Chalfont Blog

A Case for December

 Oftentimes our children ask us questions that leave us stumped.  Questions like, "Why is the grass green?"  We've all been there at some point.  Sunday School teachers in particular get questions regarding the Bible that can be difficult to tackle. Every year around this time, kids tend to ask the question, "Was Jesus really born on December 25th?"  It's easy to respond by saying, "sure," or "of course," but do we really know? If Christ wasn't born on the 25th of December, why do we celebrate on that day every year?

Those who would scrutinize the truth claims of Christianity often use the date of Christmas as a tool to delegitimize the faith altogether.  Skeptics of Christianity will claim that December 25th was picked by the early church in order to combat and compete with the pagan holiday Saturnalia which was celebrated by the Romans in the centuries after the death of Christ.  Saturnalia historically celebrated the agricultural God Saturn and took place from December 17th-23rd every year.  Others claim that the selection of December 25th was completely arbitrary.  A real historical figure needed a real birthday and so the church was left with a conundrum.  Perhaps some monks in a cave sat around a stone conference table and decided that December was perfect because the winter needed a Christian Holiday.

The truth is that December 25th can not be verified with full certainty but the selection of that date in particular was not merely capricious.  According to ancient Jewish beliefs, at least in the second century, important events occurred in the same month.  Thus the conception and the death of Christ would both have occurred around the same time.  It was widely accepted that Christ died on 14 Nisan in the Jewish lunar calendar.  One sanctioned belief is that the early church father Tertullian (125-220 AD) then converted that date to March 25th.  If Christ was conceived on March 25th, 9 months later would have been the date of his birth and would have fallen on December 25th.

Can we be certain that Christ was born on December 25th?  No.  What can we be certain about?  We can be certain that Christ was a real person who was incarnate deity.  We can be certain that through Him we have gained an unmerited salvation.  Finally, we can be certain that this year we'll have an answer for those inquisitive children who want to know why we celebrate Christmas in December.

'Tis the Season

It’s that time of year again.  The Christmas season is upon us and the big day is drawing near.   At this point, you can’t go down a street without seeing homes lit up and inflatable reindeer on front lawns.  Neighborhood streets are crowded with Amazon delivery trucks as far as the eye can see.  But what does this season mean for us as the church?  As we are in the season of Advent, it is important for us as believers to reflect on the miracle of the birth of Christ in context.  We must ask ourselves a simple question…Why did Christ come?  

One of my favorite worship songs has always been In Christ Alone.  The lyrics are theologically rich and God-honoring.  The hymn has understandably become a staple in many churches across the world.  In 2013 though, there was some controversy surrounding the song.  The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA), seeing how popular the hymn was, desired to include it in their hymnal.  There was one problem, they wanted to change the lyrics.  The second verse included the line, “Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.”  The PCUSA Hymnal Committee decided that they would only include the hymn if they would be able to change the lyrics to “Til on that cross as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified.”  (Original lyrics below)

"In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live"

Thankfully the writers of the song, Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, denied the request and kept the original lyrics thus keeping the hymn out of the PCUSA Hymnal.  It begs the question though…Why would PCUSA want the lyrics changed?  The culture in which we live shutters at the thought of “wrath”.  It’s an abrasive term that connotes pain and suffering.  It doesn’t mingle well with the concept of a socially accepting, tolerant, and “loving” God who allows people to wantonly live out their base desires.  Sadly, even churches, in hopes of being inclusive, have given into this way of thinking.  

We must hold fast to the truth.  It was God’s perfect holiness (1 Sam 2:2) and wrath (Rom 1:18), in harmony with His love (John 3:16) that deemed the incarnation of Christ necessary.  Christ came, that to the glory of God, He would be our substitute.  He and only He, could satisfy the wrath of a Holy God and impute to us His righteousness.  This Advent season, we should know that the Word became flesh for a reason…and it wasn’t for bellies full of ham and hanging mistletoe.  May we celebrate the birth of our Lord in the fullness of this rich understanding.

A Day in Wittenburg

     Amidst all the interest in hurricanes, perceived rampant police brutality, and political strife, a seminal event in history will soon be commemorated. October 31^st will be approximately 500 years since Martin Luther, the German theologian and protestant reformer, posted his 95 thesis on the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.  The importance of this event cannot be overstated, as it changed the landscape of Christianity as we know it.   As October 31^st approaches, we must ask ourselves, does today’s body of believers really understand what the Reformation represents? According to recent polls done by the Pew Research Center, the answer is a resounding, “no”.

 Numbers Don’t Lie

     A poll conducted by Pew in May of 2017 among U.S. Protestants and Catholics showed that 41% of U.S. Protestants believed that their religion was different than that of U.S. Catholics. 57% of U.S. Protestants though, believed that their religion was similar to that of U.S. Catholics. What do these results tell us about the beliefs of today’s typical churchgoer? Could It be possible that 57% of the church body believe that they have similar beliefs to Catholics, and if so why? Before attempting to answer that question, what was the Protestant Reformation and why was it significant?

      The Protestant Reformation took place in 16^th century Europe. It literally pulled believers from a system in which salvation was purchased from the Catholic Priesthood through, “indulgences,” into a faith-based salvation. Salvation was no longer a concept based on works and the good deeds of man.  The Reformation was focused more on the scripture as authority, rejecting concepts like justification through deeds, and purgatory. Obviously, the reformation and its initiators were not well received by the Catholic Church at that time. The conflict between the two led to the origins of The Thirty Year’s War, which was the most deadly European religious war of all time. Clearly the differences between the two stances on faith were worlds apart. They were so different that blood was shed. So why have those differences softened over the years?

 The Blame Game

     The initial tendency would be to blame the culture that surrounds us. The real blame though should likely be placed somewhere else, the pulpit. Scripture says the following…

 “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

• 2 Timothy 4:2-5

      Paul makes it very clear to Timothy that there should be an emphasis placed on preaching the word.   He warns that a time will come when people will seek out those who will preach a gospel that pleases their ears. From the looks of the current landscape, that time is now. With televangelists, prosperity preachers, and recent movements that have been designed to attract youth, false doctrine is running rampant. The danger is that a gospel that pleases the ears is not the gospel at all. Paul places that onus of responsibility on the preachers to preach the word in all seasons. It’s easy to understand that people who are subject to poor theology would think that their beliefs are similar to that of Catholics. Sermons that are solely designed to put smiles on faces would not bother with concepts like sovereignty, human depravity, and salvation through faith alone.

 Where Do we Go From Here?

     As Christians in today’s church, what is our response? One of the most beautiful things about that day in Wittenburg was that it represented the believer’s ability to read the scripture and cross-reference what they heard from the pulpit for themselves. As we come closer to October 31^st, let us recognize that theology is important. It’s not something that should be left to those in seminary. It is literally the responsibility of every professing believer. A deeper understanding of God will ultimately lead to a deeper walk with Him.