Why We Choose To Celebrate Christmas on December 25th

Spiritual Growthchurch history
Written By Ryan Cole

A Personal Statement of Conviction, Scripture, and History

As a follower of Jesus Christ and a leader in the body of Christ, I believe it is important to speak clearly, honestly, and biblically about why I choose to celebrate Christmas and why I specifically continue to memorialize it on December 25.

This position reflects my own study of Scripture, early Church history, and theology. It is not driven by cultural pressure or tradition for tradition’s sake, but by conviction, conscience, and a desire to proclaim Christ faithfully.

We Do Not Know the Exact Date of Jesus’ Birth

Scripture does not give us a specific date for the birth of Jesus. The Gospels tell us where He was born, under whose reign, and why His birth mattered, but they do not record the day or season. Historically, we also lack sufficient evidence to determine the exact date with certainty.

For this reason, I do not claim that Jesus was definitively born on December 25. Any responsible biblical or historical approach must acknowledge that the precise date of His birth is unknown.

What Scripture emphasizes instead is the meaning of the incarnation.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.”
John 1:14, NKJV

The focus of the biblical writers is not the calendar, but the reality that God Himself entered human history.

How December 25 Came to Be Associated With the Birth of Christ

While the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, the origin of December 25 as the day the Church chose to remember the incarnation is far clearer than many assume.

As early as the second and third centuries, Christians were already reflecting theologically on the life of Christ and attempting to situate His birth within a coherent redemptive framework. Many early Christians believed Jesus was crucified on March 25, a date referenced by early Christian writers such as Tertullian.

Within both Jewish and early Christian thought, a theological idea existed that God completes the lives of the righteous in fullness and order, specifically the prophets of old. Later Jewish tradition reflects this belief by stating that God completes the years of the righteous from day to day and month to month. Early Christians applied this framework to Christ, reasoning that if Jesus died on March 25, then His conception also occurred on March 25. Counting forward nine months places His birth on or around December 25.

This reasoning appears in the writings of early Christian thinkers such as Julius Africanus around AD 221 and Hippolytus of Rome in the early third century. Augustine later affirmed this understanding in the fourth and fifth centuries, presenting it as a received belief rather than a new theory. While I find these theories interesting and intriguing to consider, I don’t hold them to be biblical truth because there simply isn’t a biblical reference. However, this is important to acknowledge because it gives us insight into how early Jewish Christians would have thought when considering when Christ would have been born and how they ultimatly chose to commemorate it year after year quite early into the establishment of the church.

Importantly, these references to December 25 appear before Christianity was legalized under Constantine and before claims that the Church borrowed the date from Roman pagan festivals. While pagan celebrations existed in the Roman world, the historical evidence shows that December 25 emerged from Christian theological reflection on the incarnation rather than from pagan worship.

The earliest surviving Roman record of December 25 as the celebration of Christ’s birth appears in the Chronograph of AD 354, which records that the Church in Rome observed the nativity on that date as early as AD 336.

While December 25 cannot be proven as the actual date of Jesus’ birth, it is historically inaccurate to claim that the date itself is rooted in paganism.

What I Am Celebrating

Although we do not know the exact day Jesus was born, I choose to celebrate and remember His birth during a season when much of the world, however imperfectly, turns its attention toward Christ.

The incarnation marks a decisive turning point in the unfolding plan of redemption.

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.”
Galatians 4:4, NKJV

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, took on flesh, entered human history, and came to dwell among us. This was not symbolic or sentimental. It was the living God acting decisively to redeem humanity.

I refuse to be silent about Christ, and I refuse to surrender time, space, or testimony simply because the world or the enemy attempts to distort what the people of God have set apart unto Him. Corruption does not nullify consecration.

Discernment and Conscience Within the Body

I do not knowingly participate in paganism in any form. I also do not embrace the consumerism, excess, or distraction that so often surrounds modern Christmas culture. Where Christ is displaced, I choose restraint, clarity, and intentionality.

I also want to clearly acknowledge that there are sincere believers among us who choose to abstain entirely from celebrating Christmas out of personal conviction and devotion to the Lord. Some do so to avoid any possibility of mixture in their walk with God. I respect that conviction and apply no judgment.

Scripture makes room for this difference of conscience within the body of Christ.

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”
Romans 14:5, NKJV

Paul’s concern in Romans 14 is not enforcing uniform practice, but guarding unity, humility, and devotion to the Lord. Both observance and abstention can honor God when done from faith and conviction.

Why I Continue to Celebrate

As for me, I choose to celebrate and remember the birth of Christ at all times, but specifically during the month of December. Any opportunity to gather with family, with the church, or with those who do not yet know Jesus, especially in remembrance of His birth, death, and resurrection, is an opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed and for discipleship to occur.

At Abiding Church, our practice reflects this same posture. We continue to gather and celebrate with Christ at the center, avoiding compromise while embracing every opportunity to proclaim Emmanuel, God with us.

In Closing

Christmas, for me, is not a cultural performance or a commercial event. It is a deliberate moment to center my heart and my home on Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who came to dwell among us so that we might dwell with Him.

I hold space for personal conviction, but no matter whether people choose to observe the holiday, I’m sure we all as believers can agree that we will not diminish the glory of the incarnation. We choose to abide in Him and choose to proclaim Him in every season.

Sources and References

Scripture (NKJV)
John 1:14
Galatians 4:4
Romans 14:5

Early Christian and Historical Sources

Jewish Concept of Completed Righteous Lives

Scholarly and Historical Overviews

Further Viewing on the Topic

Ryan Cole
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Standing on the Edge of a New Season