Lesson 11
Beliefs and Customs That Displease God
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What kind of beliefs and customs are wrong? (1) |
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Should Christians believe that God is a Trinity? (2) |
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Why do true Christians not celebrate Christmas, Easter, or birthdays? (3, 4) |
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Can the dead harm the living? (5) Did Jesus die on a cross? (6) |
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How important is it to please God? (7) |
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God is not a Trinity
Christmas and Easter come from ancient false religions
There is no reason to worship the dead or to fear them
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1. Not all beliefs and customs are bad. But God does not approve
of them if they come from false religion or are against Bible
teachings.—Matthew 15:6.
2. Trinity: Is Jehovah a Trinity—three persons in one God? No!
Jehovah, the Father, is "the only true God." (John 17:3;
Mark 12:29) Jesus is His firstborn Son, and he is subject to God.
(1 Corinthians 11:3) The Father is greater than the Son. (John
14:28) The holy spirit is not a person; it is God's active force.—Genesis
1:2; Acts 2:18.
3. Christmas and Easter: Jesus was not born on December 25. He
was born about October 1, a time of year when shepherds kept their
flocks out-of-doors at night. (Luke 2:8-12) Jesus never commanded
Christians to celebrate his birth. Rather, he told his disciples
to memorialize, or remember, his death. (Luke 22:19, 20) Christmas
and its customs come from ancient false religions. The same is
true of Easter customs, such as the use of eggs and rabbits. The
early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or Easter, nor do
true Christians today.
4. Birthdays: The only two birthday celebrations spoken of in
the Bible were held by persons who did not worship Jehovah. (Genesis
40:20-22; Mark 6:21, 22, 24-27) The early Christians did not celebrate
birthdays. The custom of celebrating birthdays comes from ancient
false religions. True Christians give gifts and have good times
together at other times during the year.
5. Fear of the Dead: The dead cannot do anything or feel anything.
We cannot help them, and they cannot hurt us. (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes
9:5, 10) The soul dies; it does not live on after death. (Ezekiel
18:4) But sometimes wicked angels, called demons, pretend to be
the spirits of the dead. Any customs that have to do with fear
of or worship of the dead are wrong.—Isaiah 8:19.
6. Cross: Jesus did not die on a cross. He died on a pole, or
a stake. The Greek word translated "cross" in many Bibles
meant just one piece of timber. The symbol of the cross comes
from ancient false religions. The cross was not used or worshiped
by the early Christians. Therefore, do you think it would be right
to use a cross in worship?—Deuteronomy 7:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14.
7. It may be very hard to abandon some of these beliefs and customs.
Relatives and friends may try to convince you not to change your
beliefs. But pleasing God is more important than pleasing men.—Proverbs
29:25; Matthew 10:36, 37.
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