Question on Christmas

IS CHRISTMAS CHRIST BIRTHDAY? 

Brenda

Mark's Response

Dear Brenda, 

Thanks for your question: IS CHRISTMAS CHRIST BIRTHDAY?   Thank you also for visiting our web site (www.cvillechurch.com) and for your interest in spiritual matters. 

The Bible does not give the exact date, month, or year of when Christ was born. Many people believe that He was born at “zero” B.C. since B.C. means before Christ. Actually, Christ was born somewhere between 7 and 4 B.C. (A monk named Dionysius Exiguus at the request of the emperor made a new calendar to supersede the old Roman calendar, yet made a mistake when he tried to harmonize the two calendars). 

We may assume that when Christ was born, the climate or weather was milder than the wintertime because of the shepherds keeping their sheep in the field and spending the night watching them (Luke 2:8). The Jews typically sent out their flocks in mountainous and desert areas during the summer months and would bring them in during the latter part of October or early November when it started to get colder. Thus, we may conclude that Jesus was born during the spring or summertime, much earlier in the year than the month of December. 

There is no way to determine what exact day and month of the year Jesus was born. If it was truly important to know this, God in His word would have revealed it:

Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

If we were truly obligated to celebrate Christ's birthday, God would not only have given us the date of His birth in Scripture, He would have also commanded us to do so (which He did not). It is interesting to note that none of the apostles ever celebrated the birthday of Christ and neither did the Christians of the first centuries observe His birthday as an annual, religious observance. 

What the Bible does teach us to observe is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We observe it first of all, when we come to the Lord to become Christians and have our sins forgiven by being baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). Baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (See Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:11-12). As Christians, we observe His death, burial, and resurrection every first day of the week by partaking of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23-28). We can of course remember His sacrifice everyday of our lives and rejoice in the accomplishments of our Savior who died for our sins and gained victory over death so that we may have life eternal. 

Thanks for your question!  Please don’t hesitate to write us again with any more questions you may have. 

In Christian Love, 

Mark Larson

Mark E. Larson
1617 Brandywine Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
markelarson@adelphia.net
www.cvillechurch.com