A Christian is someone who trusts in Christ and follows Him. Which means a Christian should hold dear those things which clearly are of Christ, and reject those things which only pretend to be. Those of us who have been fortunate to receive the Gift of Eternal Salvation most likely understand that not everyone or everything that masquerades as being of Christ actually is. A good example of this is the “Christmas” holiday, which is looming on the very near horizon.

A true Christian is not one who accepts false teachings of false churches at face value. A real Christian understands that evil is at work at every turn, and that those who intend to lead us away from Christ will no doubt put on the mantle of the Lamb of God in order to lead people to believe that they are of Him. These entities, with their nefarious intent, are indeed the wolf in sheep’s (or in this case, lamb’s) clothing.

Few people today realize that the celebration of “Christmas” on December 25th has roots in pagan tradition. The modern Christmas celebration clearly has a pagan origin, and that is something that true Christians should not ignore. The ancient Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis, the Goddess of Nature, on December 25. Parties with gluttonous drinking and eating as well as gift giving were traditional parts of this feast. The Romans called their winter holiday “Saturnalia” which honored the God of Agriculture and they dubbed the entire season “Dies Natalis Invicti Solis” (or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun). In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were started long before the participants in those pagan rituals had ever heard of Christ.

In the year 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25, despite the day’s pagan significance. From the authoritative Biblical descriptions, historians believe that Christ’s birth probably occurred in September, about six months after Passover. We know almost certainly that Jesus WAS NOT born in December, since the Bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night, which would be nearly impossible due to the harsh winter conditions of late December in the region.

So, since the Bible doesn’t explicitly say what day Christ was born, why is it so important that the generally accepted celebration date appears is wildly incorrect? Does it matter that Jesus wasn’t born in December yet people still celebrate his birth on December 25th?

Of course it matters.

Think of it this way: your loving earthly father’s birthday is in February, yet you decide that you will begin to celebrate his birthday in June. If you’re celebrating his birthday on a date that is nowhere near his birthday, are you in fact celebrating his birthday at all? Not only that, but let’s say that the date you decided to celebrate your father’s birth is actually the birth date of an infamous mass murderer, and you specifically CHOSE that date BECAUSE of that fact. How do you suppose your father would feel?

How do you suppose God our Father in Heaven feels about people supposedly celebrating His Son’s birth on a day that belonged to pagan rituals? How would Christ feel about it?

Remember what we’re told in Jeremiah 10:

“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

Don’t take part in these pagan traditions, don’t learn the way of the heathen. And don’t buy the old argument that the date was chosen as a way to “overwrite” the pagan history with a new, Christian celebration. If that were the case, any valid reason to celebrate Christianity could have been chosen for that date. The catholic pope, in choosing to declare that celebration of the birth of Christ occurs on a major pagan holiday, has for centuries forced followers of the catholic church (the Church of Rome) and other false Christian religions to unknowingly continue to glorify a pagan tradition.

If you feel the need to celebrate any sort of winter holiday, then celebrate the beginning of the new year — but leave Jesus Christ out of it, because we all know (and so did the king of the roman church when he developed this evil plot) that Jesus wasn’t born anywhere near December.

I received a wonderfully uplifting e-mail from a visitor to my site. It was from a woman who had grown up in the catholic church, and was so deeply caring about her religion that she was actually considering becoming a nun. Later, she began to more closely examine the teachings of the church of Rome and found that there were some key differences between the sacred Word found in Holy Scripture and what the so-called “church” was teaching her. I was joyful to see her say that, after spending time with the Scripture and with others who asked her questions about the catholic church, she found her way OUT of the darkness and into God’s wonderful Light.

That’s right, she rejected the false church, the church of Rome, the catholic church, and has joined God’s One True Church and has now converted to Christianity. She has gone from catholic to Christian just as I have and as has been told her in my catholic Christian story. She concluded her e-mail to me with this statement on the so-called catholic church:

“I see such hypocrisy and wonder how I fell for it. I understand how I did.
I praise God that I have a gift, though”.

I, too, praise God for Him sending this woman exactly what she needed in order to escape the clutches of a false religion.

In a previous post I talked about the correct meaning behind the message James was sharing with the Saved regarding how to behave and to display their faith so that it is not separated and set apart. To read the entire post, visit “Faith without Works is Dead“.

Now how can we be SURE that James is NOT saying that works are required for Salvation? Very simply (and this is the beauty of Holy Scripture) we know, FOR SURE, that James is NOT saying that works are necessary for Salvation because he specifically references Abraham. And, since Scripture is always read in light of Scripture, we can easily see the reference that James is making…

Romans 4:
“WHAT shall we say then that Abraham hath found, who is our father according to the flesh. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. But to him that worketh not, yet believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice, according to the purpose of the grace of God. As David also termeth the blessedness of a man, to whom God reputeth justice without works: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin.”

Holy Scripture is not meant to be interpreted. That’s why all Bible translations are flawed (even the King James Version which is my preferred version) and why the Lord sends to us who are Saved the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word. Since there are so many out there reading my site who need a more “plain English” version of Scripture to help them until they have received the Gift of Eternal Salvation, I’ll share the NIV version of Romans 4, which should make it VERY clear…

“Abraham Justified by Faith: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’

‘Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.’”

Had James intended to say that works are required for Salvation, he would have never referenced Scripture which says exactly the opposite.

Isn’t Faith amazing?

As you can probably imagine, I receive many, many e-mails a day. Dozens actually, perhaps as many as one hundred on a very busy day. Many of the e-mails I receive are encouraging, some talk about reading my catholic Christian conversion story and taking great joy in it, others detracting of my message, some saying that I am attacking the catholic church or that my message isn’t a Christian one or that catholicism is superior to my own faith.

Today I received an e-mail from someone who took the rather unusual approach of boasting to me about how much they know about the Bible, and how much more they know about it than I. It was clear that they were intent on acting superior to me, to prove through their claim exactly how much more they knew about Holy Scripture than I do (or my family did or does — combined, as a matter of fact):

“I know the Bible better than your or your parents or even your
grandparents ever did while they were Catholic. And I bet that
I still know it better than all of you combined now”.

Of course this person went on to attempt to lecture to me about what God REALLY meant in certain portions of the Word. Unfortunately for the e-mail’s author, they don’t realize exactly how truly lost they really are. Their statements made it abundantly clear that they do not have the Holy Spirit to guide them in the Scripture, a counselor that everyone who receives the Gift of Eternal Salvation has to help them understand the Word, as He promised us:

John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

What this assurance means to all of us who have received Eternal Life is that we (you or I) don’t have to worry about being as learned about the Holy Scripture as some, like the e-mailer above likes to believe — and publicly boast — that they are. God our Father in Heaven knows that we all need help to understand His Word, and what better way for us to understand it than for Him to sit beside us as we read the Holy Scripture and to impart unto us, one at a time, the full meaning and power of His Holy Word?

This person’s boast of Bible knowledge reminds me of a very poignant passage from Matthew…

Matthew 13

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Remember that in Jesus’ day there were many people who were supposedly much more “knowledgeable” about what was written, yet they were incredibly ignorant about the Truth of God. Their Savior stood right there before them, in the flesh, yet they were unable to see it (”because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, nether do they understand).

Just like the e-mail author who pridefully boasted about how much they “know” about the Bible, yet despite all of their “knowing” they do not understand.

Jesus Himself spoke to the common people, He surrounded Himself with followers who believed in Him and placed their Trust in Him Alone for their Salvation and did not attempt to preach to others by lecturing them about how much more they knew about what was written. And when Jesus left us on earth, He left behind for us the Holy Spirit that we may fully understand everything about God’s Word without having to spend our entire lives intently studying every single passage of Scripture.

We are very, very fortunate to have this counsel once we have the Gift of Eternal Life.

My Christian catholic story, which you may read here if you haven’t done so as yet, is my humble exposition of how I made the journey from catholic to Christian. How I was led from the darkness into God’s Wonderful light. I, like the e-mail author who boasted to me about their knowledge of the Scripture, thought that I knew a lot — remember that I even taught the catholic faith as an instructor in the RCIA program — but I never really knew the Holy Scripture, I never really KNEW Him, until I put aside the false teachings that I had received throughout my entire life and allowed myself to Trust in Christ Alone.

This part is something that is very important, and something I only learned once I’d received the Gift of Eternal Salvation: He will fill us with the fullness of His Word, but in order to be filled, we must first be emptied. Until we empty ourselves of the false teachings that obscure His Word and its meaning, we can never truly be filled.