Holidays & Birthdays
The verses they cite — read them in context.
Jeremiah 10:2-4
"Learn not the way of the nations... a tree from the forest... decorate it with silver and gold."
Genesis 40:20-22
Pharaoh’s birthday — a hanging.
Mark 6:21-28
Herod’s birthday — John the Baptist beheaded.
Reading Romans 14 in context, does Paul make holiday observance a command — or a matter of personal conscience before God?
Debate doesn’t change minds. If you find yourself arguing, pivot to telling your story of how Jesus changed you, saved you, and protected you.
Holidays & Birthdays
Are Christmas, Easter, and birthdays forbidden to true Christians?
The Bible treats holidays as a matter of personal conscience, not a command or a prohibition. "One person esteems one day as better than another... Each should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5). Paul warns against letting anyone "pass judgment... with regard to a festival" (Colossians 2:16). Celebrating — or not — is freedom in Christ, not a test of faith.
Verses Jehovah’s Witnesses cite
- Jeremiah 10:2-4: "Learn not the way of the nations... a tree from the forest... decorate it with silver and gold."
- Genesis 40:20-22: Pharaoh’s birthday — a hanging.
- Mark 6:21-28: Herod’s birthday — John the Baptist beheaded.
Biblical response verses
- Romans 14:5-6: "One person esteems one day... Each should be fully convinced in his own mind."
- Colossians 2:16: "Let no one pass judgment on you... with regard to a festival."
- Galatians 4:9-10: Warning against being enslaved again by rules about "days and months."
- Luke 2:13-14: The heavenly host celebrates the birth of Christ.
Question to ask
Reading Romans 14 in context, does Paul make holiday observance a command — or a matter of personal conscience before God?
If Paul says holiday observance is a matter of personal conscience "between you and God," why treat it as a binding rule either way?