Christmas: why December 25th?
Now that the Christmas season is here again, I also receive (this usually continues throughout the month of December) the question of why Christians actually celebrate the birthday of Christ on December 25th. Even if I didn’t have a calendar on this side, when these kinds of questions come in, I know it’s December. 🙂
And honestly, it seems like a very good question. Because…. there is not a single(!) Biblical indication for the exact birthday of Christ. The date was only established later, in the 4th century, by “the church,” probably to commemorate the “incarnation of Christ” in a fixed, solemn manner. However, there is a “but”… because more than 90% of these kinds of questions coming this way originate from a certain corner… But anyway, let’s first look at what the Bible does (or does not) say:
1. The Biblical Commandment to Remember
Although there is therefore no “commandment” to celebrate the birth of Christ, the Bible is full of calls to remember and proclaim God’s great deeds. The essence of Christmas (the “incarnation” of the Son of God) is a fundamental(!) Christian dogma and the(!) core of the Gospel.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
2. Freedom of Days (Romans 14)
The principle of ‘freedom of days’ teaches us that in the New Covenant, the observance of a specific day (besides the mandatory day of rest) is a matter of conscience:
One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he eats not, and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6)
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
Conclusion:
The date of December 25th is of human, ecclesiastical origin, but the content of the celebration is purely Biblical. It is an opportunity to focus on the indispensable truth of “Christ’s incarnation.”
But where does that question really come from?
And now it gets really interesting. Because that question, in more than 90% of cases, is not a question at all. It is a precursor to something very, very different…
If we do not understand or (want to) believe that (the celebration of “Christ’s incarnation”), unnecessary, non-biblical discussions about the 25th of December usually start immediately. Most of the questions I receive about this issue come from a non-Christian corner, where the questioner does not believe in Christ as we do, based on the New Testament.
And then we are suddenly talking about a completely different issue: “Do you believe what is written in the New Testament, what Christ has done for us?” If the answer to that is negative (and in my experience, that is the case in 90% of situations…), starting (often endless) discussions with this target group is, in my opinion, not useful. Because as long as we cannot (or will not….) answer that question positively… then something ELSE is behind that question, in my own experience… Pay attention:
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. (Titus 3:9)
The discussion about December 25th, or the Messianic calendar, can easily degenerate into “strife and disputes about the Law” (ceremonial law and days), which is useless if the core (Jesus) is not accepted.
As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)
In the verse above, it is about avoiding stories and details (such as the exact date of Christmas or detailed calendars) that distract the focus from “the administration of God which is by faith” (salvation through Christ).
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
This text from Paul emphasizes that the focus in the New Covenant must always be on faith in Christ, not on following laws and rules as a means of justification. The questions I receive in this vein come for the most part from the “Messianic movement” that emphasizes the obligation of the Sabbath and the feasts (a yoke of slavery).
Discussions about dates and days (Saturday versus Sunday) threaten the freedom in Christ (the core), unless(!) the other person accepts the freedom in the Gospel.
Watch out for those kinds of games, so do not waste your time on things the Bible warns us about more than clearly, because the question about Christmas and also often “Saturday versus Sunday” is often not an honest question… there is more behind it: an attempt at disputing or … an attempt to make you believe that the laws as they were are your salvation, instead of Christ being the salvation. Oops. So finally, once more:
It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)
