Question, do you worship the day?
I guess the follow up qualifying question would be, are you a humanist who worships yourself?
Seems that these are odd and hard hitting questions to self-professing Christians and many if not all would deny these right away and insist that they do neither, but would their denial be accurate and honest?
When I ask these questions, especially within this writing, I am referring to two specific days. These two days truly need to be considered, seriously considered...
What prompted this writing are the many people who, during two specific times during the year, ridicule and blow off anyone who would dare claim the obvious truth, that all of the components used to celebrate during these days have pagan roots or are still outright pagan today and really do not bring glory to God.
Ironically, some of these hecklers of the “pagan roots” crowd will actually join arm in arm with that same “pagan roots” crowd come Halloween time and condemn that day as being pagan. This is grossly unbalanced hypocrisy.
This writing is not to focus on or prove that the fertility symbols of eggs, rabbits and the sun, and their implementation within Easter, are rooted in paganism. No, actually, I will focus on the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ, which many people claim that they do today as they in tandem eat their chocolate bunnies and encourage their children, oops, almost said spawn there, to sit on the lap of a fictitious (lie) rabbit as they are cutely told that rabbits actually lay eggs, as if somehow evolution was true (research for yourself hopeful monsters, punctuated equilibrium, etc)) but I digress, or did I?.
I suppose a main reason why many, such as myself, in times past, defend this day is not really religious in motivation but actually humanistic in that this day brings pleasure to them. They get joy out of the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, fashion, and company. If people were honest about it, they would admit that they are approaching the day, not with a reverence towards God but with a sense of seeking self-fulfillment. As the great Paris Reidhead pointed out many years ago, humanism is the notion that the end of all being is the happiness of man whereas Christianity, true Biblical Christianity that is, demands that the end of all being is the glory of God. I had to humble myself in order to come to the realization that I was sinning in how I was participating in these days. I was being a humanist instead of a Christian in how I enjoyed the day. It was more for me than God. Regardless of motivation though is it still justified even if one thinks he or she is doing it for God, as they reap all the upfront benefits regardless?
The word Easter does cause some folks issues and so these try to separate themselves from the “pagans” by rebranding it “Resurrection Day” while they still, for the most part, participate in much of the day regardless. I have come to realize that this is the same reason I found the celebration of Christmas, with the fixating on the birth of Christ, being flat out unbiblical. I will provide the proof text and commentary further below regarding this but for now I am focusing in on the resurrection part.
Yes, before anyone gets into too much of a fuss, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential to the faith. It is a core component of the gospel, no doubt. I am in no way denying that. Remember, I am attempting to stay focused on the day itself and the celebration contained therein...
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 1 Corinthians 15:14
I know I keep circling back to Christmas, and here is where I realized that I need to revisit that in order to explain in deeper detail the Biblical perspective. Nowhere are we told to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but there is something that we have been told to do in both remembering the past as well as looking forward to the future. This is when I talk about that “day which the Lord hath made’...
"This is the day which the Lord hath made..."
Fact check... December 25th isn't that day...
Right about now is when the anti-anti-christmas folk's heads begin to explode. If this is you, please try to contain your emotionally charged grey matter and hear this out first before blowing a cerebral gasket...
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Proverbs 18:13
What day does Psalm chapter 118, verse 24, actually refer to when it states, "this is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it"?
As mentioned earlier, this day was not December 25th nor is it any other day in any past or future year, as Hallmark cards and many other clever retail money making items would lead one to believe. In fact, this verse has nothing to do with the actual day that Jesus was born or today or another day, except for one very special day.
The day this verse is specifically referring to was the most important day ever in the history of all creation. Ask anyone in heaven or hell right now, if you could, and they would agree...
But you don't need anyone alive or dead to tell you. Important safety tip...You best not be trying any Saul-like necromancy because that will get your soul in a world of hurt. Just sayin...
The day that the psalmist was referring to was the day when something of the utmost importance happened and we were told very clearly to never forget this. In fact we have been commanded by God to remember it on a regular basis until Jesus comes again.
As already mentioned, this day was not Jesus' birthday. We were never ever told to remember His birthday.
That one special and very specific day was THE DAY that He was born for.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: [24] And when he had given thanks, he brake it , and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. [25] After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it , in remembrance of me. [26] For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Do you put more effort in remembering or celebrating His birth than you do His death? If so, then you ought to reevaluate your priorities and get back in line with God's word.
I know for a fact that Jesus would prefer that all of the energy that people put into the celebration of His birth would be diverted instead towards the remembering and telling others of His death.
He was born as our Saviour King to die for the sins of the world and nothing else. His death and the pouring out of His blood for the remission of sins, should be the focus of every believer regardless of what day it is, whether it is today, tomorrow, the 24th, 25th, or any other day...
Without excuse or any necessary qualifications through our reasoning, it was His death, the shedding of His blood alone that provided the needful and only possible sacrifice for our sins.
Supporting texts for the above are as follows:
First the supporting context of Psalm 118:24:
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. [22] The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. [23] This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. [24] This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. [25] Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord : O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. [26] Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord : we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. [27] God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. [28] Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. [29] O give thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118:21-29
Following are the scriptures that support what the proper focus of believers should be in this matter:
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. TO THIS END WAS I BORN, AND FOR THIS CAUSE CAME I INTO THE WORLD, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. John 18:37
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2:14-15
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:24-26
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: [14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? [15] And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. [16] For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. [17] For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. [18] Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. [19] For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, [20] Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. [21] Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. [22] And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. [23] It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. [24] For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: [25] Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; [26] For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Hebrews 9:13-28
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. [5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. [8] Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein ; which are offered by the law; [9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. [10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [13] From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. [14] For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. [15] Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, [16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; [17] And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. [18] Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. [19] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; [21] And having an high priest over the house of God; [22] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [24] And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: [25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. [26] For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. [28] He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:4-31
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [14] For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. [15] What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Romans 6:8-15
Ok, now with all that said, the matter of Easter falls into the same unbiblical dilemma that Christmas finds itself in. We were never told to celebrate the resurrection in the way that people insist on doing once a year, on that one of two of the high attendance days of the year for churches all over. But there is something we have been commanded to do that does actually contain a very clear and spiritual representation of the resurrection. But one would be hard pressed to find any church on Easter Sunday doing this in their service let alone communion which actually, as noted in detail above, is something we should be doing more often and not just around the time frames of Ostara (Spring Equinox) and Yule (winter solstice)...Yeah, I said it...but haters will hate because I did say it, sadly enough.
This other thing we have been commanded to do is baptizing people who have been taught the truths of God and who have accepted the truths of God and believed in His saving gospel through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ.
When a new believer is baptized, they find themselves being buried with Jesus in His death as they are submerged beneath the water. Then they are resurrected with Christ as they are lifted up out of the water. It is a beautiful sight to see no doubt but, again, you will not see this during the next "Easter" service, and if you do then spot on, that would be quite rare for sure.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7] For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:3-7
So, it comes down to this, people choose to do flesh pleasing rituals and celebrations rather than the things that really matter and that actually have scriptural support. It is no wonder that this is happening as humanism has crept into the church and people are none the wiser. They have been fooled into believing that God is there for their good pleasure than the other way around.
I pray that whoever reads this will take it serious and really pray about this as it is no trivial matter. The soul of the church has been lost for some time now to the world and most cannot see this, or they refuse to see it.
The modern church is pretty much a “have your cake and eat it too” narcissist church thanks to humanism taking over.
Praise Jesus that there is a remnant that remans that humbly seeks to bring all glory to God as they die to themselves daily. That is true Christianity.