Letter to friends and associates regarding religious holidays*
Why I do not celebrate Religious holidays

15 December 2000 (Rev. 1 January 2008)
To my friends and associates:

If you have been referred to this link, it is probably for one of two possible reasons: (1) I have recently met you, and wish to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding of my view of religious holidays, or (2) I have already had an awkward encounter with you and hope that this will clarify the reasons why I do not celebrate religious holidays.

The aim of this letter is to explain my actions and convictions regarding religious holiday observances, celebrations, traditions, etc. My desire is that this letter will provide a foundation of understanding from which future discussion may be developed, but only if you are so inclined.

This letter consists of two parts:

  1. The practical issues concerning my participation in family and social functions on religious holidays
  2. The theological details regarding the observance of religious holidays

Part 1: The practical issues concerning my participation in family and social functions on the holidays*
*"Holiday" comes from "holy day." I use these terms interchangeably.

Definition of what it means to celebrate/observe a holiday:
Celebrating/observing a holy day involves doing anything religiously distinctive, special or exclusive by reason of the holy day.

Holidays I do not observe:

In addition to these is any observed holy daythat is artificially made to be religious. One example might be if the 4th of July day were made into a religious holy day and the observation of it included prayer, scripture reading, religious symbolism, religious decoration and church attendance. While this may sound ridiculous to some, I've seen this "christianizing" of holidays done on various occasions.

Why these holidays?
The above holidays are religious by nature, origin, and/or practice and are not, according to the Scriptures, to be celebrated by members of the Body of Christ. (See section 2 for details and biblical position concerning this issue.)

What to expect regarding my behavior during and on the holidays:
(Please note that following list will apply to my children as well until they are adults, at which point they will decide for themselves whether or not to follow these proscriptions.)

Receiving gifts
I recognize that gift-giving is important to many people on certain holidays, but it can be very awkward and uncomfortable when I am offered gifts on gift-giving holidays I do not celebrate. While I would not want to insult anyone by rejecting a well-meant gift, I can only politely decline and hope it will be understood that I would rather not receive gifts on such occasions at all.

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Part 2: The theological details regarding the observance of religious holidays
Israel, God's chosen people
The history of the Jewish people and of the nation of Israel is rich with ceremonies, feasts, fasts, rituals, sacrifices, and holy days.

According to Israel's Biblical history, these practices were instituted and mandated by God via the Law of Moses. Israel was at one time God's chosen people and as such, He gave them specific and detailed instructions on how to understand, worship and represent their God through ceremonial practices expressed in nearly every area of their daily lives. From the clothing they wore, to how they dealt with disease; from settling disputes, to the cooking of their food; from birth to death, ceremonies and rituals regulated their activities -- daily, weekly, and yearly. It is especially important to note that God's angels were intrinsically involved in these ceremonial activities, rites and holidays. The angels functioned as mediators between God and men. In fact, the Bible teaches that the Jewish people were governed by angels as commissioned by God. Scripture tells us that Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai through the mediation of angels (see Galatians 3:19 Acts 7:35,38,53 Hebrews 2:2).

Throughout the Jewish calendar year, the Israelite people were required by the Law of Moses to keep certain religious holidays. These, and only these (see Judges 8:24-27 17:3), were to be celebrated with the utmost care and attention to details. Failure to participate in these holidays and carelessness regarding the observance of the Law of Moses were considered defiance against God and were sometimes punishable by death. Israel's relationship with God as a nation was inextricably dependent on these practices and they were repeatedly warned against straying from them. Furthermore, through His prophets, God made it clear to Israel that they were not to partake of the religious holidays or customs of the pagan nations (Jeremiah 10:3-5).

Deuteronomy 4:1,2"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

At the time of Christ ("Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah" that means "anointed one"), God's requirements had not changed. Jesus, Israel's promised Messiah, came to teach the gospel of the Kingdom (gospel means "good news" or "good message") to the Jews of His day. This gospel concerned the long-standing promises to Israel and its future Kingdom, and the righteous standards by which it was to be governed. But the Jewish leaders had, over time, distorted and added much to the Law of Moses. This corruption of scripture resulted in an oppressive yoke upon the Jewish people (Mk 7:5-9, 13 Matthew 23:13 Lu 11:52).

Jesus, as Israel's long-awaited Messiah, faithfully and consistently kept the Law of Moses and commanded his disciples to do so (Matthew . 8:4 23:1-3, 23 Mk 1:44 7:10 10:3 Lu 5:14 16:29). He criticized and pronounced judgment upon those who had distorted the Mosaic Law and refused to acknowledge whom He was. The gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed was in full accordance with the Mosaic Law. His message was distinctly Jewish and directed to the people of Israel and their proselytes (converts). Jesus' teaching was always concerning the kingdom of God on earth as proclaimed by Moses, which will someday be reestablished in and governed from the Land of Israel (Genesis 22:17 Isaiah 45:14 60:1-16 Zechariah 2:10,11 8:20-23 14:16-19 Micah 4:1,2).

After Jesus was executed, entombed and resurrected, He commanded His disciples to go out and proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom to the nations about the kingdom; to baptize them and to teach them all that He had commanded them, namely, adherence to the Law of Moses. See Matthew 28:19,20 and the references in the above paragraph, first sentence.

Paul & the Body of Christ
As stated above, at the time of Christ, the Jewish leadership was corrupt, had distorted the Law of God, and rejected their Messiah. Jesus pronounced judgment on that generation and, as a result, the Jewish nation was temporarily set aside until a future time when God will again establish Israel as the Kingdom of God on earth (Micah 4 Amos 9 Jer 3:17 Ps 86:9 Matthew 19:28 Lu 22:30 Colossians 2:17 He 8:5). Once Israel had been officially set aside (Acts 13:14-52), the apostle Paul, in accordance with the private instruction and direct commission of the resurrected Christ (Galatians 1:11-20 2Co 12:1-4), began to openly preach a new, unprecedented gospel. This new message Paul learned directly from the risen Jesus (i.e. not from the other apostles, Gal 1:11-12,16-17) was fundamentally different from that which Jesus taught His apostles (Galatians 2:7). In fact, this gospel (called the Mystery) had been kept secret, held in silence, from the creation of the earth until then (Romans 11:25 16:25,26 1st Corinthians 2:7 Ephesians 1:9 3:3-9 5:32 6:19 Colossians 1:26-27 2:2 4:3 1st Timothy 3:9,16). It was revealed to Paul that he would be the one who would bring the Mystery to the world (see references below).

The other writers of the so-called New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Peter, and Jude) addressed their letters and narratives to a Jewish audience, teaching them about Messiah's earthly life, all the things Christ commanded while on earth, and about Israel's future as a kingdom/nation. Paul's audience was the Body of Christ, comprising believers of many ethnic backgrounds, yet he recognized no ethnic distinctions (Ephesians 2:14-16 1 Co 12:3 Galatians 3:28). He preached a distinctly non-ceremonial and non-symbolic gospel, very different in content from the gospel taught by the twelve apostles. The observance of religious ceremonies and symbolism was prohibited by Paul as angel worship. These include water baptism, circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, dietary laws, religious meals, fasting, etc. The hope (promised future expectation) of Israel was to dwell in and possess the Land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ge 50:24 Exodus 6:8 33:1 De 1:8), whereas the hope of the Body of Christ is to be seated with Christ in heaven (Ephesians 1:20 2:6). Paul called his teaching to the Body of Christ "my gospel" (Romans 2:16 16:25 2nd Timothy 2:8 cf. 1st Corinthians 4:1 9:17 Colossians 1:25 1st Timothy 1:11 2:7 6:20 Titus 1:3)

There are many differences between the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of the Body of Christ. Here are just a few:

Gospel of the Kingdom Gospel of the Body of Christ
Israel's future is a kingdom on earth (Genesis 12:1-3 Deuteronomy 30:1-10 Isaiah 60:1-16, see also the section on One Hope in the Seven Ones paper) The Body of Christ's future is in Heaven (Ephesians 1:20 2:6)
Israel was a favored ethnic nation (Isaiah 45:14 Zechariah 2:10,11 8:20-23 Micah 4:1,2; See also the section on One Body in the Seven Ones paper) The Body of Christ is non-ethnic (Romans 10:12 Gal 3:28 Colossians 3:11)
Israel was governed by angels (See many references to angels in Israel's scriptures compared to the very few references in Paul's writings; See also sections on One Spirit and One Lord in the Seven Ones paper) The Body of Christ will govern angels (1 Corinthians. 6:3; 13:1) and are not to worship them (Colossians 2:18).
The Jews were required to observe many baptisms (Hebrews 6:2 Acts 19:3,4 Exodus 2:5 19:10,14 29:4,17 30:18-21 40:12,30-32; See also the section on One Baptism in the Seven Ones paper) For the Body of Christ, there is only ONE baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, i.e. no water baptism (Ephesians 4:5 1st Corinthians 1:17 cf. Matthew 28:19,20)

Israel's relationship with God was demonstrated through keeping religious ceremonies, holidays, feasts, etc. (See entire book of Leviticus; see also the section on One Baptism in the Seven Ones paper)

 The Body of Christ is forbidden to participate in religious ceremonies, holidays, feasts, etc. Participation in these is considered the angel worship (Colossians 2:16-18, Galatians 4:10,11).

The following are some extended passages that address several of the issues above: Romans 10:5-10 Galatians 4:7-11 Colossians 2:8-23.

Conclusion and summary
The Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God to his people. Parts are written to his people of the kingdom of Israel. Parts are written to his people of the Body of Christ (Paul's letters). While all of scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2nd Timothy 3:16), the letters of Paul teach that believers today are members of the Body of Christ and are to follow his gospel and not the gospel of Kingdom (1st Corinthians 11:1,2 4:14-17 Philippians 3:17 1st Thessalonians 1:5,6 2nd Thessalonians 3:7-9). Members of the Body of Christ are to live according to Paul's gospel, and are forbidden to participate in religious holy days, ceremonies, symbolisms and rituals. To participate in these practices not only misrepresents Christ, who is Head of the Body (Colossians 1:17,18), but also violates the created order by the worshipping of angels (see notes above). It is a denial of the believer's biblical role as a member of Christ's Body and is disobedience to the Word of God.

I realize that these things are difficult, potentially divisive and offensive, and may result in hurt feelings. Humanly speaking, for the sake of those I love and care about, I wish that things could be different -- that I could set aside these issues for the sake of friendship and relationships. But all who profess to be members of the Body of Christ should not violate the clear directives of the Bible.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am eager to further explain anything that may not be clear and to hear your views as well. It is my aim that the information contained in this letter may assist in bringing us closer to a mutual understanding and to be a starting point for future discussion, but only if you so desired.

Sincerely,

James Hilston