Is Christ Jesus
the Reason for the Season?
This article was emailed to me and written by James McCutchan, a retired Baptist Pastor/Teacher (Jmccutchan@aol.com).
Though I may not agree entirely with everything that Jim wrote below, I want to personally thank him for his concise, biblically focused, and thought-provoking insights on what is proving to be a very controversial holiday in our nation this year. I have also included a link to Dr. Al Moher's blog on this matter; featuring some quotes from his post by Dr. Gene Edward Veith as well. This will prove to be a most interesting discussion today.
No matter what the world has imagined or defined Christmas to be, may we as genuine believers in the Lord thank God for His "unspeakable gift" to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Immanuel, God with us...
Steve
2 Cor. 3:5
The True History of Christmas
by Jim McCutchan
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" -Colossians 2:8.
How did December 25 become the designated day and season of the birth of Jesus Christ? Rather than being the time of our Savior's birth, it was the very day and season on which the pagans for centuries had celebrated the birth of the Sun-god. In the fifth century, A.D., the Roman Catholic Church commanded that the birth of Christ be observed on December 25 - the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol - one of the names of the sun-god.
This winter festival was called 'the nativity' - the nativity of the SUN as well as Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter, Tammuz and other sun-gods who were supposedly born at the time of the winter solstice, which is now called - the 'Christmas' season. The pagan winter solstice was celebrated with great feasts, revelry, and drunkenness; the same way many celebrate it today!
When this winter festival came to Rome, it was known as the Saturnalia - Saturn being another name for the sun-god. The name of the seventh day of our week, Saturday, also comes from a sun-god. How about the first day of our week - Sun-day?
This winter solstice was the most vile, immoral feast that ever disgraced pagan Rome. And it was from this very feast at Rome that the merry-making of this season passed into the Roman Catholic Church and on into all Christendom, with few exceptions.
Christmas - The "Christ Mass"
The word Christmas derives from 'Christ Mass' which has its origin in the Roman Catholic Church. The word catholic means universal. The Roman Universal Church was founded by the Roman emperor Constantine about 313 A.D. Constantine was fighting in a civil war for the Roman throne. On the day before the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine prayed to his sun-god and we are told that a cross appeared in the sky with the inscription; 'In hoc signo vinces', which means, 'In this sign conquer.' The next day, Constantine went to battle behind a standard portraying a cross. He was victorious and he then professed conversion to "Christianity." After securing his throne as emperor of the Roman empire, he declared that his "Christianity" was the 'universal religion' of the Roman empire.
Pagan temples became 'churches.' Constantine's Roman universal (catholic) church became a religion mixed with paganism (Babylonianism) and given New Testament names. The old Babylonian mother-son cult of Tammuz and Semiramis became known as Jesus and Mary, with divinity also ascribed to Mary. Many years ago Alexander Hislop wrote THE TWO BABYLONS which gives a detailed account of the old Babylonian Pagan religion and its basic doctrines as the foundation of the Roman Catholic "Church".
The Holy Spirit, appropriately and with exactitude, calls the universal harlot church of the last days, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" -Revelation 17:5.
Needless to say, Christ Mass, which has been shortened to Christmas, is not found anywhere in the Bible. According to THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS, a very good presentation shown on the History Channel; Christians in the United States only began to celebrate Christmas in the mid 1800s. A few years ago Christmas also fell on a Sunday as it does again this year in 2005. On that Sunday the pastor of a large Baptist church delivered his Sunday sermon dressed as Santa Claus! Truly, apostasy abounds in these last days.
Sola Scriptura
Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians ever told when Christ was born, nor are we told to celebrate His birth. But rather, we are explicitly commanded to celebrate His death; and we are told how to do it:
"And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve" -Mark 14:16 & 17.
"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them. This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" -Mark 14:22-24.
Christ's apostle Paul also wrote:
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's DEATH till he come" -I Corinthians 11:23-26.
Also, water baptism by emersion, pictures the DEATH, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Should Christians celebrate 'Christmas' or the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you want to obey our Lord Jesus or pagan tradition via Romanism? The Scriptural answer is obvious: Christ Jesus is not the reason for the season!
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" -Colossians 2:8.
Some Questions to Ponder:
Dr. Al Mohler offers another view on this issue at his blog. Read Dr. Mohler's insights here.
One quote from Dr. Mohler's article by respected author and World Magazine's indispensable culture editor, Gene Edward Veith, "sets the record straight" on December 25 in the magazine's December 10 issue.
"According to conventional wisdom, Christmas had its origin in a pagan winter solstice festival, which the church co-opted to promote the new religion. In doing so, many of the old pagan customs crept into the Christian celebration. But this view is apparently a historical myth--like the stories of a church council debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or that medieval folks believed the earth is flat--often repeated, even in classrooms, but not true."
And further,
It is true that the first evidence of Christians celebrating December 25th as the date of the Lord's nativity comes from Rome some years after Aurelian, in A.D. 336, but there is evidence from both the Greek East and the Latin West that Christians attempted to figure out the date of Christ's birth long before they began to celebrate it liturgically, even in the second and third centuries. The evidence indicates, in fact, that the attribution of the date of December 25th was a by-product of attempts to determine when to celebrate his death and resurrection."
In light of Jim's article above and some of these follow up quotes by Dr. Veith what say you? Here are some questions to ponder:
1. Which side of this issue to you believe?
2. Is Christmas a biblical holy day or just a recognized pagan tradition the church has adopted?
3. Because the Scriptures do not explicitly instruct us to celebrate the Lord's birth, is it wrong to do so (the Luther/Calvin juxtaposed views) or should we avoid any identification with it entirely?
4. How can believers in the recognition of Christmas, be different from what the unbelieving world does in its celebration of the same day?
5. The Virgin Birth is a cardinal doctrine in biblical Christianity. How then should believers in Christ honor the birth of our Lord?
6. Can we redeem this holiday by making it a holy day? Or not?
7. Are we in danger of tradition overshadowing truth?
the Reason for the Season?
This article was emailed to me and written by James McCutchan, a retired Baptist Pastor/Teacher (Jmccutchan@aol.com).
Though I may not agree entirely with everything that Jim wrote below, I want to personally thank him for his concise, biblically focused, and thought-provoking insights on what is proving to be a very controversial holiday in our nation this year. I have also included a link to Dr. Al Moher's blog on this matter; featuring some quotes from his post by Dr. Gene Edward Veith as well. This will prove to be a most interesting discussion today.
No matter what the world has imagined or defined Christmas to be, may we as genuine believers in the Lord thank God for His "unspeakable gift" to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Immanuel, God with us...
Steve
2 Cor. 3:5
The True History of Christmas
by Jim McCutchan
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" -Colossians 2:8.
How did December 25 become the designated day and season of the birth of Jesus Christ? Rather than being the time of our Savior's birth, it was the very day and season on which the pagans for centuries had celebrated the birth of the Sun-god. In the fifth century, A.D., the Roman Catholic Church commanded that the birth of Christ be observed on December 25 - the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol - one of the names of the sun-god.
This winter festival was called 'the nativity' - the nativity of the SUN as well as Osiris, Horus, Hercules, Bacchus, Adonis, Jupiter, Tammuz and other sun-gods who were supposedly born at the time of the winter solstice, which is now called - the 'Christmas' season. The pagan winter solstice was celebrated with great feasts, revelry, and drunkenness; the same way many celebrate it today!
When this winter festival came to Rome, it was known as the Saturnalia - Saturn being another name for the sun-god. The name of the seventh day of our week, Saturday, also comes from a sun-god. How about the first day of our week - Sun-day?
This winter solstice was the most vile, immoral feast that ever disgraced pagan Rome. And it was from this very feast at Rome that the merry-making of this season passed into the Roman Catholic Church and on into all Christendom, with few exceptions.
Christmas - The "Christ Mass"
The word Christmas derives from 'Christ Mass' which has its origin in the Roman Catholic Church. The word catholic means universal. The Roman Universal Church was founded by the Roman emperor Constantine about 313 A.D. Constantine was fighting in a civil war for the Roman throne. On the day before the battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine prayed to his sun-god and we are told that a cross appeared in the sky with the inscription; 'In hoc signo vinces', which means, 'In this sign conquer.' The next day, Constantine went to battle behind a standard portraying a cross. He was victorious and he then professed conversion to "Christianity." After securing his throne as emperor of the Roman empire, he declared that his "Christianity" was the 'universal religion' of the Roman empire.
Pagan temples became 'churches.' Constantine's Roman universal (catholic) church became a religion mixed with paganism (Babylonianism) and given New Testament names. The old Babylonian mother-son cult of Tammuz and Semiramis became known as Jesus and Mary, with divinity also ascribed to Mary. Many years ago Alexander Hislop wrote THE TWO BABYLONS which gives a detailed account of the old Babylonian Pagan religion and its basic doctrines as the foundation of the Roman Catholic "Church".
The Holy Spirit, appropriately and with exactitude, calls the universal harlot church of the last days, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" -Revelation 17:5.
Needless to say, Christ Mass, which has been shortened to Christmas, is not found anywhere in the Bible. According to THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS, a very good presentation shown on the History Channel; Christians in the United States only began to celebrate Christmas in the mid 1800s. A few years ago Christmas also fell on a Sunday as it does again this year in 2005. On that Sunday the pastor of a large Baptist church delivered his Sunday sermon dressed as Santa Claus! Truly, apostasy abounds in these last days.
Sola Scriptura
Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians ever told when Christ was born, nor are we told to celebrate His birth. But rather, we are explicitly commanded to celebrate His death; and we are told how to do it:
"And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve" -Mark 14:16 & 17.
"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them. This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" -Mark 14:22-24.
Christ's apostle Paul also wrote:
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's DEATH till he come" -I Corinthians 11:23-26.
Also, water baptism by emersion, pictures the DEATH, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Should Christians celebrate 'Christmas' or the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you want to obey our Lord Jesus or pagan tradition via Romanism? The Scriptural answer is obvious: Christ Jesus is not the reason for the season!
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" -Colossians 2:8.
Some Questions to Ponder:
Dr. Al Mohler offers another view on this issue at his blog. Read Dr. Mohler's insights here.
One quote from Dr. Mohler's article by respected author and World Magazine's indispensable culture editor, Gene Edward Veith, "sets the record straight" on December 25 in the magazine's December 10 issue.
"According to conventional wisdom, Christmas had its origin in a pagan winter solstice festival, which the church co-opted to promote the new religion. In doing so, many of the old pagan customs crept into the Christian celebration. But this view is apparently a historical myth--like the stories of a church council debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or that medieval folks believed the earth is flat--often repeated, even in classrooms, but not true."
And further,
It is true that the first evidence of Christians celebrating December 25th as the date of the Lord's nativity comes from Rome some years after Aurelian, in A.D. 336, but there is evidence from both the Greek East and the Latin West that Christians attempted to figure out the date of Christ's birth long before they began to celebrate it liturgically, even in the second and third centuries. The evidence indicates, in fact, that the attribution of the date of December 25th was a by-product of attempts to determine when to celebrate his death and resurrection."
In light of Jim's article above and some of these follow up quotes by Dr. Veith what say you? Here are some questions to ponder:
1. Which side of this issue to you believe?
2. Is Christmas a biblical holy day or just a recognized pagan tradition the church has adopted?
3. Because the Scriptures do not explicitly instruct us to celebrate the Lord's birth, is it wrong to do so (the Luther/Calvin juxtaposed views) or should we avoid any identification with it entirely?
4. How can believers in the recognition of Christmas, be different from what the unbelieving world does in its celebration of the same day?
5. The Virgin Birth is a cardinal doctrine in biblical Christianity. How then should believers in Christ honor the birth of our Lord?
6. Can we redeem this holiday by making it a holy day? Or not?
7. Are we in danger of tradition overshadowing truth?
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