Why Fuss Over Christmas?

Romans 14:1-12

SUBJECT: CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY OBSERVANCE

THEME: today I want to begin identifying the boundaries of Christian liberty and the proper exercise of Christian love with regards to the Christmas holiday.  

Through this study series, I hope to clarify what position a Christian should have on such holiday observances.  Secondly, I hope to steer you clear of the two major pitfalls of license and legalism in regards to holidays.  Thirdly, we hope to encourage you to live with a voluntary self-restraint in regards to amoral issues that may offend others or hinder our efforts in reaching and helping people.

The way a person observes the Christmas holiday can be a matter of controversy and unnecessary hard feelings or resentment.  The Apostle Paul in this chapter gives us valuable guidance and relational principles in the areas of questionable things and practices. He shares valuable insights on how believers could disagree on nonessentials (gray area issues) and still maintain love and unity in the church and Christian home. If we understand and faithfully apply these principles we will not find ourselves tearing up our churches and our homes about things that are neutral before God. We will also learn to tolerate the different preferences of other believers; how to govern ourselves when dealing with “gray” issues.  Of course we are not advocating the sacrifice of truth and important principles of the Scriptures, but we are saying that we should be willing to give up our personal rights in order to win souls to Christ and build-up other saints in Christian love.

                                                                       

Consider this powerful principle from the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself" (Rom. 14:7). Clearly, we influence the lives of others; therefore, we lovingly seek to have a positive impact. We take measures to guard against needless offenses. We are moved by a loving interest to edify and build up fellow believers in the Christian Faith. Beloved, we are accountable to God for how we interact and treat fellow Christians. 

Imagine That We Were Using Some Children's Building Blocks, to Construct a Building or Pyramid on a Table at the Front of the Church Auditorium.  Suppose I pulled a block from the bottom level of the pile . . .  what would happen?  The Apostle Peter once described Christians as lively stones or building blocks in God's house, the Church. As such, what we do affects the other blocks in the building. While God has granted us Liberty in Jesus Christ, we should be aware that our actions may have an important effect-for good or ill in the believers around us.

Disunity Has Always Been a Major Problem with God's People.  Almost every local church mentioned in the New Testament had divisions to contend with. The Corinthians were divided over human leaders, and some of the members were even suing each other (1 Cor. 1:10-13; 6:1-8). The Galatian saints were "biting and devouring" one another (Gal. 5:15), and the saints in Ephesus and Colossae had to be reminded of the importance of Christian unity (Eph. 4:1-3; Col. 2:1-2). In the church at Philippi, two women were at odds with each other and, as a result, were splitting the church (Phil. 4:1-3). No wonder the psalmist wrote, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1).

Unfortunately, We Have Similar Division Problems Today with "Gray Area Issues" That Are Not Clearly Right or Wrong to Every Believer. If you ever want to put a spark in a gathering of Christians, voice a position about gambling, or mixed swimming, or smoking, or celebrating Halloween, or listening to rock or rap music, or public dancing, or watching R-rated movies, or whether you can be a Democrat or a Republican and still be a Christian.  Likewise the subject of Christmas and how it should be observed can generate heated arguments. By the way, most of this list is very bad! Never-the-less raise any of these issues—or any number of others—and watch what happens. The conversation may start politely enough, but soon you'll find signs of deep-seated disagreements, sometimes even hostility.

God Has Given Guidance to Enable Us to Handle These Concerns. With as much as Fundamental Christians agree upon, it's absolutely amazing to see what we can fight about, even split churches over. This habit is nothing new, unfortunately. It has been with churches and Christianity since its inception. And in those early days, God gave His people a way to handle questionable matters so they would not become divisive. His plan? Liberating love. And it's spelled out in Romans 14:1–15:13 (also 1 Cor. 8-10), which describes two groups who are at odds with each other over two areas of concern. So let's keep open minds, laying aside our differences so we can hear what God has to say to us from these passages. We have nothing to lose, except, of course, petty squabbling, fighting, prejudice, intolerance, and the world's opinion that we have nothing of value to offer. Remember, every Believer is accountable to God for how we treat His children. Our views on these matters matter to our heavenly Father. Therefore, they should matter to us. Stay tune for other articles advancing this discussion and exploring relevant passages.