Millions of people around the world every year celebrate December 25th as a special religious “holy day” because they believe it marks the date of Christ’s birthday. It may, however, come as a surprise to you to learn that Christmas is a religious observance of wholly human origin. The Bible, which is the source of learning about Christianity, is completely silent concerning any special festivities to commemorate the date of Christ’s birth. The observance of Christmas did not originate in the apostolic age, and thus, it is without divine sanction. As a matter of fact, the word Christmas, which means “Mass of Christ,” does not even once appear anywhere in the Bible. Furthermore, it is not possible to determine in what month, on what date or on which day Jesus was born.
The Bible gives two accounts of the birth of Jesus, and they are found in Matthew chapters 1 and 2, and in Luke 2. No mention is made of Christ’s date of birth. We are living in the year of our Lord, A.D. (Anno Domini) and all the time before His birth on earth is known as B.C. (before Christ). All people on earth, therefore, accept and admit advertently or inadvertently when they write a date on any piece of paper or document that almost two thousand years ago Jesus Christ was born on earth. Yet, in what month and on what day or date Christ was born, the Bible is silent. No command is given for Christ’s birthday to be observed in any way. In addition, no example is found in the entire New Testament of any celebration of Christ’s birth. Therefore, inasmuch as there is neither precept nor example for its observance, faithful Christians do not keep or observe or celebrate Christmas as a religious festival.
Christmas is pagan in origin. More than three hundred years after Christ was born, some believers in Christ began observing Christ’s birthday because they were influenced by the pagan society around them, which was observing certain days of the year to celebrate special days in commemoration of their gods and goddesses. First they began celebrating the birthday of Christ on different days of the year, such as, January 6, March 18, 20, 24, April 2, 17, May 20 etc., but in A.D. 354 the Bishop of Rome declared that December 25th should be observed by Christians in honor of Christ’s birth. This corresponded to a pagan feast day that was observed throughout the Roman Empire in honor of Saturn, a Roman God of agriculture, and Brumal. “The Pagan Saturnalia and Brumalia were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christians who were influenced by the Pagan festival with its riots and merrymaking and was so popular that ‘Christians’ were glad of an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and manner” (Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge). However, the date of December 25th was not accepted by some, and therefore, some began celebrating Christmas on January 6th, as the Eastern Orthodox Church does even today. It is also interesting to note that many of the festivities and things connected with Christmas, such as the Christmas tree, the Yule-log, Santa Claus or Father Christmas, etc., had their origin in paganism.
On the other hand, if God desired people to celebrate His Son’s birthday, then He would have certainly revealed it to us in the Bible, just as He has revealed every other thing that we need to know, believe and practice. He would have told us when and how we should observe Christ’s birthday, just as He has told us to commemorate Christ’s death on the first day of the week by partaking of the Lord’s Supper; His faithful followers observe it everywhere on the first day of every week (Matthew 26:26-28; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Yet, there is neither a command nor an example about observing and celebrating Christmas. God has not even revealed the day, date or month in which Christ was born. Why? God knows man’s idolizing tendency, and perhaps this may be the reason why God has not revealed in which month, on what day or on which date Christ was born. He doesn’t want man to glorify, worship and give importance to a particular day, remembering Him only once in a year as most people do today. Christmas is the only day of the year when almost all church buildings are full with worshippers; that is the day when most people become more religious, loving, kind, forgiving and giving. Christmas Day has become so important, influential and powerful for most people today that they sing, “A man will live forever more because of Christmas day.” Christianity is not “once a year” religion. Christ said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
Although Christmas is observed and celebrated today with much zest, enthusiasm, excitement and fanfare by people all over the world, this does not mean that it is right and acceptable to God. God is happy only when people do those things that He has commanded (1 Samuel 15:22). God has given us the Bible to be our guide in all religious matters, faith and practice. Popular opinions and human traditions are not a safe guide. Christ said, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9).
Proverbs 30:6 reads, “Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” An apostle of Christ, at 2 John 9 wrote, “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.” Is Christmas in the doctrine of Christ? We must also remember what the apostle Paul said to some Christians who were observing particular days and seasons which were not intended for them. “But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have labored for you in vain” (Galatians 4:8-11). The basic reason for not observing Christmas, Easter or any other special religious “holy day” is the simple fact that the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, nowhere teaches us to do so. The Bible is God’s book of inspiration and revelation, and it alone should be our guide in all religious matters, faith and practice. We should not offer to God “holy days” and worship of human pagan origin.
