INTRODUCTION:
Modern
denominations, that claim to be Christian, observe various holy days in celebration
of religious events. These days have been developed and designated by men over
the centuries since the New Testament was written. While you may read in the
Bible about the events these days are supposed to memorialize, you do not find
that the Bible tells us to observe these holy days in memory of these events.
The
purpose of this study is to examine these holy days and see what the Bible says
about them.
Many
people observe these days simply from habit. The ritual may awe or excite
people. Their churches celebrate the days, so the members participate without
questioning whether God is pleased by them. It may never occur to them to
question where they came from or whether they are really right.
2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves as to whether you are in
the faith. Test yourselves.
1
Thessalonians 5:21-22 - Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from
every form of evil.
The
question to be considered is whether these observances are pleasing to God.
Note that we are studying the observance of the days as religious holy days. It
is not our purpose to consider whether Christians may participate in various
traditional or secular aspects of those days.
To
please God, religious observances must be authorized in His word.
----------------------------------------------------
John 4:23,24 - Worship must be in spirit and in truth.
Matthew 15:9 - And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men.
The
question we must consider is whether God has authorized these religious
observances or whether they are human in origin.
To
answer these questions, we must examine the various holy days to consider their
origin and nature. We will do this by considering the claims made for these
days by the groups that observe them (with a few general facts from competent
encyclopedias). We will consider their own explanation of the days, what they
mean, and where they came from. Then we will compare this to the Bible to find
out if the Bible authorized them.
We will
consider the three most commonly known and most widely practiced holy days or
seasons (though there are many more that could be considered): Easter,
Christmas, and Lent.
I. Nature and Origin of the Days
++++++++++++++++++++
A. Lent
=====
The meaning of the day
----------------------
Catholic
Dictionary: "Lent. A fast of forty days preceding Easter, kept, after the
example of Moses, Elias, and above all, of Christ Himself, in order to prepare
the faithful for the Easter feast ... It was a season of mourning, and hence
the Church has always strongly discountenanced festivities of all kinds during
Lent. Lastly, the body is mortified, in order that the soul may be invigorated
..." - p. 512, 514.
Ash
Wednesday is the day when the Catholic church sprinkles ashes on the foreheads
of members as a sign of penitence, especially for those who seek to be restored
to communion on Easter.
A
Catechism for Adults (Catholic): "The church's law of abstinence says that
on certain days you may not eat meat ... What are the days of obligatory
abstinence? Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent ... On these days, no
meat may be taken at the full meal" - p. 132.
Baker's
Dictionary of Theology (Protestant): "Lent. The forty days of fasting
immediately preceding Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday ..." - p. 320
Origin and authority for the day
--------------------------------
"There
is no mention in Scripture of the observance of Lent, or, indeed, of any
determined time for fasting among Christians" - Catholic Dictionary, p.
512. They do claim, however, that there is historical evidence of a fast of
some type before Easter dating back to or nearly to the first century.
"Not
until much later (ca. seventh century) did the forty days' period become
universally recognized in honor of our Lord's fast in the wilderness (Matt.
4:2). ... The name is derived from the old English lenckten, meaning the
'spring.'" - Baker's Dictionary, p. 321.
Summary
-------
Hence,
according to the statements of those who participate in lent, it is a period of
forty days prior to Easter. People are to humble themselves by denying various
pleasures and repenting. Its origin is not known exactly, but as practiced
today goes back to the seventh century.
The
Catholic church admits the practice of abstaining from meat at lent is a law
made by the church and not found in the Scriptures (see quotes from Catechism
and Dictionary above).
In
contrast, by observing the Bible we can learn: The Bible mentions Jesus'
forty-day fast (Matt. 4:2), but never uses the word "lent," never
tells us to fast in memory of Jesus' fast, and never gives any set time for
fasting at all. It rebukes those who would require abstaining from meats (1
Tim. 4:1-4).
We
conclude that religious observance of lent is without God's approval or
authority (2 John 9). The practice is human in origin, and therefore vain
worship (Matt. 15:9).
B. Easter
======
Easter is the "feast of our Lord's resurrection" -
Catholic Dictionary, p. 283.
"The
annual festival of our Lord's resurrection ... It is at once the oldest and
greatest festival of the Christian church, having been observed from very early
times" - Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p. 175.
The Origin of the Holy Day
--------------------------
"The
celebration of a special Paschal or Easter feast among Christians goes back to
the remotest antiquity, though it is impossible to determine the date of its
introduction" - Catholic Dictionary, p. 284.
"The
Jewish Christians in the early church continued to celebrate the Passover,
regarding Christ as the true paschal lamb, and this naturally passed over into
a commemoration of the death and resurrection of Our Lord, or an Easter
feast" - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 889.
"The
Jewish Christians linked it with the Passover, and so observed it on the 14th
day of Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. But Gentile believers
celebrated the Resurrection on the Lord's day, Sunday. This difference was
settled by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD" (which set the date for the
annual observance of Easter) - Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 230f.
The Term "Easter"
-----------------
"The
word Easter is derived from that of the Saxon goddess Eastre, the same deity
whom the Germans proper called Ostara, and honoured ... as the divinity of the
dawn" - Catholic Dictionary, p. 283.
"The
Eng. word comes from the AS Eastre or Estera, a Teutonic goddess to whom
sacrifice was offered in April, so the name was transferred to the paschal
feast" - International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 889.
"According
to Bede, the name Easter is derived from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess whose
festival was held in the spring." - Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p.
175.
"The
English word 'Easter,' however, corresponding to the German Oster, reveals
Christianity's indebtedness to the Teutonic tribes of central Europe.
Christianity, when it reached the Teutons, incorporated in its celebration of
the great Christian feast day many of the heathen rites and customs which
accompanied their observance of the spring festival" - Encyclopedia
Britannica, Vol. 7, p. 859.
Bible authority for the annual holy day?
----------------------------------------
"...it
is impossible to determine the date of its introduction" - Catholic
Dictionary, p. 284. This would, of course, be possible if the practice had been
revealed in the Bible.
"There
is no trace of Easter celebration in the NT, though some would see an
intimation of it in 1 Cor. 5:7" - International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 889.
"There
is no celebration of the Resurrection in the NT" - Zondervan's Pictorial
Bible Dictionary, p. 230f.
What about the word "Easter" in KJV Acts 12:4?
----------------------------------------------
(1) All
modern translations say "Passover" (cf. ASV, NASB, etc.)
(2) The
original Greek word is pasca, which is always without exception elsewhere translated
"Passover," even in the KJV.
(3)
Even Catholic translations, such as the Confraternity version, use
"Passover" here.
(3) V3
refers to activities of Jews during "the Days of Unleavened Bread."
This was undeniably a Jewish feast associated with the Passover. Hence, the
context proves the reference is to the Passover.
(4)
Nothing in any way connects Christians with the day as though it was a
Christian holy day.
(5)
Even people today who celebrate Easter religiously will admit that this reference
in the KJV does not refer to a Christian holy day but to the Jewish Passover:
"The
word [Easter] does not properly occur in Scripture, although AV has it in Acts
12:4 where it stands for Passover, as it is rightly rendered in RV" -
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. II, p. 889.
"...rendered
Easter in Acts 12:4 KJV, but correctly translated Passover in ASV" -
Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary, p. 230f.
Summary
-------
Based
on statements from those who observe Easter, it is an annual holy day in memory
of Jesus' resurrection. It is the result of Jewish and pagan influences
combined into the present form by the Roman Catholic church. It is named after
a pagan goddess, and many concepts associated with it are pagan in origin. As
an annual religious holy day, Easter cannot be found in the Bible.
We
conclude again that the religious observance of Easter is human in origin,
begun in pagan and apostate religion. See Matt. 15:9; etc.
C. Christmas
========
Christmas
is: "The 25th of December, on which the Church celebrates Christ's
birth" - Catholic Dictionary, p. 161.
"Christmas
... the anniversary of the birth of Christ, and its observance; celebrated by
most Protestants and by Roman Catholics on December 25 ... The word Christmas
is formed of Christ + Mass, meaning a mass of religious service in
commemoration of the birth of Christ" - Zondervan's Pictorial Bible
Dictionary, p. 162f.
Origin
------
"In
the East, and later in the West, Christ's birthday was observed on January 6th
in connection with his baptism, a day on which the pagan world celebrated the
feast of Dionysus, associated with the lengthening of the days ... In Rome,
December 25th is attested as the day of Christ's birth in 336. It was introduced
perhaps by Constantine the Great who evidently chose the day because of the
popular pagan feast of the sun" - Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p. 117.
"The
first mention of its observance on December 25 is in the time of Constantine,
about A.D. 325" - Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary, pp. 162f.
"In
the south of Europe, in Egypt and Persia, the sun gods were worshipped with
elaborate ceremonies at the season of the winter solstice, as a fitting time to
pay tribute to the benign god of plenty ... The exact day and year of Christ's
birth have never been satisfactorily settled, but when the fathers of the
church in A.D. 440 decided upon a date to celebrate the event, they wisely
chose the day of the winter solstice which was firmly fixed in the minds of the
people and which was their most important festival...
"When
missionaries were sent from Rome ... their instructions given by Pope Gregory I
made clear the policy of the church: 'Let the shrines of idols by no means be
destroyed but let the idols which are in them be destroyed ... And because they
were wont to sacrifice oxen to devils, some celebration should be given in
exchange for this ... they should celebrate a religious feast and worship God
by their feasting, so that still keeping outward pleasures, they may more
readily receive spiritual joys.' (Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English
Nation.)" - Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 5, p. 643.
Authority
---------
"Whether
or not the birth of our Lord really occurred on this day, ancient authorities
are not agreed" - Catholic Dictionary, p. 161. Note that this clearly
implies that the Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born.
"The
date of the birth of Christ is not known ... Whether the early Christians
thought of or observed Christmas is not clear" - Zondervan's Pictorial
Bible Dictionary, p. 162f. Note that this clearly shows that we have no Bible
authority or example of anyone observing Jesus' birth. If it was in the Bible,
we would know that Christians observed it.
"The
early Christians did not observe the festival of Christ's birth, to which they
did not attach the importance ascribed to his death and resurrection" -
Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p. 117.
Clearly,
those who observe Christmas religiously are admitting that the Bible does not
authorize the practice. It is of later origin.
Summary
-------
According
to those who practice Christmas, it is an annual celebration of Jesus'
birthday. However, no one knows when He was born. The name means a mass to
Christ (the mass being a Catholic worship ritual).
There
is no evidence in the Bible that God told His people to have an annual
religious observance of Jesus' birth, and no evidence the early Christians did
so. The practice began as a pagan festival in worship of the sun god, and was
adopted by the Catholic church as a memorial to Jesus' birth.
Further,
by observing the Bible, we can learn the following facts:
----------------------------------------------------
Jesus
was born in Bethlehem, and this was a time of great joy (Matt. 1:18-2:23; Luke
1:26-56; 2:1-40). There are several factual errors associated with the modern
religious observance of Christmas:
(1) The
time or day of year when Jesus was born is unknown. The fact shepherds were in
their fields at night makes it highly unlikely He was born in December (Luke
2:8ff).
(2)
"Wise men" came to visit Jesus, but there is no indication of the
number of them (Matt. 2:1,7,16). The concept of three of them is human
tradition.
(3) The
wise men visited Jesus at a "house," and Herod's reaction indicates
that Jesus was not a newborn but older (Matt. 2:11,16; cf. Luke 2:6ff). There
is no evidence the wise men visited Jesus at the manger in the stable.
(4) A
"mass" is the Catholic practice of repeating the sacrifice of Jesus
in the Lord's supper, so that it becomes Jesus' literal, physical body and
blood. However, Jesus was sacrificed only once (Heb. 9:24-28; 10:8-10; etc.).
The bread and fruit of the vine are not His literal body and blood but are memorials
of them (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
No one
in the Bible ever observed an annual religious holy day in memory of Jesus'
birth, nor does the Bible ever authorize the practice. It is a human religious
ritual, formed in pagan idolatry and religious apostasy. 2 Tim. 3:16,17 - The
Scriptures provide to all good works. These holy days are nowhere found in the
Scriptures, so how can they be good works?
II. Bible Principles Involved
+++++++++++++++++
Having
accumulated the facts about these modern holy days, even according to the view
of those who practice them, let us consider the application of Bible principles
to these practices. We will examine the question of whether Christians should
participate in these holy days religiously.
Consider the application of these Bible principles.
A. The
Holy days Promote and Encourage Many Errors & Sinful Practices.
============================================
These
errors are not the most fundamental objections to the days. One may argue that
the days could be observed without these errors. But some of these errors are
fundamental parts of the practices of these days, and it is inevitable that
days that are originated by men and based on pagan and apostate practices will
lead to perversions such as these.
Many
aspects of the Bible teaching about Jesus' birth are perverted by the practice
of Christmas.
----------------------------------------------------
This
has been discussed above. The most fundamental and dangerous error is the
Catholic concept of the mass which, to every Catholic, is part of the ChristMAS
celebration. These masses are also celebrated in connection with Easter
("midnight mass") and Lent.
Lent
involves a church law requiring abstaining from meat.
----------------------------------------------------
This is clearly identified in the Bible as a sign of apostasy - 1
Tim. 4:1-3.
Many
parents openly lie to their children during the holiday season.
----------------------------------------------------
Many
tell their children there is a Santa Claus who rides a sleigh with reindeer and
comes on Christmas eve to give presents to those who have been good. This might
be harmless if it is presented as pretend or make-believe, like Mother Goose.
But many present it as truth and assure children it is true when the children
ask about it.
Revelation
21:8 - All liars will be in the lake of fire. What can the Santa Claus story be
but a lie, if it is presented as truth to a child?
When
the child finds out Santa Claus is not true, how will that affect his respect
and trust in his parents' honesty? How can a parent punish his child for not
telling the truth, when the parent has lied to the child in the name of
religion?
When
the child learns Santa Claus is make-believe, though his parents told him it
was true, will he then put God, Jesus, the Bible, and other religious teachings
in the same category? To lie to a child is to undermine your moral authority as
a parent and to put doubts in his mind about other things that are true and
must be believed.
Many
people use the holiday seasons as opportunities for drunkenness and revelry.
----------------------------------------------------
Galatians
5:19-21 - Drunkenness, lasciviousness (sexual suggestiveness), and revelry
(carousing, dancing, wild parties) will keep people out of the kingdom of
heaven. Yet many people use the religious holy days as a time to do all these.
Mardi
gras is a wild celebration with immorality of all kinds right before the
beginning of lent. Knowing they will have to give up various vices during lent,
people have a final fling in immorality before lent begins! Christmas season
also becomes an excuse for much evil.
This is
not just a matter of coincidence or perversion. Remember the Catholic church
adopted these days expressly because they had been celebrated by pagan idol
worshipers. But this is how the pagans celebrate, so why be surprised when
those holy days are adopted into "Christianity" and people continue
to celebrate them in immorality?
The
outward rituals of holy days often hinder true penitence and spiritual service.
----------------------------------------------------
Commercialization
of the "Christmas spirit" is well known. Many people emphasize
physical gifts and money-making schemes. The so-called religious holy day
becomes instead an occasion to emphasize material gain. Many people fail to
contribute to the church as they otherwise would because they have spent so
much on gifts, and they "couldn't disappoint the children." What
about disappointing the Lord?
People
are encouraged to "repent" and give up vices for lent (smoking,
drinking, etc.). But everyone knows the sacrifice is temporary, and as soon as
lent is over they will go back to the vices. What does this teach about the
concept of repentance? If an act is sinful, it should be given up permanently.
Anything less is not repentance.
Again,
these ideas are not just incidental perversions. When pagan celebrations are
adopted and become the basis of "Christian" holy days, what else can
one expect? How can true spirituality come from pagan heathenism?
Many
people believe, and some churches teach, that attendance of worship meetings is
more important on holy days than other times.
----------------------------------------------------
"How
often are Catholics obliged to receive Holy Communion? At least once a year
during the Easter Season ... Is this a serious obligation? It would be a mortal
sin deliberately to ignore it. This is called the Easter Duty. How often do
good Catholics receive Holy Communion? Every Sunday, and many receive every
day" - Catholic Catechism, p. 71.
The
majority of Protestants, while not claiming to accept the authority of the
Catholic church, nevertheless believe it is more important to attend at Easter
and Christmas than at other times. This is an inevitable perversion that occurs
whenever people, on their own human authority, make a special time of year more
important religiously than other times. People will inevitably begin to think
it is more important to be religious then than at other times.
Hebrews
10:25 - The Bible says we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves
together. Meeting with God's people is not a once or twice a year obligation.
We should be there whenever the church meets.
Acts
20:7 - Specifically, we should meet for the Lord's supper on the first day of
the week, as often as that comes, not once a year nor even every day.
When
people act by human authority and especially when they adopt pagan practices
which are steeped in evil, immorality, and religious perversions, such errors
as these are inevitable. They are not just incidentals but are an inherent part
of the error.
B. The
Holy days Are Wholly Lacking in New Testament Authority.
========================================
They
are not authorized in the New Testament, and this is admitted by those who
practice them yet know something about the Bible.
Some
try to justify having these annual holy days on the basis of the holy days of
the Old Testament.
----------------------------------------------------
They
claim their modern holy days are modifications of Old Testament holy days or
are the same kind of thing as those were. They reason that, if it was
acceptable to have holy days in the Old Testament, then it should be acceptable
to have holy days now.
Colossians
2:14,16,17 - The law was removed when Jesus died (nailed to His cross). These
things, including holy days, were just a shadow of things to come. Therefore,
we should allow no one to judge us regarding them. The law cannot be used as
authority for holy days because it is no longer binding as law.
Galatians
5:1-4 - If we use the law to justify our practices, then we must keep it all,
and we are fallen from grace because we have forsaken the gospel of Jesus. It
is not proper to use the law to justify a few isolated concepts that we want to
observe. It must be taken or rejected as a whole.
Specifically,
if we seek to justify holy days on the basis of the law, then we must keep all
the Old Testament holy days in the way the law said to keep them (Passover, Day
of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, etc.). We cannot change them or add new
ones to suit ourselves. And we must keep all the other requirements of the law:
circumcision, animal sacrifices, seventh-day sabbath, etc. If we do so, we have
fallen from grace.
The Old
Testament shows that, when God wants a holy day observed, He plainly reveals
what to observe, when to do so, and why it should be observed.
----------------------------------------------------
In the
Old Testament, God instituted a number of holy days. These are not in effect
today, but the record of them in the Old Testament can teach us some useful
lessons (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-12). One lesson is that God always clearly told
His people what He wanted done on a holy day, what its purpose was, and when to
do it.
Consider
the following examples:
MEMORIAL/FEAST SCRIPTURE TIME Memorial
Passover Ex. 12:6-24ff 14th Day
Death of firstborn 1st Mo
Trumpets Lev. 23:24 1st Day Blowing of trumpets 7th Mo
Atonement Lev. 23:27 10th
Day Atonement for sin 7th Mo
Tabernacles Lev. 23:39-44 15th Day, Living in wilderness 7th Mo
Sabbath Ex. 20:8-11 7th day Creation/deliverance Deut. 5:12-15
Lord's
Supper Acts 20:7 1st day Jesus' death Matt. 26:26-29 of week
Never
did God leave men free to decide whether to observe these feasts, when to do
so, or what the purpose was. These were always clearly revealed. If God wants
us to observe such annual holy days as Christmas, Easter, and Lent, why are
they not just as clearly revealed in the Scriptures?
People
sometimes use the Old Testament to justify practices that are not mentioned in
the New Testament. Actually, a study of the Old Testament ought to more
strongly convince us God does not want these practices. When God accepted
certain Old Testament annual holy days, He expressly said so in clear terms. If
he wants annual holy days today, such as Christmas and Easter, why does He not
clearly say what to do, when to do it, and what the purpose is? The contrast to
what He said about Old Testament holy days is convincing evidence He does not
want such days observed.
The New
Testament does clearly authorize a weekly memorial to Jesus' death.
----------------------------------------------------
Matthew
26:26-29 - Jesus clearly taught us what to do and what the purpose is. We eat
the bread and drink the fruit of the vine remembering His body and blood.
1
Corinthians 11:23-26 says this is a memorial to His death. The context shows we
do it when the church is assembled together. This was to be done regularly
(Acts 2:42).
Acts 20:7 - The disciples did this on the first day of the week
whenever that day comes.
Again
in this memorial God tells us what to do, when to do it, and what the purpose
is, just as clearly as with Old Testament feasts. Yet this is a memorial of the
major event of the New Testament by which our sins are forgiven.
Since
God has clearly authorized the Lord's supper as the memorial He wants to Jesus'
death, and since all admit that He never authorized these annual holy days, by
what right do we observe them religiously?
Worship
to God must always be authorized in His will.
----------------------------------------------------
2
Timothy 3:16,17 - The Scriptures instruct and provide us to all good works.
When God wanted annual holy days, He clearly provided for them in His word.
Today He clearly provides for a weekly memorial to Jesus' death. If these
modern annual holy days are "good works," why are they nowhere taught
in the Scriptures?
John
4:23,24 - God seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and truth. His word is
truth (John 17:17). If annual holy days should be practiced in His worship, we
ought to find them in His word. Yet all admit they are not found in His word.
Hence, they are not part of truth. How can we practice them if we worship Him
in spirit and truth?
Colossians
3:17 - What we do should be done in Jesus' name, by His authority. We can
remember His death each first day of the week by His authority. Yet all agree
His word never authorizes annual holy days, therefore they cannot be kept
religiously in His name. Since we must do all things in His name, by what right
could we observe them religiously?
C. To
Observe These Holy Days Is to Follow Human Commandment and Tradition.
========================================
The
origin of these holy days clearly shows that they were begun by men and are not
found in the Scriptures. They admittedly exist by human authority and are
perpetuated by human tradition. What does God say about this?
Matthew
15:1-3,6-9,13,14 - Jews criticized Jesus' followers for not keeping their human
traditions. Jesus taught that their human traditions made void God's word.
Following human doctrines made their worship vain. He compared these doctrines
to plants the Father had not planted that would be rooted up.
Admittedly,
modern religious holy days are not in the Bible, hence they must be human in
origin. They are man-made traditions.
Colossians
2:8,20-23 - Be on guard lest people spoil our service to God by human
philosophies and traditions, not according to God's word. Why subject ourselves
to human ordinances, precepts of men, regarding what should not be tasted? They
constitute a show of humility, but don't really lead to overcoming fleshly
indulgence.
Lent is
a perfect example of the very thing described here. Human doctrines declare
that certain foods (meats) should not be tasted. A show of humility is made in
giving up certain vices, but it is only done temporarily, fully intending to go
back to it later. Extra indulgence is done before and after Lent because there
will be none during Lent. There is no real value in overcoming fleshing
indulgence.
Galatians
1:6-9 - Those who preach a different gospel than that given by inspired men,
are accursed. Yet it is agreed that these holy days are not in the teachings of
inspired men anywhere. They are human in origin and constitute a change in the
gospel.
2 John
9 - The teaching of Christ says to remember Jesus' death in the Lord's supper
on the first day of the week. If we abide in His teaching, we have fellowship
with Him and the Father. But if we do not abide in His teaching, we do not have
that fellowship. Yet it is admitted by all that modern holy days are not found
in His teaching.
Modern
holy days are human in origin, not authorized by God. Hence, we must not
participate religiously in them if we seek to please the Lord.
D. To
Participate Religiously in These Holy Days Is to Have Fellowship with Pagan and
Apostate Religion.
=========================================
Again,
the history of these days shows that they began in heathen paganism and were
adopted by an apostate so-called Christian group, the Catholic church. To
participate in them religiously is to participate in pagan, apostate religion.
2 John
9-11 - When people are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ and they bring
these doctrines to us, we must not bid them Godspeed nor partake in their evil
works.
1
Corinthians 10:19-22 - Participation in pagan religious rites provokes the Lord
to jealousy. The same principle applies to false religion in general. To
participate religiously in the rites of apostate groups is to have communion
with demons. We cannot do that and still participate in true worship of God.
2
Corinthians 6:14-18 - What fellowship can light have with darkness,
righteousness with iniquity, or God's people with idols? If we want God to be
in us, we must separate ourselves from pagan, apostate practices and do not
touch what is unclean. Then we are truly sons and daughters of God Almighty.
Galatians
4:8-10 - The Galatians were returning to practices different from the true
gospel (1:6-9). This included returning to heathen worship (those that are by
nature no gods) in observing days, months, seasons, and years. Such led Paul to
fear that his efforts to teach them the truth had been in vain.
Yet
modern holy days are pagan and apostate in origin. Easter is named after a
pagan goddess! The dates of Christmas and Easter were chosen to coincide with
pagan holy days. Many practices involved are pagan and apostate in origin. If
we observe these religiously, we are returning to fellowship with pagan and
apostate practices, just as Paul opposed here!
Ephesians
5:11 - Instead of having fellowship in such practices, we ought to rebuke them.
[2 Tim. 4:2-4; 1 Sam. 15:22; Rom. 12:2]
Conclusion
=======
In this
study we have considered the dangers of religious participation in these holy
days. While we have not discussed social, seasonal, or civil aspects of these
days, yet in these areas we need to be concerned about the influence of our
participation (1 Cor. 8 & 10; Rom. 14).
It is
admitted by all that these days are without Bible authority, but are based
solely on human doctrine and tradition. They involve many perversions of Bible
principles. And they are fundamentally pagan and heathen in origin, adopted in
the name of Christianity by an apostate religious body, Roman Catholicism. Many
Scriptures warn us to avoid such religious practices.
Instead
we ought to remember Jesus' death in the memorial God Himself has authorized.
We should commune with His body and blood in the Lord's supper on the first day
of each week.
