Topic(s): Bible Authority

Todd Clippard

This is a difficult question to answer. It is always difficult, if not impossible, to know why people do what they do.

Regarding Christmas, the pagan origins and the influences of the Catholic church are well-documented and well-known among most religious folks. Additionally, most denominations today can trace their roots back to Catholicism or the Reformation Movement of the 1500-1600's. The Reformation Movement sought to reform various doctrines of the Catholic church (e.g. Martin Luther's 95 Theses), when instead men should have gone back to the New Testament to restore the church as God established it in the first century.

I believe the reason Christmas continues to be celebrated is because of a lack of understanding concerning Bible authority. Most religious folks have never spent 5 seconds searching the Bible for a defense of why they practice certain things. They just accept the idea that what has always been done is good and right and ought to be continued. Asking for Bible authority for various practices will generally be returned with a blank stare. Colossians 3:17 teaches that we must have Bible authority (specifically, New Testament authority) for all we do in word or deed. The phrase "in the name of" means "by the authority of." The test of New Testament authority would reveal many other practices as inconsistent with the Scriptures.

For example, the celebration of Christmas is not the only tradition continued without Bible authority. Most folks in denominations don't realize their religious bodies refused to use instrumental music in worship until a couple of hundred years ago. Like Christmas, the use of instrumental music in worship was an innovation of the Catholic church hundreds of years following the establishment of the New Testament church. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches all rejected the use of instrumental music in worship for more than a century after their establishment. For more specific information on this, you can go to our website at www.housetohouse.com; this question is a main feature on our home page.

Additionally, the following practices will be found wanting when weighed in the balances of Scripture:
earthly headquarters and man-made ruling bodies
(Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18);
one-man pastors controlling local congregations (Phillipians 1:1; Acts 20:17-32; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; Hebrews 13:7, 17);
titles such as "pastor" or "reverend" given to preachers (Matthew 25:7-11);
clerical robes and garments used to separate the preacher from the rest of the congregation (Matthew 23:5);
creed books, confessionals, books of discipline, catechisms, or other man-made works (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3);
women taking the lead in the work and worship of the church (1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35);
observing the Lord's Supper on any day other than Sunday and with any frequency other than the first day of every week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 11:18-34).

Many other practices could be listed, but this is sufficient to show the magnitude of this problem.

Perhaps if we asked more people to defend their practices using Scripture, fewer would participate in these unscriptural practices.