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Should Christians Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? |
Who was Saint Patrick? Historically, we don't know if he was a Christian, or just some man following some ritualistic religion that was one of the many roads to hell. Most people who call themselves a "Christian" are not born again, and thus not saved, or heaven bound. Satan, the slick semantics serpent, has succeeded in changing what the word "Christian" means, to many people. Thankfully, the Lord God gave us all the desire to seek, and if we follow that desire, and truly seek Him, we can open the Holy King James Bible and learn about the Truth for ourselves. Praise God for that.
Was this Saint Patrick a Christian? I don't know. Further, which Saint Patrick is the day supposedly celebrating?
"Most available details of his life are from subsequent hagiographies, and these are now not accepted without detailed criticism. The Annals of Ulster state that he arrived in Ireland in 432, ministered in Ulster around 443, and died in 457 or 461. The text, however, distinguishes between "Old Patrick" and "Patrick, archapostle of the Scots," who died in 492. The actual dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty but, on a widespread interpretation, he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the 5th century." -Source - Wikipedia - Saint Patrick.
We have stories about this Mr. Patrick, such as driving the snakes from Ireland, and his parable teachings, using a shamrock in an object lesson, etc. We don't know how authentic such stories are, or how many of them are just made up.
What really matters, however, is WHY have a Saint Patrick's Day? I do not know if Mr. Patrick was really a saint, or not, since it's not up to the Roman Catholic church, or any other church to decide who is a saint, and who isn't. The Bible is crystal clear that a saint is a born again Christian. I am saint Candy. If you are saved, then you are saint so and so, and so on. Saint is a name given to me in the Holy Word of God. I was not canonized so from an apostate church. In fact, the Bible uses the word saint for Christians, way more often then it uses the word Christian for Christians.
According to the Word of God, I am also sister Candy. I am not a nun, nor did any church ordain me a sister. I am simply sister Candy to my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am not sister Candy to anyone outside of the faith, however I still would remain saint Candy, either way. Saint denotes salvation, and is the main term in the Bible for Christians. Sister and brother are for Christians/saints, in their relationship to one another.
Again, was Mr. Patrick a saint? I don't know. I don't know if he was saved, or even if such a man really existed. For all I know, he could simply be a conglomeration of several men, through the centuries, all globbed into one man.
Why have a Saint Patrick's Day? What about our missionary Christians of today, who are laboring on the foreign field? A missionary friend of mine recently returned from a foreign country where hundreds got saved through his ministry. Since the beginning of his ministry, thousands have come to saving faith in Christ. Why doesn't that saint get a day?
Saint Patrick is called a "saint," because the Roman Catholic church says he is. This tells me he likely wasn't saved, but hopefully I'm wrong. Roman Catholicism is not Christian - I learned this by reading the Bible. Her sister churches also see Mr. Patrick as a patron saint. Sainting people in this fashion is against Scripture.
Should Christians celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? No. It's not a Christian holiday. It is a Roman Catholic one, which is also partaken of her sister churches the protestants, such as Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglican Communion, Lutheran, and more.
I don't know about you, dear reader, but I am not a Roman Catholic, so why would I celebrate their holidays? Further, I am not a protestant. The Protestant Movement started from people who realized that Roman Catholicism was not in alignment with the Bible, so they broke from that church, and started their own churches. Unfortunately, all protestant churches still have many vestiges of Roman Catholicism in them, to varying degrees. They never made a complete or clean break.
I am a born again Christian, after the line of Acts chapter two and beyond, of the Scriptural Christian Church established after Jesus' resurrection, before there was a such thing as a Roman Catholic church. How about you?
In closing, celebrating holidays of other religions is akin to following after their traditions and their gods. Certainly, you could say that you worship the One, true God, but if so, why follow holidays (which means holy days) of apostate religions? Read the Bible - it's repeated over and over again, about how our Lord is a God of love, but He is also a jealous God. He wants our hearts perfect for Him.
"It’s like a person building a house by digging deep and laying the foundation on bedrock. When the flood came, the rising water smashed against that house, but the water couldn’t shake the house because it was well built. 49 But those who don’t put into practice what they hear are like a person who built a house without a foundation. The floodwater smashed against it and it collapsed instantly. It was completely destroyed." -Luke 6:48-49 CEB
"The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock! Let my God, the rock of my salvation, be lifted high!" -2 Samuel 22:47 CEB
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -John 8:32 CEB
"Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6 CEB |
The terms "Christian" and "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" have been thrown around so much, that for many people, they have lost their original savor. What is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Is it going to church? Is it being a "good person?" Is it via doing certain rituals, or following certain traditions? No, it is so much simpler than that.
Jesus says:
"Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me." -Revelation 3:20 CEB
Let Jesus into your heart and life. Put your faith and trust in Him, and in Him alone.
Why did Jesus Christ come to this earth? He came to pay for our sins. Have you ever broken any of the Ten Commandments? Did you know that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that just looking at someone with lust in your heart is the same thing as committing adultery in your heart?
Many people will say I'm a good person. Sure, I've stolen a few paper clips in my time, and I've told some lies, but I've never killed anyone, so I'm good enough for heaven. Don't be so sure. Have you ever felt hatred toward someone? If so, then you are guilty of committing murder in your heart:
"Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life residing in them." -1 John 3:15 CEB
If you have stolen, lied, lusted after someone, hated someone, loved someone or something more than God, etc., then you have broken at least 5 of the Ten Commandments. Do you really think you'd make it to heaven? Not according to God's Word:
"Don’t you know that people who are unjust won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, both participants in same-sex intercourse, thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won’t inherit God’s kingdom." -1 Corinthians 6:9-10 CEB
But there is good news:
"That is what some of you used to be! But you were washed clean, you were made holy to God, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." -1 Corinthians 6:11 CEB
We are all sinners:
"All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory" -Romans 3:23 CEB
Even Mary, the woman chosen by God to be a vessel that would carry Jesus in her womb, was a sinner, and in need of a Savior:
"In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior." - Mary said this in Luke 1:47 (CEB). Only sinners need a Savior, and Mary also accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior.
We are all imperfect, fallible sinners:
"This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." -1 John 1:5-8 CEB
The blood of Jesus Christ is what cleanses us from all sins. Jesus came to this earth to die to pay for our sins. You see, Leviticus tells us that 'the life is in the blood,' and that it takes spilt blood to atone for sin.
When we choose to truly believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and to live our lives for Christ, then Christ's spilt blood cleanses us from our sins:
"Come now, and let’s settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool." -Isaiah 1:18 CEB
Jesus tells us this:
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son." - Jesus said this, in John 3:16-18 (CEB)
Paul gives us a simple "step by step process" on how to be saved:
"Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation. The scripture says, All who have faith in him won’t be put to shame." -Romans 10:9-11 CEB
Jesus is our one and only mediator:
"There is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the human Christ Jesus" -1 Timothy 2:5 CEB
Jesus is our High Priest:
"Also, let’s hold on to the confession since we have a great high priest who passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son; because we don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin." -Hebrews 4:14-15 CEB
We are to follow the Lord and the Bible, not traditions of people:
"Jesus replied, “Why do you break the command of God by keeping the rules handed down to you?" -Matthew 15:3 CEB
Jesus is God:
"Without question, the mystery of godliness is great: he was revealed as a human, declared righteous by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached throughout the nations, believed in around the world, and taken up in glory." -1 Timothy 3:16 CEB
If Jesus isn't the Lord of your life, then I hope that you will let Him into your heart and life this very moment.
"But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 CEB
Have you built your foundation on the Rock of Salvation?
Jesus is the way. If you would like to receive Jesus into your heart and life, then let Him know. Pray to the Lord, telling Him that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and that you believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty for your sins. Tell this to God in your own words, from your heart.
"The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23 CEB
Believe, and Receive:
"You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ." -Ephesians 1:13 CEB
When you believe on Jesus Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit. You are sealed as a child of God.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior, and you believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place, to pay the death penalty for your sins, and that Christ rose from the dead three days later, and you are ready to let Him lead your life, and you will live for Him, then you are saved, and born again.
