Revised 4-26-2002

REPLACING THE TRUTH WITH CHRISTMAS TRADITION

By Bob Lovelace

We'll hear soon that Christ has been left out of Christmas. Some will say we need to put Christ back into Christmas. Have you ever asked one just what it is that they desire to put in? After all there is nothing said about the practice or tradition of observing Christmas as worship for the church in the New Testament as the will of Christ!

JOSEPH RECEIVED HELP IN UNDERSTANDING JESUS' BIRTH

Matthew 1:18-25 gives a wealth of information about Jesus' birth. Here we find that God helped Joseph to understand the significance of His birth. Matthew records Joseph's "dream" which was one way God communicated with man during the Mosaic dispensation (Heb. 1:1-2). Joseph, being a just man, had determined to put Mary away privately as he'd come to have knowledge of her pregnancy. The dream revealed that Mary had done no wrong for this was "of the Holy Spirit." This was far beyond man's procreative powers and what was taking place was according to God's appointed time (Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:10; Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 7:14). Joseph accepted the fact that this was a miraculous birth and, "she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Jesus literally means Savior. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. That remarkable prophecy that came from a prophet of God who lived and wrote events which took place from about 745 to 695 BC. Matthew 1:23-25 says they shall call his name Immanuel "which being interpreted is, God with us." This is important. The connection is always that Jesus was God in the flesh (see John 1:1-3,14). Thus we have recorded "the birth of Jesus Christ" (Matthew 1:18). This means that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah the Jews were looking for! It also means that He is the Savior of all men, both Jews and Gentiles(Romans 1:16-17). The point that needs to be made here is that there are not two Saviors. There is not one for the Gentiles and another Messiah for the Jews who has not yet come. Our text above tells us that Mary remained a virgin until or after the birth of the Savior. The doctrine that she remained a "perpetual" virgin is unfounded by the scriptures. Matthew 13:55-56 and Marks 6:3 names his brothers and states that he had sisters as well! Realize what this does to major Catholic dogma.

THE ACTUAL PLACE WHERE JESUS WAS BORN

Luke chapter 2:1-5 tells us why Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem (the city of David) at the time the Christ child is born. Caesar Augustus had decreed that all should be registered and they had gone there to Joseph's own city. From Nazareth to Bethlehem would have been a trip of about seventy miles. Here, in Bethlehem, we see further fulfillment of prophecy for Micah

had said, Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

THE ACTUAL BIRTH

The actual birth is recorded in just two verses in Luke 2:6-7. All the text says about the day is "this day" (Luke 2:11). God did not tell us the day or the year. It is simply impossible to know the exact date of Jesus' birth. Do you think that God wanted us to observe the "day" when He did not want us to know the day? Had God wanted us to incorporate the day into the

worship of the church He would have specified the day and authorized such. The unauthorized practice of putting Christ in "Christmas" is obvious when churches plan a program of entertainment "for" the Christmas Season.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD

In Luke 2:8-20 we have the account of the angel appearing the shepherds who were out in the fields by night tending their sheep. Obviously the angel's appearance was God's way of spreading the news of Christ's birth. But the lesson goes beyond that. Since they were still in the fields by night it is believed by some this would have been sometime during the months of October and November. No one is exactly certain on this. It is not likely that the taxation would have been in the dead of winter either! But we must remember that Israel's winter is not our winter. Notice WHO the angel said the child born is: Luke 2:11, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." There can be no mistake that this is the Messiah! John tells us in John 1:41 that Messiah is translated the Christ. The place is the place the prophet said it would be. The words Savior, Christ and Lord and Messiah give the absolute title of Deity!

One important aspect of this is the "saying" of the heavenly host recorded here. Luke tells us that suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: nasv, [14] "Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

There are two fundamental parts to this saying: 1. Glory to God in the highest; 2. On earth peace (good will) among men with whom He (God) is pleased. Notice that the men are those in whom God is pleased! Such men would be the Shepherds who obeyed God that night, or Joseph with his wife Mary, or Simeon (Luke 2:34) who is (a prophet) one who understood the Old Testament prophesies and was not prejudiced as so many Jews were to the Old Mosaic Covenant. He was waiting for the Christ who would be the fulfillment of the Law and whose blood would be the blood of the new testament shed for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). He knew that Christ was for both the Gentiles and the Jews and said so! In contrast to such men, however, God was not pleased with men such as Herod who hated the child when he learned of his birth. To associate Christ with just "good will" among men regardless of their obedience to God's will is a perversion of the meaning of this passage. God is not pleased with men (people) who revel at drinking parties, despise the truth, are covetous, or who exploit others "in the name of Christ" through their organizations this time of the year! Nor was He pleased with the "likes" on the night Jesus was born! People get kissy-huggy at Xmas time don't they? But somehow people have been overtaken by the mistaken idea that God's pleasure rests at this "season" (secular) upon everybody regardless of their deeds, and even upon those who are worldly and know they are and have no determination to be otherwise. This is wrong! This shows they are not studying about the birth of Christ as they should be.

THE WISE MEN AND THE STAR

Let's look quickly at Matthew 2:1-15. The wise men followed the star until it stood over "the house" where the young Child was! One fact we can pin down here is that Jesus is not a newborn babe in the manger when the wise men come. That scraps many a manger scene put up for display! Further more it says "the young child." By now Jesus is referred to as "the young child" and the wise men finally find him in a house. It does not say there were three wise men nor does it name them. And it does not say that they presented exactly three gifts to Him. The important thing is they "worshipped Him." Only God is worthy of worship! Where they were living when they fled to Egypt I don't know for sure, but from Luke 2 it does appear that they went to Jerusalem from Bethlehem (2:22) and then returned to Nazareth from Jerusalem(2:39).

CONCLUSION

What the inspired text has to say about the birth of Christ is very important. It is the truth. Each christian has the responsibility to uphold the truth of God's word to the best of his ability. If we don't then it will be replaced by human tradition. The love for and practice of human tradition is what Jesus says constitutes vain or empty worship. And so it is this very "season" dear reader wherein so many vainly worship Him. Many will attend a church service that has incorporated Christmas into the work of the church. The vast majority of people think that their mere human tradition is the truth today. They errantly seek to put Christmas into Christ but it does not fit! Take time to reflect upon the truth of God's word and see the church plays(entertainment), singing performances (the kids are sure cute and grandpa and ma are sure to be there), etc., and various displays in the foyers, parties, etc., for what they really are. This is nothing more than man's empty tradition! It is practiced by a people who have forgotten how to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And those who know it has no place do not have the courage to speak up against it lest they should be cast out of the synagogue! We find no such thing in the worship of disciples in the first century church in the New Testament. You do not have to remain among them and be lost with them!

NOTE: To learn more about New Testament worship why not go to "Fundamental Lessons on the Church," Lesson Five, "The Worship of The Church" by clicking The Worship of the Church. If you are interested in reading about a free Bible Correspondence Course then please go to free Bible Correspondence Course .

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