God did not put the sabbath on Sunday, it’s on Saturday.
Acts 20:7
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.
The first day of the week would be Sunday.
Romans 14:5-6
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
The whole chapter of Romans 14 is a good read on this topic.
Colossians 2:16
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
I think there’s a lot here to dig into.
I’d be very careful what to say on this topic. Just because someone has a Christmas tradition, it doesn’t mean I can judge the motives of their hearts as evil. God knows their hearts and whether their allegiance is to him or not. We will know by their fruits (Matthew 7:20). There are a lot of fruits to identify so I’d be wary of taking one tradition as an indicator of someone’s whole way of life. It may or may not be a good indicator.
It’s a good question to ask and worth thinking about. I would probably look at it from multiple angles and ask questions such as:
Is there a violation of scripture?
Is there a violation of conscience?
Will this cause another believe to stumble?
Does this give the appearance of evil? To Christians? To non-Christians? 1 Thess 5:22
Is this being done in secret or am I using a freedom to cover up evil? 1 Pe 2:16
Back on the Christmas topic, another way of looking at it is following the “Argument of the Beard”. If we start with the hypothetical assumption that American Christmas is reenacting a pagan ritual, which elements of the tradition do we need to remove for it to no longer be pagan? Lights, trees, gift giving? Family dinners? Are certain songs bad? What if we replace telling Santa stories with telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ the savior of the world?
I like your question and think it’s worth thinking about,
Thank you. Whilst I probably can't give those fair questions you pose a full answer I would say that if one number 1 was correct then all the rest surely must follow.
Is number 1 correct? I know Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for steadfastly retaining their customs and traditions against their better judgement but I don't think it particularly applies here.
Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Given that Christmas is December the 25th which was the Winter Solstice in the Roman Calendar (according to Wiki) and that the Winter Solstice was celebrated in the Pagan world it probably fits the description of "a tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world (ie principles such as seasonal things - like the shortest day). Has the notion of Christmas been the result of Christians being cheated through philosophy and empty deceit? Dunno. I dunno if Christmas would be amongst the things referred to in Colossians. The chapter is about Philosophy and Legalism.
In answer to your paragraph, the first thought that came to my mind in response was that it ought to be Christianity that is removed, rather than any of the traditional xmassy (or pagan) elements. If Christmas day was just a pagan celebration rebranded and shoehorned into Christian tradition then it would seem to make more sense to me to remove the falsity of it rather than the origin. Christianity in a sense is an interloper into this celebration. A cuckoo, if you catch my drift.
Having said that, I think like you've sort of said it's taken on a life of it's own wherein the original meanings of the holiday are no longer the current meaning.
It's definitely an interesting inquiry. None of the above represent a definite position of mine, I'm just exploring the subject with you and will reserve judgement
The first day of the week would be Sunday.
The whole chapter of Romans 14 is a good read on this topic.
I think there’s a lot here to dig into.
I’d be very careful what to say on this topic. Just because someone has a Christmas tradition, it doesn’t mean I can judge the motives of their hearts as evil. God knows their hearts and whether their allegiance is to him or not. We will know by their fruits (Matthew 7:20). There are a lot of fruits to identify so I’d be wary of taking one tradition as an indicator of someone’s whole way of life. It may or may not be a good indicator.
Just keep in mind that the Law of Love and Grace greatly supercedes the law of the books. Take it a bit easier and have a merry Christmas,fren
I believe what you said is fair and balanced, but if one discovers that they have inadvertently been engaging in a pagan ritual, should they continue?
It's one thing to do it unknowingly, but once it becomes known to you what is your responsibility - to tradition or to the spirit?
It’s a good question to ask and worth thinking about. I would probably look at it from multiple angles and ask questions such as:
Back on the Christmas topic, another way of looking at it is following the “Argument of the Beard”. If we start with the hypothetical assumption that American Christmas is reenacting a pagan ritual, which elements of the tradition do we need to remove for it to no longer be pagan? Lights, trees, gift giving? Family dinners? Are certain songs bad? What if we replace telling Santa stories with telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ the savior of the world?
I like your question and think it’s worth thinking about,
Thank you. Whilst I probably can't give those fair questions you pose a full answer I would say that if one number 1 was correct then all the rest surely must follow.
Is number 1 correct? I know Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for steadfastly retaining their customs and traditions against their better judgement but I don't think it particularly applies here.
Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Given that Christmas is December the 25th which was the Winter Solstice in the Roman Calendar (according to Wiki) and that the Winter Solstice was celebrated in the Pagan world it probably fits the description of "a tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world (ie principles such as seasonal things - like the shortest day). Has the notion of Christmas been the result of Christians being cheated through philosophy and empty deceit? Dunno. I dunno if Christmas would be amongst the things referred to in Colossians. The chapter is about Philosophy and Legalism.
In answer to your paragraph, the first thought that came to my mind in response was that it ought to be Christianity that is removed, rather than any of the traditional xmassy (or pagan) elements. If Christmas day was just a pagan celebration rebranded and shoehorned into Christian tradition then it would seem to make more sense to me to remove the falsity of it rather than the origin. Christianity in a sense is an interloper into this celebration. A cuckoo, if you catch my drift.
Having said that, I think like you've sort of said it's taken on a life of it's own wherein the original meanings of the holiday are no longer the current meaning.
It's definitely an interesting inquiry. None of the above represent a definite position of mine, I'm just exploring the subject with you and will reserve judgement
Based.