Is Christmas Biblical?

As you’ve undoubtedly guessed from seeing more and more houses lit up at night, Christmas—one of the most popular holidays—approaches. Many people probably celebrate Christmas as just part of “normal” culture, but many others surely celebrate it out of what they would call their Christian beliefs. For those who do keep it out of sincere religious belief, sometimes I wonder how many of them ponder the important question: Is Christmas in the Bible?

It’s a simple fact that the very word Christmas is not in the Bible, nor does the Bible encourage the celebration of Jesus’ birth by command, example, or implication. Even the oft-told story of the “three wise men” from the east visiting baby Jesus in the manger does not represent the “birthday celebration” many think.

I suppose that answers the essence of the question, but let’s consider two follow-up questions: If Christmas isn’t in the Bible, when was the first Christmas? And does it matter?

Numerous encyclopedias and other sources explain that the first Christmas didn’t originate with Jesus Christ, His disciples, or the Bible, but hundreds of years later. Notice the following description of the first Christmas, from Christianity.com:

When was Christmas first celebrated? In an old list of Roman bishops, compiled in A.D. 354 these words appear for A.D. 336: “25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae.” December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea. This day, December 25, 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. For the first three hundred years of the church's existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis—not even the birth of Christ… Many of the pagan customs became associated with Christmas (“The First Recorded Celebration of Christmas,” October 23, 2020, emphasis added).

It’s very instructive that this mainstream and pro-Christmas Christian website admits these facts. Similarly, the Encyclopedia Britannica explains that “during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus” (“Christmas,” Britannica.com, November 12, 2024).

Christmas was absent from the first 200 to 300 years of Christianity because it isn’t biblical. Christ and His Apostles gave no instruction to celebrate His birth and didn’t provide an example of doing so—in great contrast to the Bible’s detailed instruction to commemorate His death on the biblical day of Passover (Matthew 26:17–30; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). As the popular form of “Christianity” grew in the first three centuries, it increasingly adopted pagan beliefs and customs, which replaced or mixed with biblical beliefs and customs.

Centuries later, it is now seen as normal for Christians to celebrate Christmas, a day not found in the Bible, but abnormal for Christians to keep the actual biblical Holy Days like Passover (Luke 22:7–20), Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), and the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:8–14). (See our commentary “Christmas or Passover?” for more on this topic.)

Here are three simple reasons why this does not please God—although much more could be said. First, Christmas is not in the Bible and was not kept by Jesus Christ or His disciples. Second, Christmas has indisputably pagan associations, meaning that much of its traditions are related to polytheistic religions—religions with many gods. The Bible shows that God abhors mixing worship of Him with beliefs and practices associated with other gods and religions (Deuteronomy 5:7–10; 12:2–4, 29–32; 2 Kings 17:7–12, 33–41). Fundamentally, Christmas’ association with the beliefs and customs used to worship other gods breaks the First Commandment (Exodus 20:3). Third, Christmas is based on falsehoods to its core—especially regarding the idea that Jesus’ birth was on December 25.

Although Christmas isn’t biblical (neither is Easter, by the way), it is one of the most popular “Christian” holidays. Whether or not true Christians keep it—whether or not you keep it—is of great importance. The simple encouragement from Tomorrow’s World is to consider which days are biblical and then follow Christ’s example by keeping the days He kept and the days He deemed holy (Leviticus 23:2).

For more in-depth information about Christmas, please order the free booklet Is Christmas Christian? You may also enjoy The Holy Days: God’s Master Plan, which takes you through the many Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments that explain Jesus Christ’s biblical Holy Days.