Is Christmas in the Bible? The birth of Jesus is; the word, the date and the holiday aren't

Is Christmas in the Bible? The event is, but the holiday isn't. The birth of Jesus is told in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, yet the word "Christmas" never appears in the Bible, no date is given for the birth, and no verse commands a yearly celebration of it. Romans 14:5-6 leaves room for Christians to keep the day or not, to the Lord.

That answer usually leads to a sharper question: if it isn't commanded, should a Bible-believing Christian celebrate it at all? Sincere believers land on both sides, and a good answer doesn't pretend otherwise.

This guide separates what Scripture says from what church history added, looks at the verses people bring up on each side, and gives you a short answer for the next time a friend tells you Christmas is pagan.

What the Bible does and doesn't say about Christmas

We counted these in the KJV text used by our app. "Christmas" and "December" both appear 0 times. "Manger" appears 3 times, all in Luke 2.

So the honest summary has two halves. The heart of Christmas, God sending his Son, runs through the entire Bible. The holiday, with its date and customs, came later.

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Our guide to where the Christmas story is in the Bible lists every passage and compares Matthew and Luke side by side, and the birth of Jesus story page gives you the short version.

If you'd like to learn these passages by answering questions on them, each answer in the app is explained with its verse.

Does the Bible say when Jesus was born?

No. Luke anchors the birth in history, with Caesar Augustus and Cyrenius (Luke 2:1-2), but he gives no month or day. Matthew places it "in the days of Herod the king" (Matthew 2:1), again without a date.

People do try to work it out from two clues, and neither one settles it:

• The shepherds in the field. Luke 2:8 says they were "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." Some readers argue that this rules out winter. Others reply that the text gives no climate or season, so it can't decide the question.
• The sixth month. Luke 1:26 and 1:36 say that Gabriel came to Mary in the sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy. Some try to build a calendar from the priestly duties of Zacharias in Luke 1:5-8, but Luke doesn't give the year or the week, so these calculations rest on assumptions.

Billy Graham's ministry puts it simply: "The exact date of Jesus' birth is not recorded in the Scriptures." That's the safest statement. Anyone who claims certainty about the date from the Bible alone is claiming more than the text gives.

Where December 25 came from

This part is church history rather than Scripture, so hold it with a looser grip. The first firm record of a Christmas celebration on December 25 is a Roman almanac entry for the year 336, which reads "natus Christus in Betleem Judeae" ("Christ born in Bethlehem of Judea").

Why that date? Historians offer two main explanations, and they still disagree.

Christian writers can be found on each side of this. The Billy Graham answer linked above mentions Roman festivals as part of the background, while a piece in Christian Network Europe argues against the idea of pagan origins altogether.

The point for your own conscience is smaller than the debate. Even if the date had been chosen to compete with a pagan feast, that wouldn't make a celebration of Christ pagan. Christians aren't worshiping Saturn on December 25. They're reading Luke 2.

Why some Christians don't celebrate Christmas

This isn't a fringe worry, and it deserves respect. Serious Bible readers have refused to keep Christmas, and for reasons they took from Scripture.

The best-known American example is Puritan New England. The Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law in 1659 with a five-shilling fine for keeping Christmas, and it was repealed in 1681 under pressure from London. The Puritans objected to the seasonal excess they saw, and to a holy day with no biblical authority behind it.

Today, Christians who don't keep the holiday usually make some mix of these points:

1. God sets the terms of worship. The Bible gives no command to mark this day, so they won't add it to the church calendar.
2. Birthdays in Scripture aren't a pattern. The word "birthday" appears 3 times in the KJV, for Pharaoh and for Herod (Genesis 40:20, Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:21), and each feast ends in a death. Others answer that this describes what happened without forbidding birthdays.
3. The customs aren't from the Bible. Trees and Santa don't come from the text.
4. The holiday has been commercialized. Many Christians on both sides of the question share this complaint.

What about Jeremiah 10:3-4, where one "cutteth a tree out of the forest" and "they deck it with silver and with gold"? It's often quoted against Christmas trees, but read verse 5. The passage is about carved idols that "speak not" and "must needs be borne, because they cannot go." Jeremiah is mocking the worship of wooden gods. It doesn't address a tree in your living room, and nobody is praying to one.

Why most evangelicals feel free to celebrate

The main passage is Paul's teaching on special days, and it speaks directly to this debate.

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Paul doesn't tell the Romans which group is right. He tells each one to be persuaded, and to do it "unto the Lord." He says something similar in Colossians 2:16-17, warning believers not to let anyone judge them over "an holyday," because those things are a shadow "but the body is of Christ."

Three other lines of thought usually come with it:

• Scripture itself celebrates this event. The angels' praise in Luke 2:13-14 and the shepherds' in Luke 2:20 are a response to the birth. A believer who thanks God for it is joining in something the Bible records with approval.
• God's people added remembrance days. Purim wasn't given through Moses. It was set up in the days of Esther, to be "remembered and kept throughout every generation" (Esther 9:28).
• It's a chance to point people to Jesus. Some people who rarely come to church will come on Christmas Eve. The Billy Graham answer calls the season "an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus and point others to faith in Him."

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

None of this makes Christmas required. A Christian who skips it isn't less faithful, and one who keeps it isn't compromised. If your conscience has drawn the line in another place, Romans 14 protects you too.

What to say when a friend says Christmas is pagan

Keep it short and don't try to win. Here's a reply you can use or adapt:

"You're right that the Bible doesn't give the date or tell us to keep the holiday, and I respect that you've thought about it. For me, Christmas is a chance to read Luke 2 and thank God for sending Jesus. Paul says in Romans 14 that we can keep a day to the Lord or not keep it to the Lord. I don't need you to do it my way, and I'd love to talk about Jesus either way."

Notice what this does. It agrees with what's true, keeps the argument on Scripture and returns to the person of Jesus. If the conversation continues, read Galatians 4:4-5 together and ask what they make of "God sent forth his Son."

How to keep Christmas in a way that fits the Bible

If you do celebrate, these five habits keep the text at the center. All of them work on a student budget, and in a small apartment.

1. Read the actual passages. Isaiah 9:1-7, Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 2:1-12 and John 1:1-14. Our Christmas Bible reading plan spreads them across December.
2. Learn what was promised. The prophecies about the birth of Jesus show how far back this story goes.
3. Set aside time on the night itself. Our Christmas Eve devotional takes 15 minutes with Luke 2, and you can use it with family or friends.
4. Keep the message plain. "Saviour" means someone who rescues. Matthew 1:21 says he came to "save his people from their sins," and Romans 6:23 calls eternal life "the gift of God."
5. Tell someone. Luke 2:17 says the shepherds "made known abroad the saying." Inviting a friend to a Christmas service is a modern version of that, and our guide on how to share your faith at Christmas gives you the words.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Want a lighter way to test what you've learned here? Our Christmas Bible trivia has a myth-or-text round, and the Gospel of Matthew quiz and the wise men story page cover the other half of the account.

Quick quiz: Matthew

What does the name “Emmanuel,” given to Jesus, mean?

“The LORD saves”“Prince of Peace”“God with us”“Son of David”

What gifts do the magi offer the young child?

Gold, frankincense and myrrhSilver, wine and oilGold, silver and pearlsFrankincense, spikenard and aloes

How is Matthew described in the list of the twelve apostles in his own Gospel?

The fishermanThe CanaaniteThe carpenterThe publican

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

The app's Bible assistant, clearly labeled as AI, can answer follow-up questions and show you the verses it relies on, so you can check them yourself. Its reader, characters and stories cover the rest of the Bible too.

Frequently asked questions

Is the word Christmas in the Bible?

No. The word "Christmas" doesn't appear anywhere in the King James Bible, and neither does "December." The event it refers to, the birth of Jesus, is recorded in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The name and the date of the holiday come from later church history, with the first firm December 25 record dating from the year 336.

Does the Bible say Jesus was born on December 25?

No. Neither Matthew nor Luke gives a month or a day. Luke 2:1-2 places the birth under Caesar Augustus, and Matthew 2:1 places it in the days of Herod the king. The shepherds in the field (Luke 2:8) are sometimes used to argue against winter, but the text itself doesn't settle the season.

Is it a sin to celebrate Christmas?

The Bible doesn't call it a sin. Romans 14:5-6 says that one person esteems a day and another doesn't, and each should be "fully persuaded in his own mind" and act "unto the Lord." Most evangelicals feel free to celebrate on that basis. Others in good conscience choose not to, and Paul tells both groups not to judge each other.

Is Christmas a pagan holiday?

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, recorded in Matthew and Luke, so its subject isn't pagan. Historians debate why December 25 was chosen. Some point to Roman winter festivals, while others point to an early Christian calculation from March 25. Either way, no Christian worships a Roman god at Christmas, and Scripture judges worship by its object.

Did the first Christians celebrate Christmas?

The New Testament doesn't record any yearly celebration of Jesus' birth. Acts and the letters focus on his death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The earliest firm evidence of a December 25 celebration is a Roman almanac entry for 336, although some scholars point to earlier writers who discussed the date.

Does the Bible say anything against Christmas trees?

Not directly. Jeremiah 10:3-4 describes cutting a tree and decking it with silver and gold, but verse 5 shows that these are idols that "speak not" and must be carried. The passage condemns worshiping man-made gods. A Christian may still choose to skip a tree, but this text isn't about Christmas, which didn't exist when Jeremiah wrote.