'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.' (2 Cor. 6:14-18)
To put it in plain English: what are you doing hanging out with nonChristians and acting like they do? Why are you celebrating their holidays and walking in harmony with them?
One of the problems with today's (false) 'just as you are' gospel, is that people are not understanding that God isn't so desperate to have a family that He's bending over backwards and saying 'PLEASE get saved. I need you. You don't need to change. Just accept me.'
On the contrary, God has a very specific desire: that we become His children, and once again be conformed to His likeness (as Adam and Eve were, before they sinned). He wants children that pursue righteousness and holiness--not children that happily wallow in the filth of sin, perversion, uncleanness, and idolatry, like the heathen do.
YOU may like Christmas plenty. You may love this or that about it. It pleases your flesh. But it's not about YOU! As Christians, we are supposed to live our lives in such a way that we bring glory to GOD. Christmas does NOT glorify God.
If you are holding onto your 'right' to celebrate it, then you are acting like a petulant, spoiled child who is more concerned about what YOU want, than about pleasing your loving, gracious, and HOLY Father!
As with earthly fathers who bear with their children when they are acting spoiled and selfish, I believe God will bear with you. But that surely doesn't mean He's PLEASED with you. He expects you to one day mature to the point where you change your attitude, and He will discipline and chastise you throughout your life until you do.
