Christmas: Celebrating the Birth of Our Savior, or is Christmas Pagan?

By Biblestudycompany.com Ric Joyner

We will state upfront that Christmas is not a biblical holiday. But it is not unbiblical to celebrate the birth of Christ. We should also not equalize Christmas with the advent of our Savior. The Old Testament prophesized over the birth of the Savior to come. The current secular traditions of Santa, with almost God-like qualities and manipulating kids to "further fantasize" a jolly old man who can give all children on earth toys and an "elf on the shelf" that watches how they behave, is unbiblical. Still, some feel it is acceptable to create a myth around Santa Clause while children are young. We disagree. Our view is that it is always best to be honest with children about Santa. Giving presents at this time of the year is not wrong because the Magi gave Christ's family gifts in worship to the young boy Messiah which helped the family with expenses to flee to Egypt. Consumerism and greed are wrong and an issue of sin, but only the Holy Spirit can lead you to that truth and He knows your heart. 

Frustration mounts as we approach this time of year in the Christmas season. Screams of "Christmas is pagan" escalate into a crescendo with arguments against Christmas on social media and by some bible teachers. Could this be a veiled attack on the Gospel in the name of "we don't want to be idolators"?

Let's take a look. Will you please reread these scriptures prayerfully as we begin our biblical study?

Matthew Chapters 1-2 highlights

• Jesus Christ's genealogy to be the King of Israel
• Angel's perspective on why Joseph should marry Mary.
• Many prophecies were fulfilled. The time for Messiah is here.
• Why did God's Son come? "To save the people from their sins." Paul defined the Gospel in 1 Cor 15:1-4. The Pharisees interpreted scripture that the Messiah would come and rescue Israel from Rome. The real problem was Adam's sin, which infected us, and God planned to fix sin and death. God dealt with the eternal consequences for both Jews and Gentiles. We don't want to miss this distinction.  
• His name announced is "God with us." How interesting! Because in Judaism at this time (second temple), a man could rise to become the Messiah (the Lord's anointed) but not be "God with us" in the form of a man. Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:25-35 expresses the Gospel to us, and the Gospel begins here at the birth of Christ.

"30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Luke Chapters 1 and 2. Pay attention to what the angels say a couple of times: "good news," translated as the same word… Gospel. The birth of Christ is good news for Jews because their long-awaited Messiah was finally here, and the prophecy was fulfilled. We write this paper 2,000 years later for gentiles, grateful that the apostles preached the Gospel to us: Good news: Christ came as a child to break the back of sin and death and allowed us gentiles an eternal "home" and become children of God! Gentiles are not part of the nation of Israel, but we are part of God's family! (Eph Chap 1-4)

We celebrate the birth of Christ because of the Gospel!

Read John 1 for a view from heaven of why Christ came.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11  He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the intention of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. We saw His glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18  No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Is Christmas pagan?

If it is, then are you a pagan for celebrating the day of Christ's birth? The historical proof that Christmas is pagan is thrown at you with overwhelming emotional authoritarianism. Is emotionalism based on biblical truth? How about historical facts? We know the origin of Christmas (birth of Christ) is biblical. The story of our Savior starts with His birth because the prophets mentioned He was coming. We suspect the anti-Christmas vehemence is agenda-driven. We ask this question because born-again believing Christians are not worshipping pagan deities by participating in the birth of Christ called Christmas today. I spoke to a Torah Keeping brother who said, "Yes, Christmas is pagan." I asked how that could be, and he shared, "when you put a present under the tree, you are 'bowing' down to the tree." I was stunned. The logic he displayed defied logic. Yeah, no. Worshipping a pagan deity requires one to engage the diety knowingly.

In our research, there were pagan celebrations that started around the time of 274 AD, but they appear to be in response to Christians in Rome celebrating the birth of Christ! We then ask what came first, the "chicken or the egg?"

"However, it has also been argued that, on the contrary, Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.^[76]

Is the nearness of a pagan holiday make Christmas pagan? When I sift through the concerns of 'Christmas is pagan,' people, did you know there was a pagan holiday at this time? We will deal with this later, but does that make celebrating the birth of Christ pagan today? Let's ask another question: Is Hanukkah pagan? The answer is no. Yet, Hanukkah is square in the middle of this pagan holiday called Saturnalia. The true church pushed hard against these wicked holidays, and to assume born-again believers were participating in pagan festivals doesn't make much sense since Christians had to live outside of society for several hundred years because of severe persecution.

Calling Christmas pagan because of the nearness of the same period of a pagan holiday would be the same as calling Easter (the resurrection of Christ) and Passover pagan. The proximity does not work because a pagan spring festival may happen around the same time.

We can confidently say that born-again believers would not have observed a pagan holiday and dishonored our Lord Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin and death. Born-again believers do not participate in pagan rituals today, and Christmas is about the birth of Christ.

When was the birth of Christ?

• According to Luke, the shepherds were in the fields with their sheep, which some scholars say can happen twice yearly. Here are some clues.
  • No crops would be in the fields because sheep can devastate crops: Winter is likely due to cold and rain and is free of crops but can be miserable. According to Luke, the shepherds were staying in the fields. However, shepherds could still be in the areas during winter with good tents. I will link a video below of William Federer's excellent research, which I found just after writing this piece, which shows the shepherds were out most of the year because the shepherds were raising sheep for the temple sacrifices. 
  • Another time the shepherds may be in the fields is early summer after the wheat harvest, which is late April to  June.
  • The Roman Caesar may not call for a worldwide census in the winter, thus making travel difficult.  
  • Dr. Baruch Korman of loveisrael.org indicates a definite break between verses in the Greek language in Luke 1:26. That "in the sixth month" of the Jewish year, the angel Gabriel visited Mary. He has a video and believes the time of the Lord's birth is at the beginning of the summer. Baruch's view is that the sixth month of the Jewish year. He says that the 6th month is Elul and that Jesus was born in the month of Sivan. Here is his video. Judaism has two "firsts of the year" with different focuses; thus, there are two sixth months, Adar and Elul.
  • Our research from Jewish sites shows that the sixth month of the Jewish calendar is Adar, which corresponds to February and March of our calendar. This may be why early Christians thought December to early January was the date of birth of our Lord. 
  • However, the plain reading of scripture in Luke 1:26 and beyond is the text's focus on the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. The contextual reading is focused on Mary's pregnancy also. The conclusion may be why scholars say "we don't know" the date of birth of Christ. Dr. Daniel Goepfrich of Theology is for Everyone confirmed my study on this matter. And this makes sense since the whole concept is not about a date but about a Who! 
  • Before 400 AD and after, many early Christians viewed March 25 as Christ's conception date (in the month of Adar); thus, nine months later was December 25. Is December 25 the actual date? Not sure, but are we focused on dates or the birth of Christ? Some anti-Christmas people concentrate on the dates because pagan holidays appeared around those dates in December. Thus, they need to link the celebration of Christmas with pagan holidays to bolster their claims that Christmas is pagan and call you a pagan for celebrating Christmas.

• Are "near" dates of pagan holidays worshiping the return of the sun synonymous with the birth of Christ? No. Why? Because we are not pagans and we are not celebrating pagan deities, we are celebrating the birth of Christ, and neither were the early Christians.

Conclusion. We will focus on the birth of Christ currently and not conflate the past to today. 

"Certainly today, the mix of consumerism (AKA Santa Claus) can take people's eyes off Christ, but our job is to bring them back to the salvation message of the Gospel. Will you join us?"

Christmas is a Roman Catholic tradition and is celebrated around the pagan holiday of Saturnalia; thus, Christmas is pagan.

Note: In our extensive research, we stumbled upon a Wikipedia article. We usually would bypass Wikipedia as higher education frowns on the use of Wikipedia; however, this article has stood the test of time (2001) and is updated continually, even in 2021. Once you dive into the article, you will see the extent and expanse of the research on Christmas. Those who are "anti-Christmas" will find information to support their premises. 

"Got you, Biblestudycompany…see, Christmas is pagan". Well, no, and not so fast. This Wikipedia article is excellent on Christmas and is thorough for a balanced perspective.

Here are some highlights:

1. What does the name Christmas mean? For example, we celebrate the birth of Christ, and that is our focus. However, some insist on focusing on Christmas as a Roman Catholic tradition. From this article is the definition of the origins of the name Christmas:

"Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass." The word was recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131.[22] Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah," meaning "anointed";[23][24] and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.[25]”

2. Christians celebrated the birth of Christ long before the Roman Catholic Church formally began. The first few hundred years after Christ, the Christians did not celebrate birthdays of any kind, and thus, the logic goes, would not have celebrated Christ's birth. The first record is from Saint Augustine.

"December 25 was the winter solstice date in the Roman calendar.[16][53] A late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why this was a fitting day to celebrate Christ's nativity: "Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase." [54]

We conclude by the historical facts that the Roman Catholic Church was not in existence at the beginning of Christian recognition of the birth of Christ.

3. When was the Roman Catholic Church founded? Why do we ask? One argument against Christmas is that Christmas is Roman Catholic, and our research shows this is incorrect. Several sources agree with this website.

"The Roman Emperor Constantine established himself as the head of the church around 313 A.D., which made this new "Christianity" the Roman Empire's official religion. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo I (440-461 A.D.), although some claim that Gregory I was the first (Pope) (590-604 A.D.). This ungodly system eventually ushered in the darkest period known to man, called the "Dark Ages" (500-1500 A.D.). Through popes, bishops, and priests, Satan ruled Europe, and Biblical Christianity became illegal."

Conclusion: Catholicism was not the leading purveyor of Christmas traditions.

4. A thorough reading of the Wikipedia article, which is well-sourced, shows many conflicting beginnings for Christmas celebrations. A prominent theme in the report is the worldwide trajectory of celebrations of Christmas. Today, the traditions hobbled and wobbled through history and today are celebrated in their current form. We marvel at the sticking power of the Gospel contained in the birth of Christ to a predominantly gentile world. Is this God ordained for the opportunity to share the Gospel with the church? We think so. Or are some who focus on getting people not to celebrate the birth of Christ missing an opportunity for the Gospel? Yes.
5. Atheist countries tried to "stomp" out Christmas. The current attacks by believers on Christmas as pagans remind us of atheist countries. We wonder about the agenda of those who attack the Christmas celebration, and we think there is an anti-church and anti-Gospel sentiment buried within.
6. What about the "Christmas tree is pagan"? No. Some will point to Jeremiah 10 as proof that Christmas trees as pagan. However, a contextual reading of scripture shows this is false, and one must "read into" the scripture that the Christmas tree is pagan. Besides, the Christmas tree is relatively recent in its current form. We are serious about interpreting scripture correctly instead of twisting scripture.
7. Are we celebrating a pagan holiday today? No. Regardless of historical narratives by anti-Christmas, anti-birth of Christ people, they are not presenting the history correctly. The nearness of the celebration of the birth of Christ to ancient pagan holidays has no bearing on our celebration today.
8. What about the mistletoe, yule log, etc. didn't the pagans use them? But what about today? Are they used to worshiping deities? No. Valentine's day was a horrible pagan festival, and the Christians turned it into a worldwide romance day. Believe me; if I find a mistletoe and my wife is under it, she will get kissed!
9. Could the celebration of Christmas give us the one-month opportunity each year to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and what He has done for all of humanity? Is the entire world's focus on Christ at this time of the year a gift from God for the Gospel? We think so. Indeed, today, the mix of consumerism (AKA Santa Claus) can take people's eyes off Christ, but our job is to bring them back to the salvation message of the Gospel. Will you join us?
10. William Federer's video has an excellent history of Christmas traditions from ancient times to today.

11. Celebrating birthdays is pagan. No. Many ancient cultures did not celebrate birthdays, but many did. And no, celebrating birthdays is not pagan. We are honoring a person. Where are the deities?

Christmas is not a biblical holiday.

"And therefore, we should not celebrate the birth of Christ." To that, we would say, "tell that to the angels engaging the shepherds because heaven celebrated the birth of God's Son!" Luke 2:2-14

"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

Note: the words Good News are translated from Greek

Original word: εὐαγγελίζω
Transliteration: euaggelizó
Definition (short): preach
Description (complete): to announce good news

Yep, evangelize during Christmas. There are hurting hearts at this time of the year, and many blindly celebrate a holiday not connected to Christ's birth. Let us help people relate it to Christ, our Savior.

If not Christmas, what should we celebrate instead? Some would say we should celebrate Hanukkah to return to our Jewish roots. Hanukkah was not part of the Gospel, and the birth of Christ IS part of the Gospel.

We encourage everyone everywhere to ask God whether one should participate in the celebration of the birth of Christ. We say YES! We can confidently push back on anti-Christmas and anti-birth of Christ people with correct historical and biblical facts.

Worldwide focus on Christ

During this time of the year, people are open to the Gospel for nearly one month. Do we let this opportunity slide through our fingers? In Matthew 28, our commission is to go and make disciples. To make a disciple, we must present the Gospel first. Will we waste our time arguing over the birth of Christ, whether it is pagan or not? To this, we say that people saying Christmas or the celebration of the birth of Christ is pagan are avoiding the Gospel! Why? Who in the spiritual realm attacks the Gospel and wants it destroyed? Satan. Think about this tidbit. Imagine a worldwide focus on Christmas, even in Buddhist countries. Why not present the Gospel at this time of the year? As Paul said, his focus was on getting people reconciled to God. (2Cor 5:18-21)

 God promised by the first prophecy in Genesis 3:15 that a Savior would come:

"15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

The Accuser is bound and determined to use people, even with good intentions, to stop the message of the Gospel of Salvation. We use the word accusation intentionally because people who celebrate traditional Christmas are called pagans. A severe charge but, fortunately, untrue.

God is a God of prophecy. He wants us to know what is coming. He answered His word and has "healing in His wings" to "reconcile us to God." There are no other holy books that contain prophetic words fulfilled!

Let's celebrate the Birth of Christ and spread the Gospel this season!

Every Christmas season is a literal miracle that this holiday (holy day) is focused worldwide on Jesus Christ, our Savior. Even the Wikipedia article acknowledges this undeniable fact.

Let us turn aside from the poor handling of scripture and agenda-driven history "facts" and focus on the birth of Christ and sharing the Good news of His coming to rescue us from our sin, thus giving us eternal life without works and fear; in the blood of Christ!

What can you and your family do to share the love of Christ with a hurting world this Christmas season? Here is one video that touches our hearts when we watch it.

Feel free to share the resources.

Bibliography

Melton, James. "The Plain Truth about the Roman Catholic Church." biblebelievers.com. Bible Baptist Publications, 1998. https://biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Catholic.html.

Wikipedia Contributors. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas.

———. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas