The time is quickly approaching when many will look forward to rising up early in the morning to celebrate a holiday that has been set aside to remember the birth of Jesus. Many will decorate their homes with trees and lights in hopes to set a mood of joy and festiveness. The Christmas holiday is celebrated all over the world by many religious people who believe Jesus was born on December 25th.
While many celebrate December 25th as the birthdate of our Lord, the Bible gives no indication as to the date Jesus was born. The God of Heaven and earth must have deemed it necessary for mankind not to know when Jesus was born. Then, why celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th?
Before the 4th Century, the world was divided as to when Jesus was born. Some held January 6h, others March 25th, and even others December 25th. Some people celebrated all three dates. December 25th was ordered as the day Christ was born in A.D. 357 by Liberius, Bishop of Rome. He decided on this date because of the other traditional feasts that were taking place around the same time. The Feast of the Sun, or Winter Solstice, was a familiar Roman feast celebrating the victory of light over darkness. The Celebration of December 25th as the day Jesus was born was an ordered compromise with the pagan time of the 4th Century. Therefore, to celebrate December 25th as a religious holiday remembering the birth of our Lord is simply following what some man has added to the Scriptures.
Please do not misunderstand my intentions. I am not trying to condemn Christmas. I just want us to be aware this holiday or its customs did not originate with God. The birth of Christ is vitally important. It was a fulfillment of prophecy (Isa. 7:14). It shows the beginning of God’s plan to save us (Matthew 1:21). But, nowhere in the Bible do we see any Christians in the 1st Century celebrating the birth of Christ, ether by command or tradition.