Christians and Christmas

Did you know there are varied opinions as to whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas? You may not realize this, because they are in the vast minority, but there are some good godly believers who do not observe Christmas. To be clear, I am not referring to different religions, that are sometimes wrongly labeled as Christian. Rather I mean, there are devout Bible-believing followers of Christ that love Jesus, but don’t have anything to do with the observance of Christmas. As odd as that may sound to you, these folks exist and should be loved and treated as equals among Christian family, and not considered as extremist odd-balls. These sincere saints are not “grumpy Grinches” that are just too cheap to buy gifts. Nor are they some fanatical fringe of Christianity whose minds are filled with random conspiracies and legalistic tendencies. Instead, these are God-fearing, church-going, born-again believers who love the Lord, yet refuse to participate in anything related to Christmas. They of course, believe in the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Christ, they simply are convinced the Christmas holiday really has nothing to do with those Divine redemptive acts. And to be honest, they are not all wrong. 

You are aware I trust, that very few of the traditions that are currently connected to Christmas actually come from the Bible? That doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong. A tradition can be extra-Biblical without being anti-Biblical. For example; our church has Sunday School, a mid-week service, and meets at a specific time each Sunday morning. The Bible doesn’t explicitly command these things, but does it forbid them either? Hence, we are at liberty to enjoy and explore our ecclesiastical traditions. As this subject of Christian liberty relates to the holidays; no, the Bible doesn’t tell us on what day Jesus was born. But that doesn’t mean it is wrong to delight in the incarnation of the Son of God. True, it is doubtful Jesus was born on December 25^th, but praise God, He was born! And on whatever day that was, the angels along with Joseph, Mary, and some shepherds rejoiced. So, I think it reasonable we do as well! 

No … mistletoe and holly, nor garland and reindeer, nor candy canes and eggnog, nor gingerbread houses and ugly sweaters, have anything to do with the birth of the Christ child. These are man-made traditions. Again, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong, they are just not detailed in, or mandated by Scripture. As long as these traditions do not contradict Scripture, the Chrisitan is allowed to enjoy to your heart’s delight. And while I am making digs at some of the festivities, and for clarification: the gifts given to Jesus by the wise men had nothing to do with His birthday. But were symbolic and prophetic gifts given to a King. Does that mean then it is wrong to exchange gifts with others at Christmas? I think not. That is just another man-made tradition. 

Nonetheless, Christians are commanded to “test all things and hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Which means some of the traditions connected to Christmas may not past the test. In fact, any casual perusal of history will reveal that some of the Christmas customs have a sketchy past (at best) and may have been once connected to pagan practices. While it is impossible to know with absolute certainty where all the traditions connected to religious holidays originated, it is not absurd for a Christian to look at these things with caution. 

Therefore, because of the potentially pagan past of some of the customs surrounding Christmas, and the fact the Bible never gives direct instruction on when (or how) to observe the birth of Christ, some Christians simply exclude themselves from the celebrations and festivities surrounding the Holiday. To them, December 25^th, is just another day. They do not exchange gifts, decorate their homes, put up a tree, and some are not even comfortable wishing someone a Merry Christmas. 

I know this non-celebrating, Scrooge-sounding group exists, because I was once one of them. My parents, doing what they thought best, stopped celebrating Christmas when my brothers and I were young. Just FYI, I don’t harbor one ounce of ill-will towards them for their decision. They did what they believed honored God … and I admire that. Further still, I personally have some deep-rooted reservations about our family going full-in on the Holiday. There is some north-pole propaganda that I flat out reject. As well as some red-nosed magical mountain animals that just don’t fly with me. I would argue, if God gives someone the ability (and financial means) to provide generously for their family, they ought not rob God of due praise, and give it to another.

Having said all that, I want to warn my non-celebrating family and friends about rushing to judgment about your fellow Christian family who do choose to celebrate. As candid as I can be; you are free to believe what you want, however you are not free to wrongly rebuke your brothers and sisters because they don’t share your scruples. If you have not carefully studied Romans chapters 14 and 15, do the kingdom of Christ a favor and silence your criticism till you know more about what God says about the subject of soul liberty. In those passages (and others) the Apostle Paul gives clear commands about how believers are to treat each other, when they see certain issues differently. Much could be said, but one thing is certain, the “weak brother” mentioned there, always, and I mean always, believes he is the strong one. When he is in fact, not. And believe it or not, that may be describing you? Especially if you are quick to judge others for not sharing your personal preferences. Therefore, before you accuse someone of idolatry and thereby completely doing the exact opposite of what God instructs in those verses, perhaps remember, you might just be the weaker brother who needs to grow up.

Furthermore, you don’t know what is in someone else’s heart. Regardless of how highly you may think of yourself, no one except God can discern the motives and intents of another’s heart. So, to my peers who opt-out of the holiday, mind your accusatory tone and be very careful about what you call your Christian family. To accuse a fellow saint of idolatry because they decorate their home, sing Christmas carols, or a decorate a tree – is frankly, beyond arrogant. And makes clear you have not studied and obeyed the passages cited above. 

Romans 14:10 asks, “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother?” Why do you do that? I tell you why … you think too highly of yourself. I know this because in my anti-Xmas days, I used to be just a guilty. God forgive me. 

To summarize, as it relates to our topic at hand, if someone believes it is inappropriate to join in the festivities, then Biblically speaking, they should abstain. But at the same time, those who feel at liberty to participate should be able to do so without fear of being ostracized and labeled as idolatrous compromisers. 

In a culture that repeatedly says, if you disagree with me, you hate me; Christians ought to be able to disagree agreeably. And rather than proverbially trying to strangle each other with stockings or lynch one another with Christmas lights, we need to show each other grace. Personally, I refuse to live my life under what RC Sproul rightly called, “The Tyranny of the Weak.” You do what you think honors God, and let everyone else do the same. 

Whatever your preference or position; whichever side of the tinsel and mistletoe you find yourself, I truly hope you know the real significance of the Virgin Birth of Jesus. You want to argue this glorious doctrine has nothing to do with December 25^th, fine. I concede, Christ’s coming was certainly not about Santa or sleighbells, but it is about God reconciling sinners to Himself. No, the Christ child wasn’t given gifts for His birthday, but He has given the gift of eternal life to all who will trust in Him. Turn to Him today and find everlasting life.
May the Lord bless you and yours and give you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!