Did the Church institute Dec 25th to replace Pagan Festivals with a Christian Theme?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Nov 15, 2020
1,897
362
83
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Put yourself in His place in this time 2000 years after the day you were born. Imagine what someone trying to put an end to remembering the day you were born looks like. How it would make you feel.

I don't see Jesus frowning upon people who want to hold a day special to rejoice and celebrate that day . The day God took His first breath of 7air. I do see Him frowning on those who say 'Jesus never said to do that.......you think He's supposed to 'command' that? Thou shalt party on my birthday.!...or thou shalt not party on my birthday....lol

All that matters is what Christmas means right now. On that day that was picked His warmth still permeates the land.... a little. Those who love who's warmth it is love it no matter where it's found knowing it belongs to them.
His date of birth is not in the Bible, nor does He say when it was. Otherwise it would be celebrated. The only tradition He endorsed was the Passover.
 
B

Blackpowderduelist

Guest
Put yourself in His place in this time 2000 years after the day you were born. Imagine what someone trying to put an end to remembering the day you were born looks like. How it would make you feel.

I don't see Jesus frowning upon people who want to hold a day special to rejoice and celebrate that day . The day God took His first breath of 7air. I do see Him frowning on those who say 'Jesus never said to do that.......you think He's supposed to 'command' that? Thou shalt party on my birthday.!...or thou shalt not party on my birthday....lol

All that matters is what Christmas means right now. On that day that was picked His warmth still permeates the land.... a little. Those who love who's warmth it is love it no matter where it's found knowing it belongs to them.
Christmas was celebrated by Christians in the early church, a believe I read something recently that the earliest document goes back to about 200 ad our calendar.
What they celebrated was not only his birth but also his promise to return. I also read some stuff about how it was in January but due to the calendar switch there was a 6 day loss that moved it to December.
Anyway this is an interesting website
https://www.whychristmas.com/
 
Aug 14, 2019
1,374
307
83
His date of birth is not in the Bible, nor does He say when it was. Otherwise it would be celebrated. The only tradition He endorsed was the Passover.
You are wrong about that. I don't think you even did the thought experiment.

For one it's evident when someone says 'its not in the bible' that they think they have plumbed the depths of the Word or haven't come to appreciate it anyway.

Jesus gave others His authority to do what He would want done. Those who hear them hear Him. That's in the bible. He entrusted them to establish His Church in the World. They decided that the day He was born is a day to celebrate.

Think of Jesus as your friend then imagine how you look to Him.
 
Aug 14, 2019
1,374
307
83
Christmas was celebrated by Christians in the early church, a believe I read something recently that the earliest document goes back to about 200 ad our calendar.
What they celebrated was not only his birth but also his promise to return. I also read some stuff about how it was in January but due to the calendar switch there was a 6 day loss that moved it to December.
Anyway this is an interesting website
https://www.whychristmas.com/
Thanks for the site. It seems that celebrating His Birth was what was important. The exact day on the calendar was desired but a matter of ceremony that wasn't more important than the devotion to Jesus. Blackpowderduelist, I'll enjoy the site. Grace and Peace.
 
B

Blackpowderduelist

Guest
Thanks for the site. It seems that celebrating His Birth was what was important. The exact day on the calendar was desired but a matter of ceremony that wasn't more important than the devotion to Jesus. Blackpowderduelist, I'll enjoy the site. Grace and Peace.
I used to be one of these Christmas is pagan guys years ago. I thank God that he has shown me the truth.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
Did the Church institute Dec 25th to replace Pagan Festivals with a Christian Theme?
I don't know, but I like Christmas. I think we should celebrate it every day. I think that someday we will!:)

:D:D:D MERRY CHRISTMSAS EVERYBODY!!!!! :D:D:D
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,428
113
His date of birth is not in the Bible, nor does He say when it was. Otherwise it would be celebrated. The only tradition He endorsed was the Passover.
Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,067
4,349
113
Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.
not his birth as a human? He was was given the name Jesus to speak to his humanity. God came to be one of us and we are not to celebrate that? The first sinless man since the creation of Adam before he fell, our Second Adam is not to be honored I guess Jesus did not feel the whip or crown of thorns? Or the beating or the shame or the rejection, or abandonment by those who he called and loved.

No, we can't celebrate the enduring pain, shame, and payment for our sins HE TOOK ON HIMSELF. You really need to rethink your theology because you are wrong.
 

SoulWeaver

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2014
4,889
2,534
113
Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.
Do you believe that Jesus was born human only and divinity was added later?
 

SoulWeaver

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2014
4,889
2,534
113
I don't know, but I like Christmas. I think we should celebrate it every day. I think that someday we will!:)

:D:D:DMERRY CHRISTMSAS EVERYBODY!!!!!:D:D:D
Every time someone is born again, it's also a Christmas but shhhhh ;) I regret not remembering the date of my again birthday...
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,428
113
not his birth as a human? He was was given the name Jesus to speak to his humanity. God came to be one of us and we are not to celebrate that? The first sinless man since the creation of Adam before he fell, our Second Adam is not to be honored I guess Jesus did not feel the whip or crown of thorns? Or the beating or the shame or the rejection, or abandonment by those who he called and loved.

No, we can't celebrate the enduring pain, shame, and payment for our sins HE TOOK ON HIMSELF. You really need to rethink your theology because you are wrong.
Do you really think that our God, Christ, never lived as a human? That would mean that all those 30 years He was here, he was spirit only, without a body, and we are told of what He did as a man.
 
B

Blackpowderduelist

Guest
Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.
You have to be careful here, because you may be getting in danger of partialism, or modalism
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,428
113
Do you believe that Jesus was born human only and divinity was added later?
I don't know, I wish many people would answer this.

God knew for sure, that this was His Son. Christ lived as a human lives while He was here. We are told in 1 Peter 3 that He died in the flesh and was made alive in the spirit. But surely Christ was also God when He was in the flesh. Otherwise Christ could not have lived a sinless life.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
 

Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
2,428
113
You have to be careful here, because you may be getting in danger of partialism, or modalism
I didn't know what partialism or modalism was so I looked it up and I am bewildered rather than informed. Could you explain?

Partialism is sexual interest with an exclusive focus on a specific part of the body other than genitals.

Definition of modalism : the theological doctrine that the members of the Trinity are not three distinct persons but rather three modes or forms of activity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) under which God manifests himself
 

Deuteronomy

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2018
3,334
3,704
113
68
Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.
Hello Blik, the Chanukah Dreidel has these four words on it: נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה שָׁם (well, except in Israel, where the forth word is changed due to the location: נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה פֹּה). The meaning is either, "A Great Miracle Happened There", or in Israel, "A Great Miracle Happened Here". The celebrated Chanukah miracle (as I'm sure you already know) was that one day's worth of oil lasted for 8 days.

How much greater the Christmas miracle*, yes (no matter where on Earth you may be)? Messiah (who is God the Son, from/to everlasting), along with His Divine nature, took on a second, human nature and was born a Divine & human baby for our sakes to save us, by becoming sin for us, and by making us the very righteousness of God in Him .. e.g. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

In His ~humanity~, the Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfectly righteous life before His Father (the life that we needed to live before Him) on our behalf, and then He died as a perfectly innocent and righteous man in our stead on the Cross (He did this to to save us from the both the power of sin and the penalty of our sins, as well then from the wrath of His Father in the age to come). Emmanuel (God with us) is a wondrous thing indeed, but in a very real sense, He has always been here with us.

*The greatest miracle of all time was the miraculous birth of Emmanuel, not only because He is God with us, but especially because He came here as one of us (and this by necessity).

While Emmanuel could not have saved us apart from His Deity, it is just as true that He could not have saved us apart from His humanity either (IOW, apart from the righteous life that He lived here on our behalf .. as a man .. or apart from His shed, human blood and physical/human death on the Cross).

~Deut
p.s. - I believe that in a secondary, but very real and very miraculous way, the phrase that we find on Israeli Dreidels
("A Great Miracle Happened Here") is true for all of us, wherever we may be :) (IOW, wherever people have come to true, saving faith in this world).
.
 

Deuteronomy

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2018
3,334
3,704
113
68
Whoops, I should have probably mentioned that while the English above is read left to right, Hebrew is read right to left.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,067
4,349
113
Do you really think that our God, Christ, never lived as a human? That would mean that all those 30 years He was here, he was spirit only, without a body, and we are told of what He did as a man.
the Spirit of Christ is eternal the man Jesus is the Spirit of Christ taking on the likeness of SINFUL Man. You are making speaking non-sense.

You said " Yes, we are to celebrate His resurrection, His birth as our Savior, not His birth as a human.

Now you are trying to clean up your error? You said we are not to celebrate the Birth of Jesus as a human. That is wrong we can do both. We accept and believe by faith Jesus is the son of God who came not by the will of man but by the Spirit of God who stepped out of Glory and took on the likeness of sinful man to experience for us the judgment of sin His death was a Vicious one. Without that physical Body, and the name Jesus we would have not known the humanity of our God Jesus reveal HIM to us. His birth as a human was the fulfillment of God's spoken word. Prior to the Incarnation, there is no Biblical proof God lived as a man. We have what is known as Appearances Christphanies and theophanies.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,067
4,349
113
I don't know, I wish many people would answer this.

God knew for sure, that this was His Son. Christ lived as a human lives while He was here. We are told in 1 Peter 3 that He died in the flesh and was made alive in the spirit. But surely Christ was also God when He was in the flesh. Otherwise Christ could not have lived a sinless life.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
The death of Jesus in first Peter you are using is saying Jesus died a physical death but never in Spirit. Jesus as no time did the Spirit of Christ ever cease to exist.

1peter 3:18
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: "

The power of the Holy Spirit the resurrection power made the physical body of Jesus come back to life