This week in December millions of people the world over celebrate the birthday of a living lord they believe to be the head of the church, who holds supreme universal power over heaven and earth, the visible presence of god on earth, and who can forgive all sins.
No, I am not talking about Jesus. Don’t you know Jesus was not born in December?
I speak of Pope Frank whose birthday was celebrated by Catholics on December 17th.
Could you tell the difference between them based on the above description?
If you could not tell the difference, imagine the confusion perpetuated by Catholicism that criminally gives the Pope titles held by the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and mandates the religious observance of Christ’s birthday.
Birthdays
All men have birthdays. Birthday celebrations honor the man, because it honors their beginning. God does not have a birthday. He has no beginning.
This is why worshiping God does not entail birthday celebrations, which can easily lead to confusing Him with other men.
God never instructed the church to have a birthday celebration to honor him.
It was a Pope that decreed the church celebrate the birth of Christ in a Mass every year in December. The Catholic church has been doing it for centuries, and in this past century more non-Catholics have started to participate.
What is the real harm in acknowledging the birth of Christ once a year?
The Birthday of Christ
Many think giving Christ a birthday celebration is a great honor, but it actually lessens the honor he deserves by drawing attention away from His greater glory that comes through the preaching of the cross (1 Cor 1:24).
If all we know of Christ is that he was born in a manger, then we are missing what separates him from every other man. Any man can claim his titles, at which point what makes adoration of a Pope any different than adoring a baby King in a manger?
When we take the Lord of Glory back to a crib in Bethlehem every year, we are going back to the Lord’s humility, and not holding him as the true glorified Head of the Church, a position He holds even today(not the Pope).
At the birth of Christ, being Head of the Church was yet future, it was not yet given. The mystery of Christ had not yet been revealed. Since he is now off the earth, Popes have stepped in and claimed his position in absence.
While giving importance to his birth and earthly presence, they miss the great mystery truth of His current position in heaven as Head of the church.
The Resurrection Difference
The glory and power of Christ does not come from his putting on flesh. The glory and power of Christ is found in His resurrection from the dead.
It is there we find proof that He is God, the power to save us from our sins, and the glory of the gospel (Rom 1:4; 1 Tim 1:11).
Every Pope has had a birthday, but no Pope has ever displayed the power of God by resurrecting from the dead. This is how we know it is terribly wrong for the Pope to claim Christ’s authority. He is not qualified to hold his office.
The only true Head of the Church is the living Christ, because of his resurrection into glory, according to His revelation of the mystery (Eph 1:19-22).
It is not the birth of the baby Jesus that makes Christ worthy of our worship, it is His resurrection from the dead for our sins that makes him worthy of all praise.
Celebrating the birthday of Christ distracts from the preaching of the cross.
Blow out the candles of Christ’s birthday party, and let the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shine (2 Cor 4:4). Glory in the cross alone which honors God alone.
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” – Galatians 6:14
Article Index Published: December 19, 2015
Last Modified: December 21, 2019