Does the New Testament authorize us to celebrate and
commemorate the birth of Jesus?
The basis for every religious practice that we engage in must
be authorized by the NT. Authority is established in only
one of three ways: (1) Direct Statement, (2) Example, and (3)
Implication. The NT teaches in very forthright language that
all religious practices must be authorized. Col. 3:17 states,
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, . . .” The expression “in the name of” means “by
the authority of.” Therefore, whatever we do in word or deed
must be authorized by the Christ. The antithesis is also
true: Wherever there is no authority for a teaching or
practice, we must not teach or practice it (see also I Pet. 4:
11; Rev. 22:18-19). The question that we must ask relative
to the question at hand is very simple: “Is there either a
direct statement that tells us to celebrate and commemorate
the birth of Jesus, or is there an example of where the early
Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus (and God approved
of such), or is there an implication where the early
Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus (and God approved
of such)?” I do not oppose Christmas observed simply and
solely as a purely secular and materialistic holiday, in which
family and friends get together to enjoy one another’s
company, eat a meal, and exchange gifts. I oppose religious
Christmas strictly on Biblical grounds, respecting the
authority of the Scriptures. The fact is, people can read the
NT backwards and forwards and never read of Christmas as a
Bible doctrine. It was not until a few hundred years later
after the first century that men invented Christmas as a
religious holiday. It therefore did not originate in the
apostolic age and is thus without divine sanction. The Bible
actually condemns the setting aside of special religious days
of which are not authorized by God (see Gal. 4:9-10). And,
religious Christmas is certainly not authorized. The
question is, “Where do we get the authority to set aside a
day (such as December 25th) and celebrate such a day as a
religious day, in this case in commemoration of the birth of
Jesus?” We must not be guilty of “teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9).