Search The Scriptures: December 24, 2000
CHRISTMAS
INTRODUCTION
A. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Danville church of Christ I am
delighted to welcome you to this broadcast of the Search the Scriptures bible study program. I
have debated within myself whether I wanted to speak on the subject of Christmas at this time.
At first I thought I would not address the subject of Christmas, but then because the bible says in
Col. 3:17 whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, I decided it
was critical that I concentrated on Christmas and the wholesale celebration of it as the birth of
Christ by denominational churches. My friends, if you were to visit with us during this time of
the year, you will not find us celebrating Christmas as a religious holy day. If you visit with the
Danville church of Christ this morning or this evening you will notice right away that we do
not have a Nativity Scene erected showing the baby Jesus in a manger. You will not see the star
of Bethlehem displayed in our auditorium or anywhere else. We will not be having any
Christmas programs, pageants or Cantatas. There will be no Christmas trees in any of our class
rooms or the foyer or in the auditorium. For some of you I know this is surprising to hear,
because most every denomination around has their special Christmas programs, living Christmas
trees or some sort of special Christmas celebration. But these things will not be done at the
building of the Danville church of Christ. If you attend our services today you will not find us
acknowledging that December 25 is the birthday of Christ; nor will you find that the Danville
church of Christ celebrates Christmas as a holy day in any way, shape, matter or form. One
thing most denominations have in common this time of year is their celebration of December 25
as the birthday of Christ, but not us, not the Danville church of Christ. While denominations
throughout the world will be having their usual Christmas services today and perhaps tomorrow,
you will find us content to worship God according to the pattern revealed in the New Testament
that was given through the apostles and inspired prophets in the first century. Today, like we do
each Sunday we will sing, pray, partake of the Lord’s Supper, give of our money and worship
God through a study of his word. We do not have a special Christmas Service as other churches
do. If you visit with us today, you will find that nothing will change with regard to our engaging
in the simple acts of worship authorized in the New Testament for Christ's church. And this
morning, my friends, I am excited to be able to tell you why we do not celebrate Christmas as the
birthday of Jesus.
I. Now, if you listened to Search the Scriptures last week then you know that I consider the
birth of Christ to be one of the greatest events ever. Luke records this monumental episode in
human history in Lk. 2:1-14 this way. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place
while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered
with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the
days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and
wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel
said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to
all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying
in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God and saying: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Ladies
and gentlemen, these verses tell of God sending his son into the world in order to save lost
humanity. This was an event that literally changed the world. The God who created the universe
reveals himself in the form of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a Bethlehem stable. But,
did you notice, my friends, that nothing is said about when this birth happened? The closest we
can come to affixing a time to the birth of Christ was when we read the phrase this census first
took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. Nothing was said about December 25. As a
matter of fact, we are not even told the exact year or time of the year let alone the precise day.
Now, I ask you, my friends, how can you celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, or any
other day for that matter, when you are not even told the day on which Jesus was born? Even
beyond this, let me say that there is nothing, and I mean nothing, in all the bible authorizing
Christians (or anyone else) to celebrate the birthday of Christ in any way. One of the last things
Jesus said before ascending into heaven was this. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age. If Jesus intended for his people to observe Christmas as a holy day or
in some way celebrate the birthday of Jesus - then he would certainly have included it in his
word. He would have positively included it in teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you. If there is nothing in the New Testament about celebrating Christmas, then
observing it is NOT to observe all things Jesus commanded. Therefore, anyone who loves and
respects the authority of Jesus will NOT observe Christmas as the birthday of Jesus. If God
intended for us to celebrate Christmas, then he would have revealed the date of Christ’s birth.
God would have also revealed to us HOW the day was to be observed. Have you ever heard
someone complain that Christmas has just become too commercial? The reason that the
observance of Christmas has evolved into mere commercialism is because God has NOT
revealed HOW the birth of Christ is to be observed. Besides if we are at liberty to observe
December 25 as the birthday of Christ, but God did not tell us how, then we can do it any way
we please; including tawdry commercialism. If we can celebrate it - and God has not told us
how, then why have you, or anyone else, the right to tell someone HOW he can observe it? If
you have the liberty to celebrate it with Cantatas, prayers and songs, then someone else has the
liberty to celebrate it with gifts, dinners and Santa Claus. But, the truth of the matter is this. The
bible does not permit us to celebrate Christmas as a holy day, or as the birth of Christ, in any
way. If God wanted us to keep the birth of Christ as a special holy day, then he would have given
us the day and the way. Remember the bible tells us in 2 Pet. 1:3 as his divine power has given
to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us
by glory and virtue. Since God has given us all things pertaining to godliness in his word - the
bible - then the only conclusion that can be reached is this. Christmas does NOT pertain to (that
is, relate to) godliness. If it did, there would be some mention of it in the bible. Anytime God
wanted his people to observe a day. He told them; whether in the Old Testament or the New.
God never left it up to his people to decide what day to observe - he always told them. God never
left it up to the individual to decide what day to keep, he always specified it. This is true whether
we talk about the Sabbath, or the day of Pentecost, or the day of Atonement in the Old Testament
- or the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week in the New Testament. God has always been
crystal clear about these things. Therefore, my friends, if God desired for us to celebrate the birth
of Christ - if God desired for us to keep Christmas as a holy day, then he would have told us in
language we can understand. Deut. 29:29 reminds us that the secret things belong to the Lord
our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we
may do all the words of this law. The day upon which Jesus was born has been dispelled to the
chambers of God’s secret things. Therefore, my friends, we must avoid the presumptuous sin of
speaking where God has not spoken. Since the bible does not reveal to us the day of Christ’s
birth, nor does the bible give us any authorization to observe Christmas as any sort of holy day,
where did it originate? Historians tell us that Christmas did not begin until more than three
hundred years after Jesus lived upon the earth. That is, for three centuries professed Christians
did not observe Christmas. It was first observed in Constantinople in 354 A.D. Later it was
celebrated in Antioch in 388. This ought to tell us something about the beginning of Christmas.
Christmas has man and not God as its architect and framer. George Schaff wrote a book entitled
History of the Christian Church in which he gives us some valuable information about the
Church’s slide into apostasy. He writes: “The New Testament contains no traces of annual
festivals; but so early as the second century we meet with the general observance of Easter and
Pentecost, founded on the Jewish Passover and feasts of harvest.” Here we have it from an
unbiased religious historian that neither Christ not the apostles ever authorized the celebration of
these feasts that are found within most denominations. Frankly, most people today are not even
aware that the apostles never commanded the observance of Pentecost or Easter or Christmas.
Most seem to believe that authorization for these are found within the New Testament at best - or
permitted at the very least. But such is not the case, as Schaff points out, these did not begin
until centuries after the apostles died. Schaff explains as a historian that in (and I am now
quoting) “the fourth century the Christmas festival was added” to the two feasts the church had
previously adopted, which were Easter and Pentecost. Schaff said that Christmas took the place
of the earlier feast of Epiphany (a celebration of the birth and baptism of Jesus). What we are
finding among many at that time were the desires to adopt some feasts from both Judaism and
paganism. To put it bluntly men shifted these feasts that “man” instituted into the church - then
called them holy days - and begin to observe them at their fancy in order to satisfy within
themselves the reshaping of the church into what they wanted it to be. They desired to have
feasts and celebrations not authorized by God, so they developed them. Now don’t
misunderstand me here. I am not suggesting that Schaff is opposed to the celebration of
Christmas, because he isn’t. While he recognizes that the observance is not bible based - he has
no problem with adding it to the bible. He writes in section 77, (the section called “The
Christmas Cycle” on page 394) this comment: “The Christmas festival is the celebration of the
incarnation of the Son of God.” He then in glowing terms tries to describe the grandeur of the
celebration, “It is of all the festivals the one most thoroughly interwoven with the popular family
life, and stands at the head of the great feasts in the Western church year. It continues to be, in
the entire Catholic world and in the greater part of Protestant Christendom, the grand jubilee of
children, on which innumerable gifts celebrate the infinite love of God in the gift of his
only-begotten Son. It kindles in midwinter a holy fire of love and gratitude, and preaches in the
longest night the rising of the Sun of life and the glory of the Lord. It denotes the advent of all
the redeemed before God and in God. No one can measure the joy and blessing which from year
to year flow forth upon all ages of life from the contemplation of the holy child Jesus in his
heavenly innocence and divine humility.” But these are just man’s words of praise for a religious
observance that man instituted - not God. In reality this is a frank admission that Christmas is not
a part of the New Testament as revealed by the inspired apostles and prophets of the first century
church. Instead of stepping away from the desire to add to the word of God, Schaff joined with
those who pervert the gospel. And then he leant them his prestige as a historian by defending the
unscriptural practice.
II. December 25, the day that most of the so-called Christian world celebrates as the birthday of
Christ was at one time celebrated by the Romans as the Mithraic Feast of the sun-god. Also in
Northern Europe the Teutonic tribes celebrated the winter solstice at this same time. This was
when the Yule log was burned in order to give the weakening sun strength. Then, when the days
began to lengthen and the days warm, these superstitious people assumed that it was due to the
Yule log. For those who care, remember the celebration of December 25 is rooted deeply in
pagan worship. It was a time when the sun-god was worshiped and honored because he caused
the days to lengthen. It wasn’t until after the so-called conversion of Constantine that
December 25 was “Christianized.” Liberius, who was bishop of Rome at the time adopted
December 25 as the birthday of Christ in order to turn the attention of the pagans from their
feasts to the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, the word Christmas comes from the old English
Christes Maesses, which means Christ’s Mass (or body). It wasn’t used until the eleventh
century. The Encyclopedia Britannica says this “Christmas was not among the earliest
festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus, on when it
should come in the calendar, whether January 6, March 25 or December 25.” That’s interesting!
By the end of the fifth century, however, most observed the 25th of December at the official day
of Christ’s birth. But, the Eastern churches observed January 6. This, by the way, is what (as I
understand it) inspired the writing of the popular Christmas song, “The Twelve days of
Christmas.” Now, what do we know about Christmas? One, it is not part of the New Testament.
It has been added to the bible, and adding to the scriptures is a very serious matter. A matter
costing one his salvation. John wrote, pertaining to the book of Revelation, these sobering words
in Rev. 22:18 for I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If
anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.
Also, we are cautioned in Gal. 1:6-8 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him
who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are
some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be
accursed. My friends, we do not have the luxury of adding whatever we wish to the bible. We
don’t have the liberty of adding feasts and celebrations that the bible has not authorized. To add
to the gospel revelation of Jesus is to pervert it. Furthermore, John wrote in 2 Jn. 9 whoever
transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in
the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. The second thing we have learned
about Christmas is this. The first time in the annals of history that December 25 was celebrated -
it was to praise and honor a pagan sun-god. The third thing we have learned this morning about
Christmas is this. The apostate Roman Catholic Church adopted this pagan celebration as the
birthday of Christ under the direction of Liberius, bishop of Rome. Fourth, we have learned
that Protestantism, not wishing to be left behind, adopted the Roman Catholic Mass as their own,
and most Protestant denominations now observe Christmas as a religious holy day where the
birth of Christ is commemorated. My good friends, there is not one verse of scripture that can be
produced to justify and authorize the celebration of the birthday of Christ.
III. Now, believe me. I know what some of you are probably thinking about now. You are no
doubt thinking that even though Christmas is not bible based; even though the bible says nothing
about the celebration of the birthday of Christ - what difference does it make? What does it hurt
to celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ - after all, we do it to honor not smear Christ? Two
very important things must be considered when trying to answer these considerations, and we
have already addressed one. And, that is - it is never good to add to the word of God. It is never a
minor thing to go beyond the teaching of the scriptures. We have already noted what the bible
said about this in Rev. 22:18 and Gal. 1:6-8 and 2 Jn. 9. We must have the attitude and the
humility to be satisfied to remain within the perimeters of the word of God. To add just one
small thing unauthorized by the bible is to pervert the word of God. The Christians in the region
of Galatia were warned by the apostle Paul in Gal. 4:10-11 you observe days and months and
seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. Now, I know he
wasn’t talking about the celebration of Christmas, because Christmas wasn’t even thought of for
another three hundred or so years. But he was condemning these Christians for reverting back to
celebrating Jewish holy days. Good people, if these Christians were told NOT to revive days that
were one time authorized under the Law of Moses - then what makes us think that God permits
Christians to bring in days from paganism that were NEVER authorized? Another thing that
must be considered is this. It is absolutely impossible for us to honor the Lord without doing
what he says; nothing more and nothing less. Whenever the Lord tells us what is to be done, then
we must comply with it, in order to honor him. We often illustrate this by reading and applying
what is revealed in 1 Sam. 15. This chapter tells us that Saul, the king in Israel, was told by God
to destroy the people known as the Amalekites. 1 Sam. 15:3 now go and attack Amalek, and
utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant
and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. Even though this command was clear, Saul
did not lead the people in obeying what God said. King Saul decided to spare some of the people
and some of the animals. Saul said the reason this was done in 1 Sam. 15:15 was so to sacrifice
to the Lord your God. Saul and the people sought to honor God by these unauthorized sacrifices.
But, Saul was told in 1 Sam. 15:22 behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. The lesson we can
easily learn from this is, God is neither pleased nor glorified when we go beyond his teaching. I
know many of you listening are members of churches where Christmas pageantry is a big part of
your December ritual If you are, then you might be of the opinion that even though the
celebration of Christmas as a religious holy day is NOT contained within the pages of scripture
that it is permitted under the banner: “What’s wrong with it?” What’s wrong with it is that it is
NOT authorized. And to institute it under the guise that it glorifies Christ will never make it
pleasing to God. Remember the admonition behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. Also, where
would this kind of reasoning end? That is, if we can celebrate the birth of Christ because we feel
there is nothing wrong with it and that it glorifies Christ; then we should celebrate the
conception of Mary. This would draw our attention to the holiness of Mary and to the deity of
Christ. Or maybe we could celebrate the cleansing of the temple. And, what about designing a
holy day that commemorates the time Jesus selected the twelve apostles. Don’t you see? My
friends, we have no more authority to observe days in celebration of these events than we do to
celebrate a day we might believe is the birthday of Jesus. When we disregard the word of God,
we are actually showing blatant disregard for God. Also, think about this for a moment. Even if
(and I say even if - because God didn’t) but even if God wanted us to celebrate the birthday of
Jesus, we certainly would not be celebrating the 25th of December, because it is obvious from
scripture that Jesus was not born in any of the winter months. The bible says when Jesus was
born that shepherds were in the field with their flocks. Ladies and gentlemen, shepherds did not
pasture their sheep after the middle of November according to all that I have been able to
discover. Israel and Palestine are in the northern hemisphere like we are here in central Indiana.
Therefore, they have their winter during the same months we do. While their winters might be a
little milder than ours it is cold and barren during the winter, therefore it is highly unlikely that
shepherds would have been grazing their flocks during the month of December. December just
might be one of the least likely months to select as the birth month of Christ. If the birthday of
Jesus was to be celebrated don’t you think God would have given us more information about
when it took place? Also, recently I heard a woman tell a child that the reason gifts are
exchanged on Christmas is because the three wise men brought gifts to the manger in Bethlehem
when Jesus was born. But, did you know, my friends, that this picture of three wise men kneeling
before an infant in a manger is not scriptural? You heard me right, the picture of three Magi
kneeling in a stable with shepherds and sheep is unscriptural. But, like the actual observance of
Christmas as the birthday of Christ this Nativity scene has become so ingrained into the
imagination that it is accepted as true. The bible actually says this in Matt. 2:11 and when they
had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and
worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. Notice that Jesus and his mother were no longer in a stable, instead
they were now in a house. Besides the wise men encountered just Jesus and his mother Mary in
the house, not Joseph and the shepherds. Also, the number of wise men is not given. Was it
three? I don’t know. Perhaps it was three, but we just are not told. It could have been two or four
or five. The reason that three is usually selected is because three gifts are mentioned: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. But this certainly does not prove that the Magi were three in number.
What is proven is that the Nativity scenes so common this time of year are not according to
scripture. But this should not surprise us, because the celebration of Christmas as a holy day
esteeming the birthday of Jesus and everything surrounding it is unscriptural.
CONCLUSION:
A. So where should we go from here? I believe we can sum it up this way. I know it may amaze
you, but I suggest that we take Christ out of this commercial pagan day and season and put him
where he belongs. Let’s take Christ out of Christmas and put him in Christians. Let’s enthrone
him in our hearts and in our lives. Let us serve him in the way he has revealed in his word every
day of the year.
B. My time is up for today. I’ll see you next Sunday morning at 7:00 for another period of bible
study on the Search the Scriptures broadcast. Until then, this is J.R. Bronger saying goodbye
for now.