Finding Freedom In Truth

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, 

If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples 

indeed; and ye shall know the truth and the 

truth shall make you free.

John 8:31-32 

     Jesus is not speaking to non-believers, no, He is speaking to those who believed on Him and there are two things that we must reap from the above verses: 1. You must continue. 2. The truth shall make you free. The word translated as "continue" is good but does not give the full meaning as the Greek word means to "abide." There is not a hint that a person could lose their salvation as this is impossible for whomever believes on Jesus will be kept in His hands for eternity (John 17:10). This is what an Authentic Christian does: He/she abides in the word of Jesus and by this they are set free, free from sin, from the debt of sin, paid, finished, done, never to be repeated. Question: what does abide mean? It means to remain, to stay, to have one's abode, to dwell, to reside, to continue in a particular condition, to endure (Webster's Dictionary, 1997, p.3). The truth shall set you free! So, at this time of the year, Christmas it would be good to come to know the truth about this long established celebration. Many have questions about why December 25, or will not celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and as the Mormons do, they have an extravagant pageant. Most celebrate it with a fir or pine tree, presents, singing carols, having special time with family or friends, a fun time for all, even for those who will not believe on Jesus Christ. Yes, Christmas has become commercial. Why not? I am in business, need to sell my product, and people are buying for this celebration, so why not? I see no reason to say they are doing wrong. They are in the business to make money so we must not berate them for attempting to do so. Oh........this is blasphemy, some would say.... Oh.... this is the birth of Jesus, some would shout.....Oh..... this must be heretical, yep, if you use the dictionary definition of heresy. 

CAVEAT: I LOVE CHRISTMAS, AND I LOVE IT EVEN IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DATE. I LOVE THE TREE, THE ORNAMENTS, THE PRESENTS (THOSE MAYBE MOST OF ALL...HA!), THE FUN, THE LAUGHTER AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS. 

       Well, not everyone loves Christmas....the down and out, the very poor, the hungry, those who just will not believe that God would come as a baby. Many have questions and maybe you do too.  Well, the truth shall set you free! But do not allow the answers to deter your Christmas, allow the answers to give to you a better understanding of this celebration. 

     The five most important festivals of Christianity are: 1. Christmas day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and for the Catholics, Lady-day, the Nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. I am only going, especially at this time of the year, to address Christmas.   

     Christmas is the day set aside to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. This is good, to remember to honor that which God did for man, not just for His Justice. Some argue, even fight over the date that December 25, is the date of the birth of Jesus. Calculations, assumptions, presuppositions, all are used to prove this date to be true. Is it the truth? Is this the truth that will set you free? Question: How come December 25th, there is not one word in the Bible abut the precise day of His birth, or, and this is important, the year of His birth. Does what is recorded in Scripture give warrant for the date December 25? Let us look at what is recorded: 1. There are cattle, sheep, shepherds feeding the flock out in the open fields. Palestine, Israel, may not be as cold as part of the United States and may have weather more like we have in the San Joaquin Valley but it does get cold there, very cold, so cold that Jesus said: "Pray that your flight be not in winter" (Matthew 24:20). The cold could be very piercing during the months of December to February and this was not the time for shepherds to be out in the open field watching their flocks. They usually ended this practice at the end of October. Let us look at some of the early Church fathers and see what they had to say about the birth of Jesus Christ. 

"Therefore, from the birth of Christ to the death of Commodus (161 A.D.-192 A.D.), proclaimed Caesar 166 A.D., are a total of one hundred ninety-four years, one month, and thirteen days. there are those who have calculated not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day. They say that it took place in the Twenty-fifth day of Augustus, on the twenty-firth day of Pachon [May20]....Others say that he was born on the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth day of Pharmuthi [April 10 or 20]. Clement of Alexandria (c.195,W), 3.164". "Brethren, observe the festival days. First of all, there is the birthday that you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth of the ninth month [e.e., December 25]......Apostolic Constitutions, (compiled c. 390, E), 7l443". Tertullian, an early Church father who wrote much, in fact it was he that coined the term "trinity" around the year 200 A.D. wrote this: "Furthemore, you Christians have no acquaintance with the festivals of the Gentiles, Tertullian (c.198, W), 4,24"; "However, the majority [of Christians] have by this time convinced theselves in their minds that it is pardonable when they do what the pagan does at anytime, for fear that [otherwise] 'the Name might be blasphemed" Tertullian (c.200,W), 3. 69"; The Saturnalia, New Year, Midwinter festivals, and Matronalia are frequented by us! Presents come and go! There are New Year's gifts! Games join thier noise! Banquets join their din! the pagans are more faithful to their own sect....For, even if they had know them, they would not have shared the Lord's DAy or Pentecost with us. For they would fear lest they would appear to be Christians. Yet, we are not apprehensive that we might appear to be pagans! Tertullian (c.200,W), 3.70"; "You Christians have you own registers, your own calendar. You have nothing to do with the festivities of the world. In fact, you are called to the very opposite--for 'the world will rejoice, but you will mourn" Tertullian (c.212,W), 3.101". Allow others from the past to speak: "It would follow as a consequence that we could take part in public feasts, if it were proved that the public feasts had nothing wrong in them and were grounded upon true views of the character of God....However, the so-called public festivals can in no way be shown to harmonize with the service of God. Rather, on the contrary, they prove to have been devised by men for the purpose of commemorating some human events--or to set forth certain qualities of water, earth, or the fruits of the earth. Accordingly, it is clear that those who wish to offer an enlightened worship to the Divine Being will act according to sound reason and not take part in the public feasts" Origen (c.248, E), 4.647. We can see that from the earliest of times in the Church there were questions about feasts. We are not alone with our questions, or maybe you just have accepted without doing what the Bible instructs us to do: that is to "test everything, hold fast to that which is good' (1Thessalonians 5:21). The truth shall set you free! 

     This is a beginning in our examination of this festival, Christmas so that we can come to fully understand, and be able to answer the questions of others. Are we not to bring to the world truth? Yes! Do not be afraid of the answers, embrace them, and allow those answers to increase your faith, changing you from the inside/out: to be Authentic in your Christian Faith. 

      I hope that I have wetted your appetite, not discouraged you as this is not the purpose, rather it is to know the truth and allow the truth to set us free, not necessarily to stop celebrating the birth of Christ, but to have freedom in truth.

How sweet are Thy words unto my taste!

     Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

Through Thy precepts I get understanding:

     therefore I hate every false way.

                    Psalm119:103-104

Get understanding there and find truth

Richard L. Crumb