The truth about Christmas

Where Did Christmas Originate & Who Authorized It?

To answer these questions, it is necessary to go outside the New Testament.  The Encyclopedia Americana says, "The Christmas celebration was not observed in the first centuries of the church." The Catholic Encyclopedia says, "Christmas was not among the early festivals of the church."  Now notice this: If we cannot find the Christmas observance in the New Testament, and a secular encyclopedia says that it was not observed in the first centuries of the church, and a religious encyclopedia says  that it was nonexistent in the early church, then we must conclude that it did not originate with the apostles.

By whose authority did this December observance originate?  Colliers Encyclopedia tells us that Lyberius, the Bishop of Rome, whom the Catholics regard as one of the early Popes, ordered in 354 A.D. that "December 25th be observed as the birthday of Christ." December 25th had formerly been used by the Romans as a feast day for their Sun-God, Mithra.  The Roman Saturnalia (riotous festival of Saturn) also came at this time.  "The indications are that the church in this way grasped an opportunity to turn the people away from a purely pagan observance of the winter solstice to a day of adoration of Christ the Lord.  Both Saint Cyprian and Saint John Chrysostom allude to this thought in their writings."  (Colliers Encyclopedia)  "December 25th was already a festive day for the sun god, Mithra, and appealed to the Christians as an appropriate day to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world." (Lincoln Library of Essential Information)

From these statements by reliable sources it is easy to see that the date of Christmas had its origin in a pre-Christian age among the pagans.  It was adopted into a so-called "christian" holiday by the Roman Catholic Church.  Furthermore, the word "christmas" is of Catholic origin.  The word is derived from the medieval "Christes Masse," the mass of Christ, which is a corruption of the Lord's Supper.  On December 25th, even until this day, the Catholics hold a special Mass for Christ.  In time, "Christes Masse" came to be shortened to "Christmas."

Christmas, then, had its origin and authority in the Roman Catholic church, making it a Catholic Holy Day.  - by David Padfield

What about the Salvation Army?

It is more than a benevolent organization.  It is also a religious human institution which teaches doctrines opposed to the word of God.  It was started by William Booth in 1899 when he left the Methodist Church.  Some of their beliefs, taken from the Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine: Total Hereditary Depravity, Direct operation of the Holy Spirit, they administer no baptism, they do not observe the Lord's Supper, they use instrumental music in worship, they have women preachers.

The Bible forbids a Christian to give any sort of encouragement or assistance to a false teacher (2 Jn 6-11). y David Padfield

What about Christmas?

It is not the giving of gifts that is challenged.  It is not the happy associations we may have with our families and friends.  Such things can be right at any time of the year (or we could make them wrong at any time of the year).   We are not questioning these things.  Our point is simply this:  The Bible does not inform us as to the birthday of Christ, nor does the Bible authorize us to make a religious observance of the birthday of Christ.  Hence, to attempt such is to go beyond the limits of divine authority. - by Paul C. Keller

Notes about the RELIGIOUS Observance of Christmas:

a.. "Christmas was for the first time celebrated in Rome in 354, In Constantinople in 379, and in Antioch in 388." (Commentary on Luke, N. Geldenhuys, p. 102)

b.. "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether January 6th, March 25th, or December 25th." (Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 5, p. 641)

c.. "The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of New Testament origin. The day of Christ's birth cannot be ascertained from the New Testament, or indeed, from any other source. Christians of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity of Christ." (McClintock and Strong, vol. 2, p. 276)
 
Christmas - IN REVERSE!!!

           It has been frequently noted that the Scriptures do not authorize any religious observance of the day that men call "Christmas".  There is simply no mention of any such observance in the Bible, and we know from historical accounts that the significance attached to this day originated hundreds of years after the church began in the first
century.  We do not even know the birthday of Jesus.  In fact, we can be almost certain it was NOT December 25th.  Any attempt to make this a day of special religious significance is without Biblical authority and should be avoided (Col. 3:17).

            It is sad, but many in the Lord's church who would defend the statements made above are guilty of a sort of "reverse" observance of Christmas.  While condemning the denominational folks for their practice of making a "holy" day which the Bible does not mention, they allow this day - and the season which surrounds it - to crowd God completely out of their lives.

            Special activities associated with family and friends, school events, special performances, traveling, entertaining, visiting, partying, etc., are all conducted at a frantic pace this time of year.  Many Christians allow these secular activities to push God out of His place (Matt. 6:33).  Assemblies of the church are missed, Bible study is neglected,personal work and other efforts of the local church are abandoned.  Verbally we denounce the religious observance of Christmas but, in practice, we have established a kind of "reverse" observance.  In December we become LESS religious!

           So, Christian, as you go through your busy schedule at this time of year, we hope you will stop to realize the things that are most important.  Do not allow this man-made day to crowd God and His service out of the picture.  Keep working and growing.  Keep on keeping on.  --by Greg Gwin

Blessed Disturbance!

          Being a Christian is a two-sided experience. There are blessings and privileges beyond the reach of human language to describe – summed up in the apostle Paul’s famous and beautiful phrase, "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). But there is another side – a side that requires faithfulness and daily cross-bearing (Luke 9:23; Revelation 2:10). A man named William McElvaney captured both sides by pointing out the Christian life is "not only ‘Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine,’ but also, ‘Blessed Disturbance, we are Christ’s’ " (quote from homileticsonline.com). McElvaney’s words are worth thinking about. The fundamental call and claim of Jesus on the lives of those who would be His disciples (in ancient times and modern ones) is sounded in Luke 9:23 – Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Nobody who heard or read that statement in the Roman / Greek world of the first century would have needed any interpretation or explanation as to what Jesus was talking about. Crosses were used for only one thing – to crucify people condemned as criminals guilty of capital offenses. That’s "c-r-u-c-i-f-y" – as in drive large metal spikes through their hands and feet into rough pieces of lumber and then suspend them between heaven and earth to die an excruciatingly painful, shameful, slow-motion death that was sometimes hours and even a few days in coming. To have witnessed it would have been disturbing enough – to experience it not only disturbing but deadly, every time. So it is – Christ means to disturb us. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." Bonhoeffer (a Nazi dissident who died in a prison camp in WWII) was not talking necessarily about physical death. True – many Christians over the centuries have died physically rather than give up their faith. And Jesus indicated that might be necessary for some in Revelation 2:10 when He said to Christians in the Asian city of Smyrna, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." But whether we are ever called upon to die physically or not, there is a kind of death every would- be-disciple of Jesus is required to die – die to being self-absorbed and "it’s ALL about me-ism." In that regard not just, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine" – but also, for every genuine child of God, "Blessed disturbance, I am Christ’s!" If Christ never disturbs you in any way – if His teachings and example never challenge and disturb your attitude, emotions, priorities, choices, decisions or speech in any way at all, be sure of this – you are not bearing a cross after Christ along the road to self-denial!

As we close, note Romans 16:3-4 where the apostle Paul says,"Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." Students of the New Testament know associating with the apostle would have sooner or placed one at risk (see 2 Corinthians 11:23ff)! The point is not that Christians can’t sing, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine." The point is that at times we must be able to sing, "Blessed disturbance, I am Christ’s." Christ promises a crown, but calls us to carry a cross. He brings both assurance and disturbance to our lives. It ought to disturb us if Christ never disturbs us.

   Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Holy Helpers!

  A preacher, so the story goes, arrived in a small town on Sunday morning to begin a short gospel meeting. Wanting to mail a post card, he spotted a young boy on a bicycle. He pulled over and told the boy, "I’m new in town and need your help. Can you tell me where the post office is?" The boy told him, "We are on 1^st Street. Go down two blocks and turn right onto Main Street. The post office will be down one block on your right." The preacher was impressed and delighted with the young man’s simple but precise directions. He told the boy, "If you’ll come to church with me this morning, I’ll help you learn how to go to heaven." The boy thought for a second then said, "I don’t think I’ll come. You didn’t even know how to get to the post office."

Let’s get real. There are times when we need to receive help, and times when we need to give help. The Bible tells us about a Christian who excelled at helping others in Romans 16:1-2 where the apostle Paul gives a brief but beautiful cameo of Sister Phoebe. Here is his reference to her in its entirety: "I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also." What a wonderful commendation! I wish we knew more about Sister Phobe, but that single passage of two verses tells us everything the Holy Spirit wanted us to know about her. What we know about her is impressive indeed. Paul refers to her as "our sister" – and his clear meaning is,"our sister in Christ." Somewhere along the way Phoebe heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ and was born again of the water and Spirit into the family of God (John 3:3-7). But that wasn’t all. Paul also said she was "a servant of the church in Cenchrea" (a seaport town not far from Corinth). After dying to sin and being buried into Christ’s death, Phoebe "was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). After she was baptized into Christ, this beautiful lady got busy serving! A lot of theological dust is kicked up as some use this verse to allege that Phoebe was part of a separate order of female deacons in the early church. While true the Greek word for "servant" (diakonos) can be translated "deaconness" (as some modern translations do), the same word is used repeatedly to refer to "servant / minister" in general in many passages. Brad Price, in his commentary on ROMANS, points out that this same word is used by Paul at Romans 13:4 to apply to human governing officials! There simply is no proof or reason to believe Phoebe was anything but a faithful, hard-working, always-serving child of God like so many God-fearing and faithful women (and men) in the church today. That makes them like Christ Himself and a part of the greatest of among us (Mark 10:43-45). And then, not surprisingly, Paul said, Sister Phoebe "has been a helper of many and of myself also." Beautiful! A great Christian lady, active in the church. We might call her a "holy helper" because she was intensely involved in God’s work. Thank God for holy helpers. May their number increase. Are you one of God’s holy helpers?

  Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN