Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday? Many of us grew up hearing that Christmas on December 25th, was a hijacked pagan festival. Absolutely not true. We live in an era of two very different Christmases. One version is the simple birth of Christ; the other one is secularized and commercialized. What does Egg Nog, Mistletoe and Holly have to do with Christmas? The origin of many of these customs aren’t sacred, they are secular.
WHAT IS PAGANISM?
Paganism is the worship of or the belief in false gods.
Early Christians dealt with Roman and Greek Paganism.
Paganism relates to your motivation, not to your decorations.
DOES CHRISTMAS HAVE PAGAN ROOTS?
What makes something pagan?
Does Pagan use of something magically make that thing pagan?
Incense is used in Caesar worship and in the Jewish Temple.
Incense is just an object with no moral value.
It is only what we use it for that makes a difference.
The same is true of meat sacrificed to idols. 1 Cor 10:27-30
The same is true of Christmas trees or Easter eggs.
Was December 25th originally a pagan holiday.
Early Christians were hated because they did not worship with pagans.
Why would they steal something they refused to participate in?
The first historical reference to the Birth of Christ is 200 A.D. & 354
There are no Pagan Celebrations on the Julian Calendar on December 25.
Christianity rose to conquer paganism not to become pagans.
IS CHRISTMAS BIBLICAL?
There is no command in the New Testament to celebrate Christmas.
- We must obey all New Testament commands
- We must abstain from things that are condemned.
- If it neither commanded or condemned we may, exercise liberty.
All things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. 1 Cor 10:23
Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. Rom 14:5–6
There are many examples of people worshiping at the birth of Christ.
- The Prophets told us to prepare for His Birth Day – Isaiah 9:6
- The Father commanded worship at His Birth – Hebrews 1:6
- The Angels worshiped Jesus at his birth – Luke 2:10-14
Jesus celebrated a man made feast called Hanukkah. John 10:22-23
HOW SHOULD WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
Humble your heart. Phil 2:5-11
Express appreciation to God for adoption. Gal 4:4-6
Rejoice in your salvation from sin. Matt. 1:20–21
Thank God for His Amazing Grace. John 3:16
Have pagans ever worshiped the birth of the son of God, Jesus coming to earth? No. Pagan celebrations were utterly different from Christianity. They were made up of licentiousness, gambling, and great excess. The original spirit of Christmas was about a faithful Joseph and humble Virgin Mary who miraculously give birth to the Son of God. That’s why we celebrate Christmas.
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