All around the world we see the Christmas season in full force right about now. Colorful lights grace the lintels and pillars of homes, offices and stores. Christmas trees with beautiful decorations are put up in christian homes and some public places. The radio stations play a variety of Christmas carols as we dive into this merry season with a jingle and a jangle, and some fa la la la la la la la la...
Although many of us get into the spirit of the season, there are many who wage war against Christmas. I am sure you're not ignorant of the very first noel where the reason of the season was born. JESUS CHRIST is the main event of Christmas! Jesus is the star of each year's holiday celebration. Jesus is THE ONLY reason why we ever celebrate Christmas... and this is why many wage war against it!
Have you ever noticed that more and more people become detached of the very essence of Christmas? Many even try to be freed of guilt on their waging war against it and gave a name to their excuse as being "politically correct." The world has shoved its rebellion into the minds of people and has slowly but surely infested the community with its disease. Do you prefer to say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" rather than blurt out "Merry Christmas"? And why was that? You didn't want anybody to be offended? Listen, you will only be offended by Christmas if you DENY the birth of our LORD Jesus Christ. You will only be offended by Christmas if you despise the fact that it bears the word "CHRIST" in it. Christmas is only offensive if you do not believe Isaiah 9:6 that prophesied this...
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
We celebrate Christmas because we commemorate the greatest gift that God has ever given. We celebrate Christmas because we honor God's great love for us and His plan for salvation by giving us His only Son, Jesus Christ. You do not need to let the world intimidate you by telling you Christmas needs to be politically correct!
There's been so many issues raised on the way we celebrate Christmas and I believe this is because today we have refocused more on putting up decorated Christmas trees, or decking the halls with boughs of holly; we focus more on how we set up lights and nativity sets in our homes. The world refocuses on the "little stuff" that comes with the celebration of Christmas. I am not saying that this makes all the things we do during the season wrong. It is never a mistake to have festive lights and decorations in celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The only concern I have is where we put focus on.
May we never let the world snatch away the precious gift that was given to us by God. The reason of the Christmas season is not the sharing of love and togetherness of families and friends, nor is it the beautiful decoration we put up for the season or the exchanging of presents on Christmas day.
The ONLY REASON FOR THE SEASON IS THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD,
JESUS CHRIST!
May everything else we do revolve and be focused on that.
Y'all be blessed always!
I love celebrating the birth of my favorite person. Hugs and God Bless and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! Hugs back to you and Merry Christmas!! Be blessed always!
ReplyDeleteHi Cookie,
ReplyDeleteIt seems you try to double speak in your blog.
You were questioning Catholic's belief on purgatory because according to you it is not found in the bible. But is there a word Christmas in the bible or is there a word Holy Week which I am sure you celebrate as well? Is there the word Trinity but you believe in it?
I would like to hear your side here.
Hi Niteworks!
ReplyDeleteI praise the LORD for your visit to my blog. I appreciate you raising these sentiments as well. I honestly would have wanted to know your (real) name but I guess you're more comfortable hiding behind "Niteworks."
Anyway, even though this post is all about Christmas and your comment and raised issues are not related to it, I'd still like to take this opportunity to share with you my answers to the questions you raised here. Please bear with the length of my response as it cannot be summed up in one sentence or two. :)
I'd like for you to know that I question ANY doctrine that is not in line with God's Truth in His Word. I had been mostly posting topics related to Catholicism since that was once the belief system that I was bound to before I encountered God's Truth. My desire to share with family and friends the ONLY Truth in God's Word is the reason why you see me pick out Catholicism from among the many other religious beliefs out there.
Now, with regard to the doctrine of Purgatory, I do not only question it, I am opposed to it. The only reason why I do stand this way against the belief of Purgatory is because it is a doctrine foreign to Jesus's teachings in the NT and it is a teaching that goes beyond what we see in the OT. I do not play with "word games" and do not want to dwell in what you want to imply as "Christmas," "Holy Week," and "Trinity" not being found in the Bible "as-is."
The Truth of God is never summed up with "as-is" words we (might or might not) find in the Bible. It is the message of Truth that we should consider and not just the play with words.
Now, this doctrine of Purgatory is actually backed up by one of the books belonging to what we call "Apocrypha." These books were the 7 additional books in the Catholic Bible that were not part of the original Hebrew canon. It was only in 1546 that the Catholic church "canonized" these books to make them on par with the other books of the Hebrew canon.
Although these 7 apocryphal books contained historical, novelistic, apocryphal and devotional interests, there are certain misleading passages found in them. Therefore, it is necessary to ALWAYS evaluate them in comparison to the teaching of Jesus. This is what we see Paul exemplify in Acts 17:11 when he commended the Bereans for EXAMINING whatever teaching came their way (even that of the apostle Paul's) against Scripture.
The word "apocrypha" means kept hidden, and Jerome (the first to coin this term) must have had that in his mind when he made sure to point out that these books--which were included in his Latin Vulgate (Latin Bible)--contained misleading passages and may be well to remain hidden and/or avoided altogether.
It is A MUST to always compare whatever teaching that comes our way with the Truth in God's Word. It doesn't really matter if it came from apostolic succession over the years or from an angel who appear before us. If it is NOT in-line with the teachings of Jesus then it should be something we mustn't hold to believe in. :)
Well, I hope and pray that this gave a little light to your queries regarding "my side" of all this. :) I pray that you will encounter the ONLY found in God's Word. And I pray that you and yours will be blessed.
Sincerely in Christ,
Cookie
Hello Cookie,
ReplyDeleteI only mentioned purgatory as a point of reference of my argument because anti-Catholics always bring this up as not found in the bible in the same way that the word Christmas is not found either. Clearly this is not an English lesson so there is no room for playing of words.
I know it's not about the word Christmas but its meaning. But are you not practising "sola scriptura"? But why celebrate it exactly on the 25th of December which is based on a calendar made by man?
I am not being philosophical here but if everything we should do must be based solely in the interpretation of the Scripture, then why do we use the calendar made by man?
Since you already discussed the purgatory in length, then it is my duty to give my side.
Was it the Catholic Church that added the seven deuterocanonical books or was it Martin Luther who deducted them because there are some passages specially in 2 Maccabees that contradict Luther's "justification by faith alone."
This video tells more about purgatory. In this video, Tim Staples, a Catholic convert from Protestant defends purgatory.
http://youtu.be/Ogz9C9KGBk0
Thansk for your time.
God bless.
Franklin
Hi Franklin!
ReplyDeleteFinally, I'm on the last comment you have left for me... hehehe... I praise the LORD that we have these exchanges because they are always avenues for growth and encounter with God's Truth.
Anyway, the doctrine of Purgatory undermines the Grace of Christ who died on the cross to accomplish ONCE AND FOR ALL the atonement for sin. If purgatory is a place of further cleansing after a soul attains some form of righteousness in himself, then that simply means that Jesus Christ wasted His life away when He died on that tree and that God the Father was mistaken to have sent His Son to die for the sins of this world! That is just an outrageous LIE.
"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin ONCE FOR ALL; but the life that He lives, He lives to God."(Romans 6:8-10)
Read also Hebrews 10:1-18... Christ's sacrifice was sufficient, my friend. Do not believe in a lie no matter how intellectual or persuasive the teacher of that doctrine is--test it against THE WORD OF GOD as the apostle Paul said. Test them before you embrace it with all your heart. For there are many who are false teachers, who preach a different gospel, a different spirit, a different Christ.
I pray that you will read your Bible, my friend, and seek the LORD with all your heart IN HIS WORD. Ask for His Holy Spirit to give you the Grace to SEE and HEAR and encounter His Truth like never before... Ask, for Jesus promised that those who ask will receive.
May you blessed as you encounter His Truth, Franklin! :) Come back often!