I would first like to correct the title of the last lesson. It should have been, “Christmas? (Part 2)”
I closed the last session by stating that, “the Lord’s churches were instructed to observe certain ordinances, namely, baptism and the Supper. The Bible is very specific as to whom and where these were to be observed; again, no mention of Jesus’ birth. Why, then, are we not given the “why, how, when and where for the birth of the Lord in the New Testament or the Old Testament? I contend that it was never His intention for His church to observe it.”
Now, I would like to ask my Christian friends, why does the world love the birth of Jesus? It seems mighty strange for the lost world to want to participate in the celebration of the very one they hate the most. See John 15:18-25. Go ahead and read this passage; I’ll wait. Ok, consider that the world goes all year long hating the Son and his followers, then one day out of the year they forget all that and celebrate His birth? Christmas is just another excuse for the world to have a big party to celebrate themselves. Many of God’s people have tried making something spiritual out of something worldly.
Who gets the gifts? Normally, when you give someone a birthday party, they get all the gifts. Who gets all the gifts at Jesus’ party? Imagine someone throwing you a birthday party, inviting all their friends. They laugh and talk and pass around the whisky, the beer and the nog, but never pay any attention to you. They know that you don’t appreciate their foul language, joke telling, getting drunk, but they do it anyway—just for you. Your fair weather friends have no idea when your real birthday is, but they decide to have “your party” on a date that suits them. Some birthday party, huh?
A world-wide religious ordinance? While we are applying common sense, I ask you to consider if it is consistent for God to command a ceremony or ordinance for all the world to celebrate in light of Ephesians 3:21 “Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” There is no kind of Christian ceremony that can be scripturally carried out, outside the local church. Therefore, any ordinance which is not carried out by the Lord’s church, whether it be baptism, the Lord’s Supper or the birthday of Jesus Christ is not God honoring.
We are to worship the lord in spirit and in truth. The annual Christmas holiday is neither spiritual nor truthful: it is a pretentious invention of the Roman Catholic Church. This is not a reckless statement, I can give you documented proof that this is so: see infoplease.com, Wikipedia, World Book Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Americana, Encyclopedia Britannica, Catholic Encyclopedia to name a few. I can find no reference of Christmas in the Bible.
Isn’t there any right way to observe Christmas? I can only refer you to Deuteronomy 12:30 “Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” The above secular references prove that the origins of “Christ-Mass” go back to Babylonian paganism.
Is the birth of the Lord Jesus important? There is no greater event in all of world history which is more important than the birth of our Savior with the exception of His victorious resurrection. Notwithstanding, we must not be deceived by the devil into inventing ways to celebrate His birth. The prophet Samuel told King Saul, 1 Samuel 15:22, “to obey is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams. God doesn’t want fat, He wants obedience. E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net.
