Why We Do Not Celebrate Christmas
Leviticus 11:45 says, “I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
All throughout the book of Leviticus, the Lord gives many examples of the holy and the profane; and He tells how important it is that anything that is profane not come in contact with that which is holy. That which is unclean should not be mixed with that which is clean.
This principle is repeated in the New Testament. II Corinthians 6:14b says, “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” This text is usually used to relate specifically to marriage or business partnerships. However, the principle still applies. Verses 16 - 18 say, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
It is evident through these Scriptures that God wants to put a difference between that which is holy and that which is profane, between that which is clean and that which is unclean. It is in light of this Scriptural principle that we will explain our position on Christmas.
The first reason we do not celebrate Christmas is because of its name - Christ-mas(s). It is true that there is only one S at the end of Christmas. Putting two of them would cause confusion in pronunciation. The Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English language, 1913, gives this explanation of the origin of the word “mass:” “In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with these words : "Ite, missa est" [sc. ecclesia], the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper [celebration of the Lord’s supper] began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church.”
Wikipedia explains this origin for the word “Christmas ” - “The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[6] "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century. [13] Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
Since the Catholic church is corrupt in its doctrines and practices, we cannot, with good conscience, be associated with it in respect to worship. The name given to “Christmas” gives it an association with the worship practices of the Catholic church.
Titus 2:7 says that our doctrine should be without corruption - “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.”
Is Christmas a celebration of Christ’s birth?
Let me clarify something here. We are not against a celebration of Christ’s birth. Wisemen came from the east to celebrate Christ’s birth. The account of this can be found in Matthew chapter 2. And this coming was prophesied many years earlier by King David and by Isaiah. Psalm 72:9-15 says, “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.” This is a double prophecy and speaks of both the first and second coming of Christ to the earth. The first coming has already been fulfilled, the second is yet to be.
Also Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”
But is Christmas really a celebration of Christ’s birth?
Many of the customs and activities at Christmas have nothing to do with the birth of Christ. To learn more about it, check out this website - http://www.history.com/video.do?name=christmas&paidlink=1&vid=HIS_SEM_Search&keywords=christmas%2Borigin&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=christmas&utm_term=christmas%20origin
You can also find more information at this site - http://www.origin-of-christmas.com/ This site is done by Christians who believe it is OK to celebrate Christmas. They do tell some of the pagan origins of some of the practices surrounding Christmas. Among other things, they say, “Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas.” They also say, “The true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise. A quick study will reveal a number of disturbing roots that we haven't been able to cover in this brief article. In short, the Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative of Christianity's willingness to absorb the world's customs and traditions.”
Yet, they go on to justify the celebration of Christmas, saying that Christians “forget its simple roots in the historical reality of Jesus Christ” even though they just pointed out in previous paragraphs that many of the Christmas customs and traditions of pagan origin predate the birth of Christ. At the end of their article, they indicate that celebrating Christmas is OK as long as it is “nothing more than a simple, yet wonderful reminder of Christ's humble beginning as a human child in this world.” Their belief is that we should use “each and every opportunity to reflect on Jesus Christ and His message of hope for all of us.” But, does compromise with customs that are known to have nothing to do with Christianity really give an opportunity to reflect Christ and His message to the world. If we want to celebrate Christ’s birth, perhaps we should call it something other than “Christmas” and do our best to avoid being involved in any customs that are recognized (even by the world) as “pagan.”
You will see from these things the mixing of the holy and the profane in what is considered to be the celebration of Christ who is all holy.
But, without even considering these common traditions that have pagan origins, there is still much within the celebration of Christmas that has little to do with the birth of Christ. Recently I have read several defenses of the celebration of Christmas. Only one of them was based on Scripture. Most of these articles were simply defenses of why it was OK for the people who wrote them to follow certain customs and traditions which they had done for years.
Some people watch a movie or do a certain thing as a kick-off to their month-long celebration. Many times the movie is not a Christian movie, but is interesting and “moving” and tugs at the heart strings. There may not be anything wrong with this movie or tradition. But, is it edifying? How is it associated with Christ’s birth? Does it leave a Christian example for the unsaved so that they know the Christian’s reason for their celebration and joy?
Here is another example. It is a bit extreme, but some Christians do justify this “because it is Christmas.” One young lady explained several traditions they follow and even justified her parents “lying” to her (her own word) about Santa Claus because, after all, she did learn about Christ and got saved. Does this mean it is OK to lie to your children as long as you teach them about Christ and they get saved? Ephesians 4:25 says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
Another reason we do not join in with Christmas celebrations is the ritualistic atmosphere that seems to accompany them.
One of these things is the music. We have no problem with many of the songs being sung this time of the year. Some of them are full of good doctrine - such as “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” But, the music begins the day after Thanksgiving or the first of December and is sung throughout the whole month. In January, it suddenly turns off and these songs are not heard from again until the next December. It is as if there is a switch for turning on the Christmas music and a switch to turn it off when the season ends. If one of the songs is sung another time of year, some say, “They can’t sing that song now. It isn’t Christmas. That doesn’t sound right.” But are we only happy about Christ’s birth in December?
During other months of the year, some say, “I can’t bear to sing Christmas songs, not yet, not until December comes.” In a way, this is understandable. The same songs are sung or played - in church, on the radio, in the stores - over and over again, until one’s mind is tired of hearing them. However, in a way, this is also sad. As mentioned above, some of these songs contain rich doctrine. They could be musical gems all year round .
Some of the songs, however, do not contain accurate doctrine. Yet, some churches that would normally carefully screen songs for doctrinally accuracy and sing only those songs that edify, will sing these Christmas songs without worrying about whether or not they match up with the Bible. Why? Does doctrinally accuracy not matter at Christmas? Titus 2:7 says that doctrine should be with incorruptness. And I Corinthians 14:26 says, “Let all things be done unto edifying.”
What about Cantatas? Many of these present the gospel and are doctrinally accurate. There may not be a problem with them in themselves. However, we have heard unsaved people in stores discussing which church they were going to for Christmas. It generally depended on which one was going to put on the most entertaining “show.” If that is the impression the unsaved have of a Christmas Cantata, is it really profitable as a means of outreach? Just a thought.
The final thing that comes to mind, aside from the customs, many of which have pagan origins, is the practice of gift giving at Christmas. We are not against this entirely. We do give gifts at Thanksgiving if we are able. Thanksgiving celebrations described in the Old Testament were celebrations of joy, giving, and feasting among believers.
But what about a birthday celebration? We do realize that Jesus is not here physically and thus cannot receive presents in the way that a person normally would if his or her birthday were being celebrated. But consider for a minute, the wise men from the east. When they came to worship Jesus, they did not give gifts to Joseph and to Mary. No, the Bible says, “They presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
When people celebrate Christmas, it is the usual custom to have parties and gift giving and gift exchange, etc. The festivities often go on for weeks.
What happens when you have a birthday? Do you have a party? When people come to celebrate your birthday, do they give gifts to each other? Even if they spent as much for a gift for you as they would for all the other gifts combined, would it still feel like a celebration of your birthday?
The prophecy in Psalm 72:12 says that Jesus would be coming to “deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.” Also, it says He would be coming to “save the souls of the needy.” If the celebration of Christmas is really a celebration of Christ’s birth, why are the gifts not given to reach out to the poor and needy rather than to each other? That is the group of people Jesus came to deliver. Why are they not given to further the saving of the souls of the needy, the spreading of the gospel? Why is evangelism not stressed, and parties and merry making not minimized? Do the thousands of dollars spent by Christians at Christmas really have much impact on souls for eternity? Is Christmas really a celebration of what Christ came to do? Or is it really just a time to get together with friends or family, have fun, enjoy fellowship, give gifts, etc.?
There is nothing wrong with getting together, having fun, enjoying fellowship, and even giving gifts. But is a whole month of merry making, parties, food, and gift giving really a representation of Christ’s birth? Does it really impact souls for eternity?
In conclusion, we do not celebrate Christmas because even the “Christian” Christmas does not make a specific distinction between the profane and the holy, between the unclean and the clean. We also do not celebrate Christmas because the holiday’s undo emphasis on traditions and the ritualism that seems to be part of many of its customs and traditions. Thanks for being willing to read all this.
“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23
All throughout the book of Leviticus, the Lord gives many examples of the holy and the profane; and He tells how important it is that anything that is profane not come in contact with that which is holy. That which is unclean should not be mixed with that which is clean.
This principle is repeated in the New Testament. II Corinthians 6:14b says, “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” This text is usually used to relate specifically to marriage or business partnerships. However, the principle still applies. Verses 16 - 18 say, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
It is evident through these Scriptures that God wants to put a difference between that which is holy and that which is profane, between that which is clean and that which is unclean. It is in light of this Scriptural principle that we will explain our position on Christmas.
The first reason we do not celebrate Christmas is because of its name - Christ-mas(s). It is true that there is only one S at the end of Christmas. Putting two of them would cause confusion in pronunciation. The Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English language, 1913, gives this explanation of the origin of the word “mass:” “In the ancient churches, the public services at which the catechumens were permitted to be present were called missa catechumenorum, ending with the reading of the Gospel. Then they were dismissed with these words : "Ite, missa est" [sc. ecclesia], the congregation is dismissed. After that the sacrifice proper [celebration of the Lord’s supper] began. At its close the same words were said to those who remained. So the word gave the name of Mass to the sacrifice in the Catholic Church.”
Wikipedia explains this origin for the word “Christmas ” - “The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[6] "Cristes" is from Greek Christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century. [13] Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
Since the Catholic church is corrupt in its doctrines and practices, we cannot, with good conscience, be associated with it in respect to worship. The name given to “Christmas” gives it an association with the worship practices of the Catholic church.
Titus 2:7 says that our doctrine should be without corruption - “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.”
Is Christmas a celebration of Christ’s birth?
Let me clarify something here. We are not against a celebration of Christ’s birth. Wisemen came from the east to celebrate Christ’s birth. The account of this can be found in Matthew chapter 2. And this coming was prophesied many years earlier by King David and by Isaiah. Psalm 72:9-15 says, “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.” This is a double prophecy and speaks of both the first and second coming of Christ to the earth. The first coming has already been fulfilled, the second is yet to be.
Also Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”
But is Christmas really a celebration of Christ’s birth?
Many of the customs and activities at Christmas have nothing to do with the birth of Christ. To learn more about it, check out this website - http://www.history.com/video.do?name=christmas&paidlink=1&vid=HIS_SEM_Search&keywords=christmas%2Borigin&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=christmas&utm_term=christmas%20origin
You can also find more information at this site - http://www.origin-of-christmas.com/ This site is done by Christians who believe it is OK to celebrate Christmas. They do tell some of the pagan origins of some of the practices surrounding Christmas. Among other things, they say, “Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas.” They also say, “The true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise. A quick study will reveal a number of disturbing roots that we haven't been able to cover in this brief article. In short, the Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative of Christianity's willingness to absorb the world's customs and traditions.”
Yet, they go on to justify the celebration of Christmas, saying that Christians “forget its simple roots in the historical reality of Jesus Christ” even though they just pointed out in previous paragraphs that many of the Christmas customs and traditions of pagan origin predate the birth of Christ. At the end of their article, they indicate that celebrating Christmas is OK as long as it is “nothing more than a simple, yet wonderful reminder of Christ's humble beginning as a human child in this world.” Their belief is that we should use “each and every opportunity to reflect on Jesus Christ and His message of hope for all of us.” But, does compromise with customs that are known to have nothing to do with Christianity really give an opportunity to reflect Christ and His message to the world. If we want to celebrate Christ’s birth, perhaps we should call it something other than “Christmas” and do our best to avoid being involved in any customs that are recognized (even by the world) as “pagan.”
You will see from these things the mixing of the holy and the profane in what is considered to be the celebration of Christ who is all holy.
But, without even considering these common traditions that have pagan origins, there is still much within the celebration of Christmas that has little to do with the birth of Christ. Recently I have read several defenses of the celebration of Christmas. Only one of them was based on Scripture. Most of these articles were simply defenses of why it was OK for the people who wrote them to follow certain customs and traditions which they had done for years.
Some people watch a movie or do a certain thing as a kick-off to their month-long celebration. Many times the movie is not a Christian movie, but is interesting and “moving” and tugs at the heart strings. There may not be anything wrong with this movie or tradition. But, is it edifying? How is it associated with Christ’s birth? Does it leave a Christian example for the unsaved so that they know the Christian’s reason for their celebration and joy?
Here is another example. It is a bit extreme, but some Christians do justify this “because it is Christmas.” One young lady explained several traditions they follow and even justified her parents “lying” to her (her own word) about Santa Claus because, after all, she did learn about Christ and got saved. Does this mean it is OK to lie to your children as long as you teach them about Christ and they get saved? Ephesians 4:25 says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”
Another reason we do not join in with Christmas celebrations is the ritualistic atmosphere that seems to accompany them.
One of these things is the music. We have no problem with many of the songs being sung this time of the year. Some of them are full of good doctrine - such as “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” But, the music begins the day after Thanksgiving or the first of December and is sung throughout the whole month. In January, it suddenly turns off and these songs are not heard from again until the next December. It is as if there is a switch for turning on the Christmas music and a switch to turn it off when the season ends. If one of the songs is sung another time of year, some say, “They can’t sing that song now. It isn’t Christmas. That doesn’t sound right.” But are we only happy about Christ’s birth in December?
During other months of the year, some say, “I can’t bear to sing Christmas songs, not yet, not until December comes.” In a way, this is understandable. The same songs are sung or played - in church, on the radio, in the stores - over and over again, until one’s mind is tired of hearing them. However, in a way, this is also sad. As mentioned above, some of these songs contain rich doctrine. They could be musical gems all year round .
Some of the songs, however, do not contain accurate doctrine. Yet, some churches that would normally carefully screen songs for doctrinally accuracy and sing only those songs that edify, will sing these Christmas songs without worrying about whether or not they match up with the Bible. Why? Does doctrinally accuracy not matter at Christmas? Titus 2:7 says that doctrine should be with incorruptness. And I Corinthians 14:26 says, “Let all things be done unto edifying.”
What about Cantatas? Many of these present the gospel and are doctrinally accurate. There may not be a problem with them in themselves. However, we have heard unsaved people in stores discussing which church they were going to for Christmas. It generally depended on which one was going to put on the most entertaining “show.” If that is the impression the unsaved have of a Christmas Cantata, is it really profitable as a means of outreach? Just a thought.
The final thing that comes to mind, aside from the customs, many of which have pagan origins, is the practice of gift giving at Christmas. We are not against this entirely. We do give gifts at Thanksgiving if we are able. Thanksgiving celebrations described in the Old Testament were celebrations of joy, giving, and feasting among believers.
But what about a birthday celebration? We do realize that Jesus is not here physically and thus cannot receive presents in the way that a person normally would if his or her birthday were being celebrated. But consider for a minute, the wise men from the east. When they came to worship Jesus, they did not give gifts to Joseph and to Mary. No, the Bible says, “They presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
When people celebrate Christmas, it is the usual custom to have parties and gift giving and gift exchange, etc. The festivities often go on for weeks.
What happens when you have a birthday? Do you have a party? When people come to celebrate your birthday, do they give gifts to each other? Even if they spent as much for a gift for you as they would for all the other gifts combined, would it still feel like a celebration of your birthday?
The prophecy in Psalm 72:12 says that Jesus would be coming to “deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.” Also, it says He would be coming to “save the souls of the needy.” If the celebration of Christmas is really a celebration of Christ’s birth, why are the gifts not given to reach out to the poor and needy rather than to each other? That is the group of people Jesus came to deliver. Why are they not given to further the saving of the souls of the needy, the spreading of the gospel? Why is evangelism not stressed, and parties and merry making not minimized? Do the thousands of dollars spent by Christians at Christmas really have much impact on souls for eternity? Is Christmas really a celebration of what Christ came to do? Or is it really just a time to get together with friends or family, have fun, enjoy fellowship, give gifts, etc.?
There is nothing wrong with getting together, having fun, enjoying fellowship, and even giving gifts. But is a whole month of merry making, parties, food, and gift giving really a representation of Christ’s birth? Does it really impact souls for eternity?
In conclusion, we do not celebrate Christmas because even the “Christian” Christmas does not make a specific distinction between the profane and the holy, between the unclean and the clean. We also do not celebrate Christmas because the holiday’s undo emphasis on traditions and the ritualism that seems to be part of many of its customs and traditions. Thanks for being willing to read all this.