In light of the upcoming holiday season, I thought this article would be appropriate. Many Christians have sacred cows and traditions when they come to the Christmas holiday. Most if not all of these are erroneous or just need to be cleared up. Many Christians do not have a full understanding of certain events about Christmas. This post is to clear up any mistakes associated with Christmas as well as kill any sacred cows and traditions of Christmas. The subjects addressed are by no means comprehensive (to be honest, these are just soap-box matters that irritate me).
The first sacred cow of Christmas is the term X-mas. Many Christians find this offensive and claim it is “taking Christ out of Christmas.” To be honest, for abbreviation purposes I use the X-mas term all the time. What most Christians don’t realize is that the early church used abbreviations for God and Christ frequently. The Greek word for Christ is Χριστός. Notice the first letter? Thus the abbreviation is simply a “X.” I use this abbreviation in my Bible all the time to save space as I am sure the early church sought to do. Therefore, the term X-mas is not taking Christ out of Christmas at all. Those unbelievers who try to do so have no idea that they are inadvertently keeping Christ in Christmas!
A misconception of Christmas among the more uninformed Christians is the actual date of Christmas. No one knows the exact day of Christ birth (well no one living today). December 25th was the day picked to celebrate the event (which some speculate might have been done so by the RCC to detract from a pagan holiday). Even the year of Christ’s birth is not accurate according to our calendar system. It is likely from historical evidence that Christ was born between 6-4 B.C. (before Christ). To be honest, celebrating the coming of Christ should not be a seasonal thing anyways.
A newer sacred cow that has arisen is how every major commercial company no longer can say “Merry Christmas.” They now have to say “Happy Holidays.” I have even bought into this somewhat and refused to buy Christmas cards that don’t mention Christmas. But really, “Holiday” is a better term for the celebration of the first advent of Christ than “Christmas.” “Holiday” simply means a holy day. Christmas has Roman Catholic roots meaning a Christ Mass. To be honest, referring to Christ’s birth as a holy day is far better than referring to it as a Christ-Mass.
A favorite Christmas carol among Christians is “Joy to the World.” The problem is, this is not a 1st advent song but a 2nd advent song. Isaac Watts wrote the song not with the intention of it being sung around Christmas. He wrote it in reference to the 2nd Coming of Christ. The lyrics support this – “Let earth receive her king… The Savior reigns… He rules the world.” These are references to the coming of Christ to set up His kingdom on earth. Even evangelicals of the Postmillennial or Amillennial persuasion would disagree with the earthly, political ideas of the kingdom. Yet Christians everywhere sing this song around Christmas even though it goes in direct contradiction to their theology. Personally, I look forward to the day when we all sing this song in the Millennial Kingdom (when it is appropriate).
But the Christmas tradition that gets under my skin more than any other is the tradition of the 3 wise men. In almost every nativity scene you see, you find baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, some shepherds, and the wise men. But if you read Matthew 2 carefully, you will see that the wise men weren’t even present at the birth of Christ. Verse 1 of chapter 2 speaks of the magi (a much better reference than “wise men”) arriving in Jerusalem after the birth. Verse 2, the magi ask Herod of the birth of Christ as if it was assumed that the Messiah was already born. If the star the magi saw in the sky appeared at the birth of Christ, then the magi had to travel from their present location (probably in modern day Iraq) and travel about 4 months (cf. Ezra 7:6-10). Even when they arrived in Jerusalem, the star guided them further to the exact location. In verses 8, 9, & 11; the reference was made to a “young child” not a baby (the Greek word being paidion). Even verse 11 speaks of the magi entering a house not a cave or a stable which would have a manger. There is no way the magi were present at the birth of Christ.
Even the common understanding of the magi is wrong. There were probably more than three. The number three is based on the number of gifts offered to Jesus, but they probably travelled as a large caravan. Being a “magi” does not mean they were magicians or wise men. They were scientists and astrologers. They were absolutely not kings as the song says.
Again I call Christians to be more Biblical in their understanding of Christmas. We do not need to hold to traditions as if they are the end all be all of Christmas. Let’s put to rest some of these sacred cows and follow a more Biblical approach to the celebration of the 1st coming of the Lord.
Timothy L. Decker
Christians and Their Christmas Blunders
Biblical Absolutism (1)
No patriotic American alive would probably forget September 11, 2001. On that fateful day, nefarious and religiously zealous criminals deliberately flew hijacked airplanes into the world trade center resulting in the death of thousands of Americans. Many mourned as debris was removed and their loved ones were found beneath the ashes. When all the dust had settled, body bags were counted and diplomacy had ended over three thousands innocent people lost their lives. In the days that followed, many pondered the reality of the situation. How could humans be so cold and calculating? What was the cause of this tragedy? Fortunately, Brad Scott answers these questions by stating, “Losing the conviction that they are made in the image of God, people will tend to treat each other as animals or machines. People are what they believe.”[1]
As insane and inhumane as this tragedy was, equally horrendous are persons who claims that tolerance and compromise must be practiced in order for there to be peace. Therefore this post will present a biblical case for absolutism. In other words, there are some things that are not left to the dictates of man because they have already been mandated by God.
In this postmodern society where one has to be politically correct, the banner reads; “everything is relative.” It is deemed incorrect and judgmental to tell someone that their view is wrong. The culture vehemently opposes the “either/or" thinking while they accept “both/and.” Inclusiveness is the name of the game because everyone needs to tolerate and if needs be to compromise their convictions so that people will feel accepted. This view is called relativity and it stands in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches. However, the majority who practices this philosophy have no regard for God or His word. Therefore, what should be the Christian’s response? Should Christians meet them at the crossroads and forget the differences that may exist in order for there to be peace? What would Jesus do, some even ask?
Undoubtedly, the real question should read, what did Jesus say? Jesus said; “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus said, "except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3). The apostle Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit firmly affirms, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). Christianity is an exclusive religion and Jesus attest to that fact. Believers should not put down their Bibles and take up their pens when discussing truth with unbelievers. Diplomacy would not convert this world. Commenting on this issue, John MacArthur in his book, Why One Way wrote, “Biblical truth is to be proclaimed with authority, not put on the table for discussion as just one possible alternative to other points of view.”[2] There would always exist irreconcilable differences between biblical Christianity and the world. MacArthur further continues, “This should be seen as combat, not a conversation.”[3]
Dexter Kirby
[1] Scott, Brad. Streams of Confusion. P268
[2] MacArthur, John. Why One Way. P54
[3] Ibid. p54