I shall be forever grateful to men recognized for their faithfulness, maturity and wisdom, who have gone before, especially men of the 30’s and 40’s who wrote articles for such journals as the Gospel Advocate and the Firm Foundation on the subject of “Christmas.” I could know, in those days, that some time during the holiday season there would be several good articles written on the subject of Christmas, but it is not that way any more, for we have drifted! I may never have studied this subject as I have, had not it been for those good articles written on the subject of Christmas. I am therefore indebted to those men for creating within me a desire to study the subject for myself. I wish therefore, in this article, to give several reasons why Christmas should not be celebrated in memory of Christ’s birth as a religious holy day. Observe therefore the following reasons.

CHRISTMAS IS NOT A BIBLE SUBJECT. The first thought I wish to give is the fact that Christmas is not mentioned in the Bible, so in order to study the subject, one should consult some of the good encyclopedias that are available and study them. Of course, the Bible mentions the birth of Christ, but this is not to say that it mentions Christmas, as we shall learn in further study of the subject.

CHRISTMAS IS A MISNOMER. Christmas is a misnaming of the day. The word is a combination of two words: One Greek (Christ’s) meaning the “anointed,” and the other Latin (misaim) meaning “to send,” but there is no way to prove that Jesus was sent to the earth on December 25th.

GOD HAS NOT COMMANDED IT. There is no evidence anywhere that God ever commanded anyone to observe the birthday of Jesus on this day or any other. It is the Christ of Calvary, not the babe of Bethlehem, that is to be emphasized (1 Cor.11:26).

EARLY CHRISTIANS DID NOT CELEBRATE THE DAY. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume 3, Page 47 says: “There is no historical evidence that our Lord’s birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or early post-apostolic times.”

SPECIAL DAYS FORBIDDEN. In Galatians 4:10 Paul writes: “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years, I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.”

IT IS OF PAGAN ORIGIN. Christmas did not originate with God; it originated in paganism. So the more pagan, heathenish, a church is, the more one may expect it to say and do about Christmas!

IN CONCLUSION: Space forbids giving other reasons why Christians should not observe Christmas as a religious holy day, but these are sufficient to challenge the honest heart to study more. This writer knows no reason why one cannot observe the day as he might any other legal holiday, but remember to keep it out of the church! It is no part of Christian doctrine! (1 John 4:1). Compare it with circumcision which is hygienically permissible, but religiously forbidden. “Search the scriptures daily whether these things are so” (Acts 17:11). — Copied from Bulletin Briefs 12/98

For many people throughout the world, the Christmas season is the happiest and busiest time of the year. Millions of believers in Christ celebrate December 25th as a special religious holiday because they believe it marks the date of Christ’s birth. Businesses often take advantage of the giving of gifts at this season to make an extra profit. Some religious people protest at this “commercializing” of Christmas because they feel that a sacred, holy day is desecrated by it. Their protests are often voiced in slogans such as “Put Christ back into Christmas.” Few people, however, including many believers in Christ, are aware of the fact that the Bible is completely silent concerning any special festivities to commemorate the date of Christ’s birth.

The Bible does not give us the date of the birth of Jesus! Whether He was born in December or July or some other month of the year in not stated in the Scriptures. Scholars confess that they do not know the actual date of Christ’s birth. For more than 300 years following the close of the New Testament, Christmas was kept on various dates. In 354, the bishop of Rome decreed that December 25th, a pagan feast day in honor of the god, Saturn, should be observed by Christians in honor of Christ’s birth. However, in the East, this date was not accepted; and for centuries, January 6th was celebrated as the of Jesus, particularly in Egypt. Some branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church, even today, keep January 6th as Christmas day.

It is interesting to note also that many of the festivities connected with Christmas had their origin in paganism, not in the Bible. Many of them came from Catholicism also. For example, the name “Christmas” itself comes from “Christ” and “Mass” referring to the worship of the Roman Catholic Church. The Christmas tree originated in Scandinavia. The pagans of that part of the world worshipped trees before they became believers in Christ. Decorating with mistletoe originated with the ancient Celtic priests, called Druids, who used mistletoe as charms to ward off evil spirits. The burning of Yule logs, which is customary in many countries, came from the ancient Norsemen who burned a log once a year in honor of Thor, god of Thunder. See the World Book Encyclopedia for other examples of the pagan influence in Christmas customs.

The Bible gives two accounts of the birth of Jesus. They are found in Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 2. No mention is made of the date. No command is given for our Lord’s birthday to be observed in any way. No example is found in the New Testament of any celebration of Christ’s birth. Rather, the New Testament emphasis is on the death and resurrection of Christ. His death made possible the forgiveness of our sins. His resurrection makes possible our victory over death. The Lord’s supper is to “show the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The only day in any way set aside for special religious observance in the New Testament is the Lord’s day, Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10).

What should be the Christian’s attitude toward Christmas? Should we celebrate it as Christ’s birthday? Definitely not! To do so is to do such without Scriptural authority. Should we observe the Christmas holiday in any way at all? In this writer’s opinion, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the holiday at Christmas, just as one would enjoy any other legal holiday during the year. If one wishes to have a big dinner and get together with family and friends, there is certainly nothing wrong with this. But to honor December 25th as Christ’s birthday, and thus as a special holy day, is to speak where the Scriptures are silent and to follow the traditions of men rather than the Word of God.

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