What does the Bible say about Christmas?

December 14th 2019 | 100488 views 

Short Answer: The Bible does not teach us to celebrate Jesus’ birth. However, it is always permissible to rejoice in different aspects of our Lord’s life.

Discussion: Jesus never told his disciples to celebrate his birth. So, how did this celebration start? It is often thought that December 25 became the traditional date of Christmas when it replaced the Pagan celebration of the birth of the sun god, Mithra, and the Roman festival of Saturnalia. According to the Roman calendar, the winter solstice fell on December 25. Throughout the Roman empire, people would rejoice that from that point on the hours of sunlight per day would increase. December 25th, the holiday of the Nativity of the Sun, celebrated this solar event. 

Historically, Christians were also happy to note the longer periods of daylight. Since celebrating the winter solstice was a very popular holiday, the “Christian” church chose to replace the Mithra nativity with the nativity of Jesus.

However, it's likely December 25 was an established date even earlier. Early Christians did not have a biblical record of Jesus’ birth date, so they relied on theological reasoning rather than historical evidence. Influenced by Jewish thought that linked the conception and death of great figures, writers such as Tertullian (c. 160–220) argued that Jesus died on March 25 (the 14th of Nisan), the date of Passover. From this, they (wrongly) concluded his conception occurred on the same day, which placed his birth nine months later on December 25. This symbolic calculation aligned naturally with the Feast of the Circumcision on January 1, observed eight days after his birth according to Jewish custom.

The choice of December 25 came before Christianity was widely accepted in the Roman Empire and was not originally intended to replace pagan festivals. While later centuries saw church leaders reinterpret or absorb cultural elements from midwinter celebrations like Saturnalia or Sol Invictus, the date itself had already been established through theological speculation. In this way, Christmas reflects a blend of Jewish ideas, early Christian reasoning and later cultural adaptation.

The word “Christmas” is not found in the Bible. “Christmas” is an English word that first appears in written sources around the 11th century. It is formed from “Christ mass” (Old English “Cristes mæsse”) - meaning a Catholic mass. The mass re-sacrifices Jesus again and again on the Catholic altar. This is not scriptural. Hebrews 10:10 (KJV), “…we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” 

Though we are not told to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we consider the principle: “Where the Scriptures are wide, we are wide. Where the scriptures are narrow, we are narrow.” The Bible gives us freedom to honor and remember Jesus in many ways. We study and rejoice in his teachings, miracles and death. We can also rejoice in his birth.

Love and appreciation for our Savior abound in people’s hearts on December 25th. We join in this attitude of glad remembrance. The habit of giving gifts to one another seems especially appropriate. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Certainly, amongst all His gifts, the one of greatest importance to us is the gift of His son to be our Redeemer.

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1261: “Am I Listening to the Angel?”
Looking at Jesus’ birth through the messages of angels
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

Episode #1209: “How Do We Keep Christmas About Jesus?”
Remembering the inspiring events surrounding the birth of Jesus
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

For kids, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated Video: What is the story of Jesus' birth?

Related Questions