Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
Thursday, December 22, 2011 Posted by Pastor Fred Wolfe
9 Point Christmas Apologetic (Why the Wolfe family celebrates Christmas)
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
1. Since the regulative principle is, in essence, the application of Sola Scriptura to the sphere of corporate worship, it prohibits anything that is not expressly commanded in scripture but allows for a good and necessary consequence of those commands. As the SLBC states, “...But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.” I contend that celebrating the incarnation is no more an invention of man than the yearly celebration of “Reformation Day”.
2. Christ commanded us in the ordinances to commemorate his death. These ordinances are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Each of these ordinances implies the incarnation, an acknowledgement of Christ’s humanity. Without this implication the celebration of his death loses meaning, and cannot be fully celebrated.
3. Romans 14:5 clearly gives jurisdiction to federal heads of households to regard one day more holy than the next, or not, so long as He regards them to honor the Lord. His true intentions will one day be judged by God at the end of time. (Rom. 14:12)
4. It is good to reject all forms of secularism that so easily turn believers eyes from the Lord. Therefore, all traditions that do not work towards the goal of “Glorifying God and enjoying Him forever” are to be rejected. Creating lessons or traditions can teach the scriptures to your children, and are inventions. These inventions, however, must be distinct from those of the world, should be set apart to specifically remember the incarnation during Christmas. This is entirely different than the inventions of man being used to worship God in a corporate setting.
5. It has been a practice of God’s people since the beginning of time to mark significant events. This highlights the sovereignty of God over history and culture and gives us a glimpse into the heart of God, and what glorifies Him. “Do not forget” is a consistent theme that God inspired throughout scripture.
6. We are commanded to take dominion over all the earth, to make famous the name of God and his mighty acts and his sovereign decrees. Where secular culture turns their feasts and celebrations toward themselves, we are to turn them back to God, that they may celebrate Him with us.
7. The origins of Christmas are not known. Many have speculated. Many have conflicting opinions. Christians have the responsibility to understand what Christmas is now, with a somewhat more passing interest in what it used to be. The question must now be, “Does this now Glorify God, and allow me to enjoy Him?” If it does not, make it so. Such can the flag of Christ be planted on even a pagan hill, and bring it under subjection to Himself.
8. Citing Christmas as a Roman Catholic invention is guilt by association and should be discarded out of hand as fallacious. Many things are propagated by the Roman church that find commonality with my reformed brethren. Care should be taken to apply Sola Scriptura to these arguments. I am not endorsing the mass, nor any celebration of Christmas that the mass will incorporate. I am endorsing the simple celebration of the incarnation of Christ by all believers.
9. It has been my observation that those who do not celebrate Christmas because of a wooden observance of the regulative principle largely have a problem with personal evangelism. Their ministries probe deeply into the lives of their fellow believers, but they lack the ability to reach out to a lost world as Christians are commissioned to do. (Matt. 28:18-20). While this is not true of all believers who reject Christmas, it is common enough to make mention of it.
To summarize,
Christmas is an opportunity for federal heads to set apart a day as special, to remember the incarnation of Christ. Federal heads have the jurisdiction given to them by scripture to practice this festival. It is a good and necessary consequence of celebrating the death of Christ to remember the humanity of Christ because of the event of the incarnation. The theme of marking significant events in scripture by festivals, celebrations and traditions for the purpose of propagating the history of the faith gives us insight into the unsearchable personality of God, and what honors Him. The incarnation of Christ was a monumental event in history, and is in fact a significant piece of the gospel, without which Christ could not have been the second Adam and pay the penalty for sins. This event should be celebrated with special traditions, showing the world how wonderful the Name of Christ is, and taking dominion in His name.
So, Merry Christmas! May we remember the incarnation, glorifying Him with our traditions and enjoying Him with our thanksgiving!
December 24, 2011 11:56 AM
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