Lesson 3

Faith and trust are two very strong human emotions. As with steel, their strength comes with brittle fragility and will fracture easily. Once trust has been broken through an act of dishonesty, it is often unrepairable. At the very least, it will take many acts of repeated honesty to repair. When we are dishonest with others in small mundane matters, they will have no faith in us when we discuss important subjects. Continuous repetition of accurate information is essential to build personal or institutional trust. We also need to accurately verify information we repeat. Each person may have their own personal choices with matters like what type of tea tastes the best, but when discussing historical topics Christians need to relay accurate facts. When supporting common myths like Christmas, we should make it known we are passing along unverified information, not historically accurate events. Where does the Bible describe the number of magi that came to Bethlehem, how old was Jesus when they saw him, was he still in a manger? These are just a few questions where the traditions are believed and most Christians repeat them as truth. I believe Christians should always use a disclaimer like, this is when we choose to celebrate, or we celebrate as tradition demands, rather than repeating the tradition as truth. How would you word a sentence to make it clear most Christmas traditions as practiced are not Bible based? Practice doing some research on your own to answer the following questions. Would knowing the true history of Christmas make it less appealing to celebrate? Does the world celebrate Christmas for its religious beliefs or to just have a good time? Where, and around what year did celebrating Christmas become a popular social custom? Why do secular influences keep Christmas popular in our society? 

Luke 16:10-11 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
10 He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the [case of] unrighteous mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions), who will entrust to you the true riches?

Proverbs 12:17 Christian Standard Bible
17 Whoever speaks the truth declares what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.

Psalm 15:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible
2 The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart—

Ephesians 4:25 Living Bible
25 Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves.