The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
December 14, 2008
In
This Issue:
The
First Christmas
by
Steve Klein
What
Jesus Did For Us
by
Brian V. Sullivan
The First Christmas
It comes as a surprise to many religious people that the celebration of Christmas as the birth of Christ is completely and totally of human invention. God's word never tells us when Christ was born, never calls His birth Christmas, and never commands that the birth of Christ be celebrated by His followers.
The Catholic Church rightfully takes credit for establishing Christmas as a religious celebration. Recently I re-read the article on "Christmas" in the Catholic Encyclopedia, which is a large reference work produced by Catholic scholars (It can be viewed online at www.catholic.org/encyclopedia). The article contains several eye-opening truths about Christmas which we would do well to ponder. The following points are my observations from the encyclopedia article, each followed by a related quotation from the article.
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The word Christmas was not even invented till the 11th century A.D. "The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131."
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Church leaders in the first few centuries did not sanction the celebration of the birth of Christ. "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts; Origen. . . asserts that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday."
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Early celebrations of the birth of Christ were considered strange and were not done on December 25th. "The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt. About A.D. 200, Clement of Alexandria says that certain Egyptian theologians 'over curiously' assign, not the year alone, but the day of Christ's birth, placing it on 25 Pachon (20 May). . . "
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December 25th was not celebrated as Christ's birthday until the 4th century. "At Rome the earliest evidence is in the Philocalian (an illustrated calendar, sk) compiled in 354."
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December 25th was chosen because it was also the date of a popular pagan holiday. The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25 December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date." Pagans celebrated December 25th as the rebirth of the sun. On this day the sun reversed its southward retreat and proved itself to be unconquered. Some connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus.
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Virtually all Christmas traditions had their origins either in pagan practices or in Catholic tradition. Regarding "Cards and presents: Pagan customs centering round the January calends gravitated to Christmas."
God has given Christians great personal liberty in areas where He has not given us a specific law to follow. For instance, we may choose to eat meat or we can be vegetarians. We may keep days, or not keep them (Romans 14:2-6). If an individual wishes to recall the birth of Christ and express joy regarding the event, surely he is free to do so any time. Giving gifts, displaying colored lights, and eating a big meal with family are also things that we are at liberty to do on any day of the year.
However, celebrating December 25th as if it were in fact the birthday of Christ, equating this birthday with something called Christmas, and generally behaving as if God has ordained December 25th to be the holiest day of the year, is misguided to say the least. How easy it is to replace true spirituality with the inventions of men. On every street corner we see men who know little more of God's Son than what they hear and see around Christmas - much of which is false and has no Bible basis. Celebrating Christmas as the birth of Christ provides at best a dim unsatisfying copy of the grace, love, charity, joy, hope and fellowship that the Lord wants us to experience every day of the year.
--Steve Klein
Titus 2:14 declares: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Jesus Christ "gave himself for us." It was not something forced upon Him. Even in the garden, Jesus made a determination to do His Father's will ("not my will be done").
The sacrifice was a willing sacrifice that would benefit others. Little wonder that John in I John 4:10 declared: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins." Or, that Jesus Himself would say: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father" (John 10:17-18).
Jesus paid the penalty that we should have paid. Paul reminds Titus that Jesus gave Himself to redeem us from all iniquity. The redeeming price is clearly stated in Ephesians 1:7: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Or, more specifically, Peter places this value upon Christ's sacrifice and our redemption: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from you vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot . . ." (I Peter 1:18-29).
If we appreciate what Christ has done for us, two things ought to follow. First, we should recognize that He wants us to be His own unique followers. Second, what He has done ought to motivate us to be zealous of good works. Freed from guilt and bondage of sin, we ought to be able to extend our energies in the cause of good. . . the cause of Christ (Romans 6:16-18).
-- Brian V. Sullivan
Via PathFinder, Vol. 25, No. 1, July 15, 1991