With the holiday season upon us, we may wonder if it is wrong for Christians today to celebrate Christmas in ways like putting up a Christmas tree and giving gifts. We hear of Christmas Day being designated as the birth date of our Lord, even though nothing is found in the New Testament stating such.
When we realize that December 25th is likely NOT the birthdate of Christ, can we still celebrate Christmas with that in mind? Well, if we celebrate Christmas where it is incorporated into our worship, the answer is no. There is no scriptural authority in the Bible to introduce anything related to Christmas into the worship service of the church. Notice I said to introduce anything related to Christmas, I did not mention discussing what we find in the New Testament regarding the birth of our Savior, omitting the date. The only celebration we are authorized to perform in our worship is the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23-29) and that is commanded each Sunday (Acts 20:7).
If we agree that it is not the birthday of Jesus and that we must not observe it in the church at all, can we have a Christmas tree and give gifts in our homes? To practice Christmas religiously would be sinful. Doing so merely as a cultural custom would be a matter of personal judgment. In Romans 14, Paul discusses that the brethren had different levels of knowledge and that this should not cause division. As he also discusses, while some early Christians thought it wrong to eat meats offered to idols, others did not see any problem with it. As Wayne Jackson appropriately puts it, “The apostle instructs that neither individual is to ‘set at naught’ the other. No man is to create a law in areas of opinion and then demand that all others submit. If an overt act of transgression is not the issue, peace must prevail.”
I think it is good anytime people remember Christ coming into this world. Let’s pray that they will do the will of Him who came.