously significant to themselves. They have the right to do that. The only way this could become wrong is if they bind such observances on others or teach that they are somehow required to be right with God (Galatians 4:10-11).

Since Jesus observed the manmade religious holidays of His day and Paul permitted Christians to keep whatever days they wanted so long as they honored God, how can one possibly say it is wrong for individuals to celebrate Christmas today? They have the right to do that. This should not be an issue that divides the body of Christ. Follow your conscience without condemning others.