The Heart of the Matter
Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and even Valentine’s day, are all evil. Yes, that is what many still say. “Christians should never celebrate these holidays!” I have heard the arguments, been told the warnings and how our salvation is at risk for the very thought of participating in any of these ancient pagan inspired events. I am sorry, but this is biblically absurd.
Even matters of the law are still thought by many to be obeyed to the letter. Sure, you are not to murder. Yes you are not to steal. Of course you are not to commit adultery. Yet, are you really supposed to keep the Sabbath? Does it have to be on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday, not Sunday)? What about all of the sacrifices? Where do you draw the line?
Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Likewise, the law is there to point all to Christ (the whole book of Galatians). The rules are there for us, not the other way around. So, while they are good for us, they are not a salvation issue.
Jesus said He fulfilled the law by what He did on the cross. He also made it clear that no one comes to salvation, except by believing in Him. Faith in God alone saves, not a life lived by works, good deeds, or holidays celebrated. He also said, NO ONE, would be justified by the law.
Faith is a matter of the heart. “If you believe in your heart…” Not a matter of mind or intent. So, is a person who celebrates any of these holidays sinning? Well, that depends on where their heart is in the matter. If you as a Christian go to a Halloween party, are you planning to worship anything other than God? Or, are you going to just be with friends? Frankly, I don’t know anyone who celebrates Halloween by ACTUALLY worshiping anything!
Look, this is no different than eating meat sacrificed to idols. Very few in the United States actually do this anymore, but it was a thing back in the time of Paul the Apostle. Paul makes it very clear in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 that for a believer, it was irrelevant to eat meat sacrificed to an idol. The only reason he gave not do so, was in the presence of a new believer, who may still be struggling with the possibility that it was a sin.
Applying this same teaching and logic to a Halloween party, Christmas party, drinking a beer, mowing a lawn on Sunday, sending a Valentine’s card, eating bacon, and any other thing that somehow has become a necessary action for salvation, it is all irrelevant to the believer!!
Please, stop adding to the rules. God’s grace has removed the rules; we obey now because we love Him, not because it is necessary for acceptance. All of this happened the moment you came to believe in Jesus Christ.
Of course, if in your heart you are worshiping or trusting in anything else, then you do not have faith or love for Jesus.
What is dangerous, however, is adding to the message.
Galatians 1:6-9
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-
7 which is no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
This is what the Judaizers were doing by requiring new gentile converts to get circumcised. Any rule that a man adds to the salvation solution is flat out wrong.
So please, enjoy the Halloween party and maybe even share the love of Christ to someone while you are there.