As the Christmas season progresses, we are reminded of a lady we once knew who was quite persuaded as to the biblical proscription of Christmas trees. Had not the Lord himself commanded: "Learn not the ways of the heathen... for one cuts a tree out of the forest," subsequent to which "they deck it with silver and gold" (Jer. 10:2-4)?
The the passage's objective had nothing to do with Christmas trees and everything to do with Israel's propensity for abandoning God in the interest of worshiping humanly fashioned idols seemed, somehow, to escape her - as did also the fact that Christmas observance in any form or expression was, at that time, yet centuries in the future.
It is not as though the lady's failure to define Scripture in terms of context was (or is) all that unique. For example, few statements of Scripture are more taken from context than John 3:3: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This, we are often advised, means that if one desires to go to heaven, he must become saved.
Again, meaning will be found in context. Jesus is here in discussion with Nicodemus, a prominent master (teacher) in Israel (vs. 10). Given his questions ("How can a man be born when he is old?"; "How can these things be?", etc.), it is evident that Nicodemus was experiencing a degree of difficulty with that which Jesus had to share - to which our Lord responded that spiritual truth is comprehended ("seen") only in consequence of one's having been made alive by the Spirit to the realm of divine rule and reign (i.e., "kingdom of God"). The issue at point here is not one's going to heaven.
As frequently the case, the apostle Paul later picks up on Jesus' words - in this instance to explain that, "the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God... because they are spiritually discerned." Indeed, the natural senses (physical sight, hearing, conscious perception, etc., I Cor. 2:9 quoting Isa. 64:4) lack an essential capacity for grasping spiritual insight and intent (vs. 14). "But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit... that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (vv. 10-12; i.e., Christ's being "made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," I Cor. 1:30). Despite the frequent misconception, the apostle's theme, once again, is not heaven's glories but rather role of the Spirit in leading believers into the knowledge and realities of divine grace.
(Paul will again expand upon Christ's words concerning God's kingdom and its role in the life of faith by noting that, "the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," Rom. 14:17. Perhaps more on this later.)
And finally...Yes, it is quite alright to have a Christmas tree.
Burl Ratzsch
