Exploring Christmas, Christian Liberty, and Salvation
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"We don't know now let me say this there's absolutely no biblical basis for saying that it was December 25th none none you can look through the Gospels you can look through Old Testament prophecies there's no biblical basis for saying that it was December 25th however I don't believe there is any firm biblical basis for saying that Jesus wasn't born December 25th." [00:01:39]
"Now the two main objections I've heard to the idea that people say Jesus could not have been born on December 25th are these two things first of all it says that the Shepherd's were out watching their flocks by night and there are people who say shepherds don't watch their flocks by night they don't stay with their flocks at night in the region of Bethlehem which is right outside of Jerusalem in December late December it's too cold." [00:02:25]
"So that's kind of it we cannot say there is no biblical basis for saying that Jesus was born on December 25th and there's no absolute biblical basis for saying that he wasn't so in my mind this is how I see it that December 25th is just as good a day as any other we want to be clear on what the Bible says and what it doesn't say regarding the birth of Jesus." [00:05:41]
"Is it a righteous thing for Christians to celebrate Christmas at all you may or may not know but there's no evidence that in the early church actually celebrated Christmas and there's no well celebrated it let's say this in the way that we would normally consider in Easter celebration today and Easter I said Easter I meant Christmas of course and there's no evident Christian traditions through the centuries have protested the celebration of Christmas such as the Puritans." [00:06:26]
"I would say you have perfect Liberty in Jesus Christ to either commemorate Christmas or do not commemorate it if you don't want to celebrate Christmas fine then don't celebrate you are free in Jesus to not celebrate it but if you do want to celebrate Christmas you have a likewise freedom in Jesus to do it let each person's conscience stand or fall before God and we shouldn't be imposing a command on one another regarding the celebration or the lack of celebration." [00:07:28]
"Look the main biblical argument that people bring up against the getting of a tattoo is a verse in Leviticus and you know look I don't have the chapter and verse off my head just you can look it up for yourself but it's a verse in Leviticus that says that you're not to make markings or tattoos on yourself for the dead and my understanding that passage in Leviticus is simply this it's a passage where God is telling the Israelites do not imitate the morning and burial customs of the pagan peoples around you." [00:09:57]
"Because we don't have the same pagan mourning and burial customs there's a sense in which this command doesn't really apply to us specifically for tattoos that's my understanding look I have dear brothers and sisters say no look this is what the Bible says nobody should get a tattoo well god bless me I mean again but but I would just say the context there puts it in very much the context of burial and mourning customs among the pagans and for that reason the Israelites were commanded not to take tattoos." [00:11:02]
"I really think again this is a matter of Christian conscience before the Lord and a person has the opportunity to just pray about it seek the Holy Spirit and do what the Spirit would have them done I personally don't have any tattoos and I certainly know how many plans protectors the 56 years old as I broadcast to you I think my time for tattoos is long gone and if I want to be kind of different I think the way I'm different today the way people can be different by not getting tattoos seems like everybody hasn't." [00:12:13]
"I think a reclaimed biblical truth that we need to kind of emphasize again is the liberty of the Christian believer now obviously we don't have Liberty on things we don't have the Liberty to disobey God God commands us to do something we can say well I've got Christian Liberty I can do otherwise no no but there are many things in the Christian life where God gives the believer liberty under the Holy Spirit and what might be right and good for a believer in one situation might be condemned by God or or or again a no on it from God to the believer in another situation." [00:14:46]
"Paul does a masterful job of saying let me tell you why it seems God had forsaken Israel number one it was all in God's plan and that's what he spends Romans chapter 9 and about half of Romans chapter 10 explaining in the strongest terms it was all God's plan then he says I find it fascinating that almost in the middle of chapter 10 he abruptly shifts gears and Paul says let me tell you why Israel is in the condition there and because of their own choice and sin and what I see is that in Romans chapters 9 10 and 11 Paul fear actually Paul fearless leap sets side by side God's sovereign plan and man's real choices side by side and he does it without apology and he does it without you know feeling like he's contradicting himself." [00:24:17]
"Can a Christian lose salvation sometimes assumes that a Christian salvation is complete whereas the Bible tells us that we have been saved we are being saved and we will be saved and I think it's important to keep all those three aspects in mind that's the first quick response I'd give maybe a fuller one later the second one is I think most of the arguing that happens among Christians on this issue is arguing over words it's making contention over words and that there's much more agreement on the fundamental concepts and when there's a lot of agreement on the fundamental concepts oftentimes I'm not into the arguing about words." [00:28:37]
"Paul presents the case for divine sovereignty very strong in Romans nine but then halfway through chapter 10 and in chapter 11 he presents the case for human responsibility so the two do not contradict any understanding of divine sovereignty that essentially makes people makes us robots that just kind of mechanically do what a higher power tells us to that is not a biblical understanding of the sovereignty of God so we believe in the sovereignty of God we very much do but we understand that it does not contradict the idea of human responsibility it does not contradict the idea that human beings have a real choice and make real choices in this world regarding God and everything else." [00:27:26]
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"Now the two main objections I've heard to the idea that people say Jesus could not have been born on December 25th are these two things first of all it says that the Shepherd's were out watching their flocks by night and there are people who say shepherds don't watch their flocks by night they don't stay with their flocks at night in the region of Bethlehem which is right outside of Jerusalem in December late December it's too cold." [00:02:25]
"So that's kind of it we cannot say there is no biblical basis for saying that Jesus was born on December 25th and there's no absolute biblical basis for saying that he wasn't so in my mind this is how I see it that December 25th is just as good a day as any other we want to be clear on what the Bible says and what it doesn't say regarding the birth of Jesus." [00:05:41]
"Is it a righteous thing for Christians to celebrate Christmas at all you may or may not know but there's no evidence that in the early church actually celebrated Christmas and there's no well celebrated it let's say this in the way that we would normally consider in Easter celebration today and Easter I said Easter I meant Christmas of course and there's no evident Christian traditions through the centuries have protested the celebration of Christmas such as the Puritans." [00:06:26]
"I would say you have perfect Liberty in Jesus Christ to either commemorate Christmas or do not commemorate it if you don't want to celebrate Christmas fine then don't celebrate you are free in Jesus to not celebrate it but if you do want to celebrate Christmas you have a likewise freedom in Jesus to do it let each person's conscience stand or fall before God and we shouldn't be imposing a command on one another regarding the celebration or the lack of celebration." [00:07:28]
"Look the main biblical argument that people bring up against the getting of a tattoo is a verse in Leviticus and you know look I don't have the chapter and verse off my head just you can look it up for yourself but it's a verse in Leviticus that says that you're not to make markings or tattoos on yourself for the dead and my understanding that passage in Leviticus is simply this it's a passage where God is telling the Israelites do not imitate the morning and burial customs of the pagan peoples around you." [00:09:57]
"Because we don't have the same pagan mourning and burial customs there's a sense in which this command doesn't really apply to us specifically for tattoos that's my understanding look I have dear brothers and sisters say no look this is what the Bible says nobody should get a tattoo well god bless me I mean again but but I would just say the context there puts it in very much the context of burial and mourning customs among the pagans and for that reason the Israelites were commanded not to take tattoos." [00:11:02]
"I really think again this is a matter of Christian conscience before the Lord and a person has the opportunity to just pray about it seek the Holy Spirit and do what the Spirit would have them done I personally don't have any tattoos and I certainly know how many plans protectors the 56 years old as I broadcast to you I think my time for tattoos is long gone and if I want to be kind of different I think the way I'm different today the way people can be different by not getting tattoos seems like everybody hasn't." [00:12:13]
"I think a reclaimed biblical truth that we need to kind of emphasize again is the liberty of the Christian believer now obviously we don't have Liberty on things we don't have the Liberty to disobey God God commands us to do something we can say well I've got Christian Liberty I can do otherwise no no but there are many things in the Christian life where God gives the believer liberty under the Holy Spirit and what might be right and good for a believer in one situation might be condemned by God or or or again a no on it from God to the believer in another situation." [00:14:46]
"Paul does a masterful job of saying let me tell you why it seems God had forsaken Israel number one it was all in God's plan and that's what he spends Romans chapter 9 and about half of Romans chapter 10 explaining in the strongest terms it was all God's plan then he says I find it fascinating that almost in the middle of chapter 10 he abruptly shifts gears and Paul says let me tell you why Israel is in the condition there and because of their own choice and sin and what I see is that in Romans chapters 9 10 and 11 Paul fear actually Paul fearless leap sets side by side God's sovereign plan and man's real choices side by side and he does it without apology and he does it without you know feeling like he's contradicting himself." [00:24:17]
"Can a Christian lose salvation sometimes assumes that a Christian salvation is complete whereas the Bible tells us that we have been saved we are being saved and we will be saved and I think it's important to keep all those three aspects in mind that's the first quick response I'd give maybe a fuller one later the second one is I think most of the arguing that happens among Christians on this issue is arguing over words it's making contention over words and that there's much more agreement on the fundamental concepts and when there's a lot of agreement on the fundamental concepts oftentimes I'm not into the arguing about words." [00:28:37]
"Paul presents the case for divine sovereignty very strong in Romans nine but then halfway through chapter 10 and in chapter 11 he presents the case for human responsibility so the two do not contradict any understanding of divine sovereignty that essentially makes people makes us robots that just kind of mechanically do what a higher power tells us to that is not a biblical understanding of the sovereignty of God so we believe in the sovereignty of God we very much do but we understand that it does not contradict the idea of human responsibility it does not contradict the idea that human beings have a real choice and make real choices in this world regarding God and everything else." [00:27:26]
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