CAN CHRISTIANS PARTICIPATE IN HOLIDAYS WITH PAGAN ORIGINS AND OR INFLUENCE?
KEY POINTS
- God has provided us with the ability to redeem, reinterpret, and redefine holidays – to use them as opportunities to point people to Jesus.
Can Christians participate in holidays that have pagan origins?
Most holidays Christians participate in today started as pagan holidays. Christmas has pagan roots in winter Solstice Celebrations, and Easter is derived from “Eostre,” a Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Thanksgiving has pagan origins in ancient harvest celebrations found across a litany of cultural groups. The Romans celebrated Cerelia, honoring the harvest goddess Ceres.
Yet, regardless of the foundation of some of the practices related to these holidays, Christians around the world celebrate them. Why? Because God has provided us with the ability to redeem, reinterpret, and redefine holidays – to use them as opportunities to point people to Jesus.
Our heart is that we would engage with the world as Paul did in Acts 17:23, constantly directing people to our Savior, Jesus. Furthermore, through the redemptive work of Christ, we can repurpose and leverage cultural staples by standing firm and uncompromisingly on the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, imprinting a celebration that points to God at every turn.
Our mission will always be that people are introduced to Jesus and discipled to become fully devoted followers of Him. While we acknowledge and understand the concern that certain celebrations could be a stumbling block, this can be said about every holiday or cultural practice in America. Valentine's Day can be a day about expressing God-honoring love and devotion or about materialism and lust. St. Patrick's Day can be about celebrating the supernatural advancement of the gospel and a great evangelist or about drunkenness and utter mayhem. This concept extends beyond holidays and can be applied to almost anything in life – even the best things that God himself designed for our enjoyment.
Through the transforming power of Jesus, we are called to reinterpret and use such things for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel. We do not conform to a worldly pattern or perspective as we do that, but instead, we invite God into the holidays as a genuine opportunity to worship him fully and see others come to know Him in the entirety of His glory.
Below are 10 principles for believers when it comes to participating in holidays:
Colossians 2:16-17: "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
Titus 1:15: "To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted."
The Bible speaks to this issue of conscience (Romans 2:15, Acts 24:16) as an important aspect of discernment in our walk with the Lord. If you feel that participating in a holiday or a specific facet of that celebration violates or dilutes your faith or conscience, it's important you heed that signal and refrain from participation. Romans 14 directly addresses where people are on their faith journey and how we should treat others when we have disagreements in these areas. It’s vital that no matter your position, you are attentive to your attitude and response and cautious in judgment on someone else on non-essential matters of conscience or preference.
Most holidays Christians participate in today started as pagan holidays. Christmas has pagan roots in winter Solstice Celebrations, and Easter is derived from “Eostre,” a Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Thanksgiving has pagan origins in ancient harvest celebrations found across a litany of cultural groups. The Romans celebrated Cerelia, honoring the harvest goddess Ceres.
Yet, regardless of the foundation of some of the practices related to these holidays, Christians around the world celebrate them. Why? Because God has provided us with the ability to redeem, reinterpret, and redefine holidays – to use them as opportunities to point people to Jesus.
Our heart is that we would engage with the world as Paul did in Acts 17:23, constantly directing people to our Savior, Jesus. Furthermore, through the redemptive work of Christ, we can repurpose and leverage cultural staples by standing firm and uncompromisingly on the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, imprinting a celebration that points to God at every turn.
Our mission will always be that people are introduced to Jesus and discipled to become fully devoted followers of Him. While we acknowledge and understand the concern that certain celebrations could be a stumbling block, this can be said about every holiday or cultural practice in America. Valentine's Day can be a day about expressing God-honoring love and devotion or about materialism and lust. St. Patrick's Day can be about celebrating the supernatural advancement of the gospel and a great evangelist or about drunkenness and utter mayhem. This concept extends beyond holidays and can be applied to almost anything in life – even the best things that God himself designed for our enjoyment.
Through the transforming power of Jesus, we are called to reinterpret and use such things for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel. We do not conform to a worldly pattern or perspective as we do that, but instead, we invite God into the holidays as a genuine opportunity to worship him fully and see others come to know Him in the entirety of His glory.
Below are 10 principles for believers when it comes to participating in holidays:
- We don’t fear the world or the devil. As Christians, we only fear God.
- The world doesn’t have more fun or joy than Christians do.
- We are not scared and superstitious but brave and discerning.
- Holidays are a unique opportunity to connect with and know your neighbors.
- As Christians, we choose to be people of faith every day of the year.
- We believe that to the pure, all things are pure.
- We believe that things with secular origins can be redeemed and given new meaning in Jesus.
- Demonic forces are real and evil, but it's willful agreement, not accidental consumption, that matters.
- We are called to be in the world but not of the world, and this is a difficult balance to find.
- God has given us wisdom and discernment to honor him.
Colossians 2:16-17: "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ."
Titus 1:15: "To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted."
The Bible speaks to this issue of conscience (Romans 2:15, Acts 24:16) as an important aspect of discernment in our walk with the Lord. If you feel that participating in a holiday or a specific facet of that celebration violates or dilutes your faith or conscience, it's important you heed that signal and refrain from participation. Romans 14 directly addresses where people are on their faith journey and how we should treat others when we have disagreements in these areas. It’s vital that no matter your position, you are attentive to your attitude and response and cautious in judgment on someone else on non-essential matters of conscience or preference.
BIBLICAL REFERENCES
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." Colossians 2:16-17
"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." Titus 1:15
TOPICAL RESOURCES
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