Scriptural instruction on Christmas

This time of year, most people celebrate what they assume is Jesus' birthday—but few have ever stopped to ask where those customs actually came from. We tend to just accept what we grew up with. But humans should check where they're going, not follow blindly like sheep.

So when someone says "I don't celebrate Christmas," the first question is always "Why?" Simple answer: Jesus wasn't born on December 25. So when was He born?

Luke 1–2 lays out the timeline. John the Baptist was about six months older than Jesus. Zacharias (John's father) served his priestly duty in the division of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24), which points to John being conceived in mid-June and born the following March—placing Jesus' birth in September. There's more: the census that brought Joseph to Bethlehem would've happened after the fall harvest (Luke 2:1–5), and the shepherds were still out in the fields with their flocks (v. 8)—something you wouldn't see in cold, rainy December.

Why does the date matter? We don't celebrate His birthday—He told us to remember His death, not His birth (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). But the true date knocks out the whole foundation of Christmas and also helps disprove the Good Friday–Easter Sunday tradition. Most importantly, it reminds us God's Word is true and historically accurate.

History backs this up too. No one in Scripture is recorded celebrating a birthday. Christmas wasn't instituted by Christ or the apostles—it came in from paganism. Christians didn't observe it for the first two or three hundred years. It entered the Roman Church in the fourth century and wasn't made an official festival until the fifth—even though Jesus wasn't born December 25. If God wanted us to celebrate His birthday, He wouldn't have hidden the date so completely.

And the Christmas tree? Jeremiah 10:2–6 describes it exactly—cutting a tree from the forest, decking it with silver and gold, fastening it with nails so it won't move—and calls it "the way of the heathen." God says don't learn that way.

Two common pushbacks: "Can't we just pick a date to celebrate His birthday?" No—birthday celebrations aren't a Christian custom; even the Catholic Encyclopedia notes sinners, not saints, celebrate birthdays. And "We're honoring Christ, not the pagan god." But God says plainly (Deuteronomy 12:30–31) not to worship Him the way the pagans worshipped their gods—even with good intentions, He won't accept it. Jesus said, "In vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9).

God will let you follow the crowd—but there's a reckoning coming. We should know the facts so we can give honest reasons for what we believe, and not be fooled by what's counterfeit. The "Christmas spirit" each year isn't about honoring Christ—it's about selling merchandise.

聖經關於聖誕節的教導

每年呢個時候，大部分人都慶祝佢哋以為係耶穌生日嘅日子——但好少人停低問過，呢啲習俗其實從邊度嚟。我哋傾向淨係接受由細到大接觸嘅嘢。但人應該睇清楚自己行緊咩路，唔好似羊咁盲目跟隨。

所以當有人話「我唔慶祝聖誕節」，第一個問題一定係「點解？」簡單答案：耶穌唔係喺十二月二十五日出世。咁佢幾時出世？

路加福音1至2章列出時間線。施洗約翰比耶穌大約大六個月。撒迦利亞（約翰嘅爸爸）喺亞比雅班次中履行祭司職務（歷代志上24章），指向約翰喺六月中受孕、第二年三月出世——將耶穌嘅出世放喺九月。仲有：令約瑟去伯利恆嘅報名上冊，應該喺秋天收割之後發生（路加福音2:1-5），而牧羊人仲喺田野同羊群一齊（第8節）——寒冷、落雨嘅十二月唔會見到咁嘅情況。

點解個日期咁重要？我哋唔慶祝佢嘅生日——佢叫我哋記念佢嘅死，唔係佢嘅出世（哥林多前書11:23-26）。但真正嘅日期推翻成個聖誕節嘅基礎，亦幫助推翻耶穌受難日——復活節星期日嘅傳統。最重要嘅係，佢提醒我哋上帝嘅話語係真實同歷史準確。

歷史都支持呢點。聖經入面冇人記載慶祝生日。聖誕節唔係基督或者使徒設立——佢從異教傳入。頭兩三百年基督徒冇守呢個節日。佢喺第四世紀傳入羅馬教會，到第五世紀先成為官方節日——即使耶穌唔係喺十二月二十五日出世。如果上帝想我哋慶祝佢嘅生日，佢唔會將個日期收得咁密。

咁聖誕樹呢？耶利米書10:2-6 exactly 描述佢——從森林砍一棵樹，用金銀裝飾，用釘固定等佢唔會郁——仲話呢個係「異教的風俗」。上帝話唔好學嗰啲風俗。

兩個常見反駁：「我哋可唔可以淨係揀個日子慶祝佢生日？」唔得——慶祝生日唔係基督教習俗；連天主教百科全書都話係罪人，唔係聖人，先慶祝生日。仲有「我哋尊崇基督，唔係異教神祇。」但上帝講得清楚（申命記12:30-31），唔好用異教徒拜佢哋神祇嘅方式敬拜佢——即使有好意圖，佢都唔會接受。耶穌話：「他們將人的吩咐當作道理教導人，所以拜我也是枉然」（馬太福音15:9）。

上帝會俾你跟大隊——但將來有一日要交賬。我哋應該知道事實，咁我哋就可以為自己所信嘅嘢俾出誠實理由，唔會俾假冒嘅嘢呃到。每年嘅「聖誕精神」唔係關於尊崇基督——係關於賣嘢。