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Particulars of Christianity:
305 Liberty in Christ


Christianizing" Pagan Practices

Liberty in Christ: Extended Introduction
Liberty in Christ: Introduction
Definitions and New Testament Survey
Synonyms for Liberty in Christ
Liberty and Death
Liberty, the Law, and the 10 Commandments
Origin of the Law of Liberty
Liberty and Yet Prohibition
Incorporating Pagan Practices in the Old Testament
"Christianizing" Pagan Practices
What is Observing Times?
Liberty, Bondage, and Righteousness
Liberty and Meat Sacrificed to Idols
Liberty and 1 Corinthians 8
Liberty, 1 Corinthians 10, and Idolatry
Liberty, 1 Corinthians 10, and Your Neighbor
Summary and Practical Applications
Addendum: Romans 14, the Conscience, and Morality



We should note at this point that for a Christian to practice a pagan holiday inherently involves breaking Deuteronomy 12:29-32. Why? Because a Christian celebrating a pagan holiday would be worshipping God on a day that was originally dedicated to a pagan idol. Therefore, the "Christianizing" of a pagan holiday automatically involves taking something pagans do unto there gods (or idols) and doing it unto the Lord. And Deuteronomy 12:29-32 prohibits that exact practice.

Earlier in our study, we noted that the only commandment out of the original 10 Commandments that the New Testament writers did not uphold as binding on Christians was the command to honor the Sabbath. To substantiate that assertion we looked at Romans 14 and Colossians 2.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

Colossians 2:16 demonstrates that Christians were free to practice Jewish Holy Days including Sabbaths. However, Romans 14, particularly verses 5 and 6, demonstrates that Christians were not to condemn each other for whether or not they kept Jewish Holy Days including the Sabbath.

Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 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.
...13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

From this examination of Colossians 2 and Romans 14, we concluded that the "permissible holidays" spoken of in Romans 14 were Jewish Holidays. Or in other words, when Paul states, "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," Paul is referring not to pagan holidays, but to Jewish holidays. Further evidence that this is the case comes from the fact that the eating or not eating issue also mentioned in Romans 14 involves whether or not Christians were required to keep Jewish dietary laws. Thus, it is likely that from start to finish, Romans 14 is discussing whether or not Christians were required to keep Jewish Holiday requirements and Jewish dietary requirements. Thus, Romans 14 would have nothing to do with whether or not Christians could practice idolatrous holidays.

But we must go farther to prove the point. Consider the following instructions from Paul in Galatians 4.

Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Paul starts off this passage of Galatians by referring to a time when the Galatians served "them which by nature are no gods."

1 Corinthians 10:19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

By this phrase "by nature are no gods," Paul is referring to the so-called "gods" of the pagans, who as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 10, are not really gods at all, but devils posing as gods. But we will examine 1 Corinthians 10 in greater detail, later on in this study.

Now, in verse 9, Paul again uses the word "bondage," which in this case is the Greek word "douleuo" (Strong's No. 1398.) Douleou means "to be a slave" and is closely related to two other Greek words that we covered earlier in our study. The first is "katadouloo" (Strong's No. 2615), which occurs in Galatians 2:4 and means "to enslave." The second is "douleia" (Strong's No. 1397), which occurs in Romans 8:15 and means "slavery." Like douleou, which occurs here in Galatians 4:9, both katadouloo and douleia come from the same root word, "doulos" (Strong's No. 1401), which means, "slave."

Since Paul's use of "kataduoloo" and "douleia" in Galatians 2:4 and Romans 8:15 occur in the midst of passages discussing our liberty in Christ, we can see that Paul's words here in Galatians 4 also relate to that same topic, liberty in Christ.

In Galatians 2:4 Paul was talking about Jewish Christians who were visiting the Galatians from Jerusalem. These Jewish Christians were pressuring the Galatians to observe the Jewish dietary laws. So, in the context of Galatians 2, the bondage is "enslavement" to the Law of Moses. However, as we have shown above, Paul is referring to a time when the Galatians served the false gods of paganism. So, the bondage Paul is speaking of in Galatians 4 is not a bondage to the Law of Moses, but a bondage to pagan practices.

And, as we have seen, in a very real sense, with regard to the Law of Moses, our liberty in Christ makes us free FROM the both the legally prescribed death penalty AND the regulations of Law of Moses (with the exception of the 10 Commandments, which were included in the Law of Christ.) And, with regard to paganism, our liberty in Christ makes us free FROM our sinful past and free TO obey God as what Paul calls "slaves of righteousness." And we'll discuss that more later on in our study when we cover the third aspect of our threefold conclusion about what it means to have "liberty in Christ."

But what is it that Paul feels is bringing the Galatians back into bondage to their former pagan ways? The answer comes clearly in verse 10.

Galatians 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The element of pagan idolatry that Paul fears the Galatians might once again becoming "in bondage" to is the "observation of days, and months, and times, and years." In fact, Paul finds this observation of days, months, times, and years so troubling that he fears he has bestowed his labor in vain upon the Galatians. In other words, the Galatians' return to the pagan practice of celebrating days, months, and times, and years is so "unchristian" that Paul is afraid they are nullifying their acceptance of the very Gospel he has labored to preach and teach to them.

That's a pretty powerful fact.

And there's one more thing to state at this point. Certainly the Jews to had their monthly new moon festivals, their annual feasts such as Passover, and their weekly Sabbaths. But that is clearly not the "observing of days, and months, and times, and years" that Paul is speaking about here.

First of all, as we have pointed out, Paul begins this passage in verse 8 by referring to the Galatians former service to the false gods of paganism. So, when Paul says the Galatians might be slipping back into bondage to paganism by "observing days, months, times, and years," we know Paul is talking about the pagan observations of days, months, times, and years. Paul is not talking about Jewish monthly new moon festivals or annual feast days.

Second, as we have also pointed out earlier, in Colossians 2:16, Paul states:

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.

Here in Colossians 2:16 we find a very clear statement by Paul that the Jewish annual feast days and new moons were acceptable. Thus, it cannot be the Jewish annual and monthly holidays that Paul is regarding as a return to bondage and condemning the Galatians for here in Galatians 4.

So, if the "days, months, times, and years" that the Galatians were being condemned for observing are not Jewish holidays, then they must be the pagan holidays, just as verse 8 also indicates. And, since Paul is condemning the Galatians for their observation of pagan holidays here in Galatians 4, then Paul cannot be condoning the practice of pagan holidays "unto God" when he writes, "He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord" in Romans 14. Quite simply, Paul cannot condemn the Galatians practice of pagan holidays as a form of bondage in Galatians 4 while at the same time condoning the practice of pagan holidays as "a liberty" in Romans 14.

Remember, both the Romans and the Galatians Paul was writing to were Christians. So, either it is wrong for Christians to incorporate pagan holidays into their worship of God or it is not. It cannot be both. And by equating the Galatians return to pagan holidays as "bondage" in Galatians 4, Paul is clearly stating that such a practice is wrong and contrary to the Law of Liberty that Christians have in Christ. In fact, it is wrong to the point that Paul fears it may nullify his labor for the salvation of the Galatians.