Part two of our series will continue to dive into this idea that Christmas and Easter are pagan holidays and are forbidden to be celebrated by Christians. It will mainly address some various objections to Christmas and Easter being celebrated by Christians. Some of these I've heard over the years, others I have come up with "what if" scenarios where I thought of an objection someone might raise.
In the previous post, I outlined my basis for examination of these customs and traditions. I will be treating the law as a unit, as consequently, as not applicable to Christians today. This is not to say that God's moral truths do not continue. However, there are many moral truths we can gain merely by examining the New Testament. The Mosaic Law was for a specific time and place in history. I believe it will have relevance at some point in the future, but as for the Church Age, it is not required of Gentile believers to celebrate the Feasts or forbidden to celebrate the customs of Christmas or Easter.
The first few objections will be simple ones that I've come across while looking into this. After those, we will dig into some of the deeper ones, that way I can keep some kind of brevity in these posts.
Some would suggest that, because Jesus did not celebrate these holidays, that we should not either. However, why would Jesus practice a custom that had yet to be instituted by the church? I understand that there were pagan traditions surrounding the solstices for longer than Jesus was in human form on the earth. However, the traditions of Christmas and Easter were not adopted until later. Jesus would not have celebrated these customs because they had not been invented or adopted by the church yet. Moreover, Paul says in Galatians chapter 4, Jesus came to be born "under the law" so that we as believers might be delivered from having to keep the harsh requirements of it.
Now, it seems like I've suggested some sort of antinomianism. However, I have not. Antinomianism is the view that we are completely released from any law regarding our salvation. However, this is not so. In the twelfth chapter of Mark's Gospel, Jesus talks about the law of love, and how we should love God and love one another. There is no other commandment greater than this, says Jesus. Paul refers to this in Romans 13, saying that love is the fulfillment of the law. As we can see, the greatest commandment, according to our Savior and arguably the most influential Biblical author, the law of love is what is binding on the Christian. All of these moral principles like not murdering, stealing, lusting, etc. flow from these two commands to love God and love one another. Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to the next objection.
Some point out that we are "changing God's laws" and making them into "another Gospel," referencing 2 Corinthians 11:14 as a text for this false gospel that is supposedly trying to compromise God's Word. The problem is, like as has been said above, no one is changing God's Word in this view by promoting the idea that Christians can celebrate Christmas and Easter. Rather, we are simply showing reverence for our God on a specific day. There is not disdain for God's law shown in Christians who celebrate these days to their Lord. Rather, it is actually respect for the law that is being shown by loving the God and devoting days throughout the year to recognize a specific aspect of our faith.
These two objections are some that I have heard mentioned in a few different ways, but they are basically the same in principle. Those who are against Christmas and Easter celebrations simply have a faulty understanding of the law and how it applies (and does not apply) to Christians in the New Testament.
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