Just Because I Said Merry Christmas

Good morning friends and family. It is just before sunrise here in Florida. Something has been on my heart since Christmas morning, and I need to speak to it. I had a disappointing conversation on Christmas morning, but I didn’t say anything that day because I wasn’t going to let it ruin my family’s Christmas. I am writing this as a warning, so you can be aware of the legalistic Pharisee type “believers” that are out here on WordPress. I have encountered these people before, and I am tired of dealing with them. My hope is that this will encourage you all to live in the grace and peace of Jesus, and not let judgmental hypocritical finger pointers shake your faith.

On Christmas morning I spent time wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as a blessing of peace and joy. 99% of you responded in the same heart of Christ’s love and fellowship. Unfortunately, there is a crew of Pharisee types here on WordPress that are very hateful about Christmas. They like to shame believers in Christ for celebrating Jesus on Christmas, and they misuse Scripture to brow beat us with their condemning judgments. When I first started blogging back in August of 2018, I encountered an entire gaggle of these so called believers and I learned an important lesson from those conversations. I don’t put up with these people. I simply speak the truth to them, then wipe the dust of my feet off and move on.

What really bothers me is that these false preaching haters can possibly hurt younger believers who don’t yet have the experience or knowledge to deal with them. Legalistic people are bullies who speak their condemning comments with a heart full of bitterness. They are easy to spot because they do not speak the truth in love. Most of the time, for some strange reason, they are women. Maybe that is one of the reasons the Apostle Paul said women should be quiet in church. There are a lot of legalistic women who are puffed up in their arrogance and they love running their mouths at strong men who love Jesus. As I said, I don’t put up with them. I do, however, rebuke their hypocritical comments and put them in their place if I have to.

“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”

-The Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:11-14

It was truly disappointing that this happened on Christmas morning, of all days, and it’s a good thing that the Lord has made me strong in His grace, and I know exactly who I am in Christ. These people don’t shake my faith. After 24 years walking with Jesus, they are just one more legalistic hypocrite that the Lord always gives me victory over.

After I said “Merry Christmas” to this person who I thought was my sister in Christ, she told me I was deceived by satan and disobedient to the Lord for wishing her that blessing. Think about that for a moment. She judged and condemned me just because I said “Merry Christmas” with great joy in my heart in celebration of my Lord and Savior. She told me God was not amused with disobedience, and she even admitted that her heart doesn’t show much love “when it comes to my brethren being deceived by satan.” She should have stopped right there because that is exactly the problem. She wasn’t speaking truth in love. She was speaking condemnation in legalistic hatred. Good thing I am strong in Christ and I know the difference. A younger believer could have been hurt by her comments.

Here is her comment to me after I wished her a Merry Christmas on her blog:

“I don’t celebrate this admixture pagan/papist/traditions of men “holy” day. As a Christian, neither should you. God is not amused with disobedience. Let me send you a dear sister’s post with scriptures, though not exhaustive, but surely from a loving heart (mine doesn’t seem to show much when it comes to my brethren being deceived by satan; for the Christ of Christ Mass is not our Beloved Lord and Savior Jesus of the Bible).”

Then she left a link to a blog post by one of her legalistic friends as a way to prove why she feels it is okay to make such condemning legalistic comments to her brothers and sisters in Christ. I didn’t visit her friend’s blog because I have dealt with this before and I don’t need to read such trash. This arrogant woman should not presume to tell me what I should or should not be doing as a Christian. She is not above me in the Lord and that is not her place. The Lord did not put up with such Pharisee hypocrites either.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

-Jesus speaking in Matthew 23:27-28

Here is my reply to her legalistic comment to me:

“I don’t appreciate your legalistic judgment on me. I am not being deceived by satan or anyone else. I love Jesus with all of my heart. If you don’t know that by now, then you don’t know me at all and you haven’t been listening to what the Lord preaches through me on my blog. I am not a Catholic or a pagan. I am not disobeying the Lord. You might want to check your heart before you go pointing your finger at your brothers and sisters in Christ. I honor, glorify, and worship Jesus on this day and every day. I will not be following your blog anymore. Grace and peace to you.”

Keep in mind, this was Christmas morning. My wife and I had just enjoyed watching our beautiful children open their presents, and we were having a very blessed and joyful day celebrating Jesus and praising Him for all He has done for us. I wasn’t going to let her cruel judgmental comments ruin our day. She replied back with a bunch of other legalistic filth and called me her enemy. I did not respond again. She already called me disobedient, deceived, and displeasing to the Lord. There was no reason to continue the conversation after she called me her enemy too. Like I said, I don’t put up with these mouthy arrogant women. I stood firm in Jesus, and left her with my usual blessing of grace and peace, and that was that. She can go on and on if she wants to. She won’t be hearing from me again. Dust off my feet.

Let me be clear here, if you are legalistic like this arrogant woman, remove yourself from my blog and don’t come back. You will not get anywhere with me. You will just end up breaking yourself when you come against me. My face is set like flint, and I am strong in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who I love with all my heart. You will not shake me, but you will be shaken.

I forgive this woman, and I pray for her that the Lord will open her heart to the truth and fill her heart with love. I pray the Lord removes the bitterness and hatred that has taken root in her heart, and He would heal her from the legalism that binds her.

I will continue to worship, honor, and glorify Jesus on Christmas and every day of the year, and I will continue to bless people in the Name of Jesus by saying Merry Christmas. In a culture that is doing everything they can to remove Jesus from society, I will stand firm in Christ. I will not help the world cancel Jesus. He will never be cancelled! He will reign forever, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! I love Jesus so much I can’t even express it in words. His immense grace, mercy, and forgiveness is flowing in my heart, and I will stand strong in His beautiful love.

If you are a new believer in Jesus, and this has happened to you, don’t let it shake your faith. There are many legalistic false preachers out here, and they do not represent the whole of Christianity. They are hateful and spiteful people who love pointing their fingers at true believers. They cause division and sow discord, and they will reap what they sow. Stand firm in the grace of Jesus Christ. God looks at our hearts and He knows us. There is nothing sinful, disobedient, or deceived about worshiping and honoring Jesus at Christmastime, and there is nothing wrong with saying Merry Christmas.

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

-The Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:1-3

May we keep our eyes on Jesus, speak the truth in love, and stand firm and be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! He is coming soon!

Grace and peace to you all!

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2024 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

51 thoughts on “Just Because I Said Merry Christmas”

      1. Malachi 3:16
        Then those who feared Jehovah spoke each one to his companion; and the LORD listened and heard, and a memory book was written before him for those who fear the LORD, and for those who think on his name.

        People prejudge without knowing, condemn without understanding the purpose of God’s Salvation, if people knew the origin of things they would not demonize things to that extreme, you should better know how that party originated or where that tradition comes from, in The truth is that the Lord Jesus Christ has been born in our hearts, it is more than just a passing celebration, more than merry Christmas in the month of December, it is celebrating each day with actions of Grace in praise and adoration of God, I love Christmas is the time of year that I like to live more, which made the birth of our Lord and Savior more important, it should be celebrated with the highest honor and joy, it is more than commerce, it is more than drink or food, it is eternal Salvation, it is being written in the memory book, the prophecy that the virgin was going to get and give birth to the savior of the world was fulfilled, what date is it, what month it is, it is not the date or the month, it is only the most important fact for humanity, the savior of the world humbled He cried to the lowest to give us the opportunity that Adam lost through sin in the Garden of Eden, Christ has given us the opportunity of redemption something that we were not going to be able to pay for what he had to pay with his life to rescue ours. , MERRY CHRISTMAS TODAY TOMORROW AND ETERNALLY MERRY CHRISTMAS ….. IT MEANS THE BIRTH OF OUR FREEDOM OF OUR ETERNAL SALVATION …..

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  2. Grace and peace be to you too. Amen to this. I encountered some people too who think this way that it is wrong to celebrate Christmas because they say it is of pagan tradition. But, same as you, knowing Jesus as our Lord who is full of grace and love, we do not rest in this narrow and human thinking. It is the intention of the heart that matters to God. I celebrate Christmas not as a pagan tradition but in celebration og the greatest love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord!❤️🙏🏻
    May you bless more lives through your blogs.

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  3. Well said in love. The fact that we are confronted with such people should encourage us, satan uses them to attack those who are causing him problems! Keep looking forward and upward brother, God bless you and your family now and in 2021.

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  4. I’m sorry you had to go through this and after such a hard year. Ryan, my husband and I have been brutally bruised by legalistic “Christians” more than and other type of people. We have been judged and ripped apart so badly, and I’m sad for the Pharisees out there who judge because I know how Jesus feels about that. Bless you Brother and I hope you did have a good Christmas.🌲

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  5. I pray I don’t ever run up against such things in here. I can see the ones that I have wanted to stay away from. I grew up when they started changing Christmas Break to Holiday Break in light of many people’s beliefs. I never could understand it either. Still don’t. Anyways I am sorry you had to endure this. There will always be those true to the heart of Jesus, and those whom may seem as if. Sheep in wolves clothing. I believe we will see more of these than we ever have before. Merry Christmas, and Happy New. I hope this coming New Year is a blessed one for you, and your family! Lisa

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      1. It was a great share, a needed one too. My husband and I talked for over an hour about what this upcoming Presidency means for us, and what is happening in God’s world. Jesus is not even slowly being removed he just is being removed. We pray daily for the defense needed upon leaving our home each day, as the world is mad. The most crazed I have seen it, and I believe it will only get worse. I will cling to Jesus at all costs. My whole purpose in this life is Jesus. I want to be that “Jesus Freak”. I want to be the one who keeps on keeping on. I have seen people that I thought were just as the same heart falling all around me. I don’t judge, I pray. As it does say few will be left standing in the end. Biden and Harris may have taken office or will be, but God has ALL authority! This is world! May we always say Merry Christmas, and have the freedom to worship our Lord! May our feet not grow weary, and you keep doing just as you did. Wisdom and discernment will be mighty tools in the days to come! Amen!

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  7. First off, I am so happy that you and all our families had a wonderful, beautiful Christmas Eve and Christmas day celebrating the day of our Savior’s birth….”Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!”
    So many things were going through my mind as I was reading your blog. Satan has got ahold of these so called legalistic Christians, and he used one of them to try and ruin your Christmas, not only didn’t it work, but the Holy Spirit moved you to rebuke the hate of this person and set them straight by speaking the truth with boldness, firmness, and love, and then dust off your feet. No true Christian preaches God’s Word with that much hate and condemnation, God is about love as we all are grateful for. I pray these legalistic believers see the true light one day! We Christians never doubt the depths of God’s love, and I pray the truth will be put on their hearts for these people are being misguided by Satan. I pray they will then see their wrongdoing and then speak the real truth of God’s love. We happily celebrate baby Jesus with our Merry Christmas greetings as we spread good cheer, hope and faith, and God’s love (as He tells us to do). We do his with joy and love in our hearts for Jesus as we decorate our Christmas trees, hang green wreaths on our doors with bright red bows, exchange gifts with loved ones, share prayer with our brothers and sisters in Christ, glorious voices of song all praising God and the birth of Jesus, Lord of Lords, and King of kings! “Thank you God for loving us so much you gave us your only son, Jesus!” Amen. There is a reason Christmas is our favorite time of year. Praise God!

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  8. Hey, Ryan!
    I saw this exchange on Christmas Day and was praying it did not affect your day (I had an encounter with said person on Christmas Eve). I have absolutely no how people could be so rude and hurtful! Regardless of the day, it is historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed born (regardless of what day). To persecute believers for celebrating the birth of their Savior is uncalled for. If someone feels convicted not to partake in Christmas that is fine; however, to lord it over someone they should not celebrate because it’s pagan and idolatrous is wrong. Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. Now, more than ever, people need to hear that Truth. I just got back from spending time with my brother and his family, who before Covid I hadn’t seen in over 5 years. If these women want to call me a pagan and heretic for showing Jesus’s love to my family, then they may gladly do so. I am sorry this happened to you, Ryan! I am thankful for your heart to speak out on this! If I may add, if anyone tells a young believer they are not saved because of the Bible translation they use (the KJV only people love to accuse non users that they are wrong) this should be rejected. I am glad you are no longer following these folks! I have spoken to my family about how these women are harming the cause of Christ and I have been following Christ as long as you have and I was taken aback by their attitude. There’s even a Christmas haters website. Anyway, sorry for this long comment, I am thankful for you!

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    1. Thank you, sister! I truly appreciate your comment! Yes, most of these people are also part of what I call the KJV only cult. They are also dead wrong about that. If they want to be real specific, they should be using the Geneva Bible that came before the KJV. Do they not understand that they didn’t speak in old English during Bible times? I wholeheartedly agree with you that their views on Bible translations should also be rejected, thank you! They think saying things like “thee” and “unto” make them better for some ridiculous reason. As you said, they are most definitely harming the cause of Christ with their legalistic hatred. Thank you for standing firm in Christ, and thanks for your encouragement! God bless you and your family!

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  9. I wonder if anti-Christmas “Christians” use the pagan names for months and days, like “Thor’s day” and “Janus-uary” ?? Let’s have some consistency!

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  10. Amen! Never stop writing or believing. Stay true to yourself. Continue to pray for those who do not know better. They are the one’s who run from God. If only they knew that no one can hide from God.
    God Bless.

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  11. Sorry you have dealt with this kind of behavior…Some people love contention, and it’s easier to condemn others than for them to take a deep look within. It’s easy to talk the talk, but what’s in the heart will surely come out. Jesus is love. And we are to love as Christ. God Bless you, Ryan.

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  12. Hi Ryan, I am truly sorry on Christmas day you encountered such. I am glad that our Lord Jesus, gave you the strength to move forward without skipping a beat and that you were able to enjoy time with your family in celebration of our Lord. Jesus Christ!

    I also wanted to thank you for your prayer support with my leg recovery… I am truly thankful I can call you a brother through Christ.

    God Bless! To you and your family.

    Sincerely
    Mikel,

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  13. Hi Ryan. I was so saddened to read your post. It has upset me to think that there are brothers and sisters who seem to have lost their first love and are putting legalism before Christ. None of us started our faith journey in that way. We were all sinners saved by grace who are now working out our salvation with the help of the Holy Spirit. I have not come across these posts but from what you have said there seems to be a bitterness and lack of grace operating which is then turning into hatred for other believers in Christ who don’t share the same views. This is such a dangerous and divisive thing within the body of Christ. As you say we must not put stumbling blocks in each other’s way. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Let us grow up in Him, the Head and put all of this at His feet. Bless you and your lovely family. P.s I love your mum’s posts x

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  14. Ryan, I am so glad to read you did not allow these hurtful comments about Christmas to affect your Christmas celebrations with your family. Is not worth it.
    Unfortunately the behaviour of some “Christians” is shameful. Jesus said “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
    ‭‭if one doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas for whatever reason, fine, but condemning those that do is falling into the trap of self righteous laid by Satan as he watches and laughs.
    Blessings brother continue to stand firm in the Lord as you share the gospel with the world.

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  15. I used to feel guilty for celebrating Christmas. I learned that it was “bad” from other women. Then I learned about legalism . Then I let go of legalism. Most of those women are quite miserable. I’m joyful in the freedom to celebrate and speak about my savior’s birth even if Satan and the world has twisted it into something else.

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  17. Greetings Ryan, I am sorry to hear that you have encountered this kind of bullying, particularly with women. I have also experienced such women in my blog; most of the time, I delete their comments and not even entertain them. I also take time to worship God on Christmas day and focus my eyes on Christ with an understanding that He permitted this day. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Guilt and condemnation are not our portions. May you continue to harvest for the kingdom of God, for indeed the harvest is plenty, and there are few laborers.

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  18. I have experienced the same legalistic nonsense. It saddens me because people who are younger believers could fall prey to this and walk away from the Lord. Pray for them and like you said, wipe the dust off of your feet. As you and I well know, God will judge them. God bless you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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  19. Sorry you experienced that. I recently saw a Christian on Twitter claim that people will go to hell for celebrating Christmas. I left a couple short-but-to-the-point comments and never heard back.
    I cringe thinking about how I used to be similar.

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  20. I celebrate Christmas in honor of Christ. I do not care when he was born I am just happy that he did. I do not care about his color either I am just happy that he saved me. So if we put aside a day to celebrate Christ nothing is wrong with that. you just keep on living my brother and don’t allow anything negative to hinder you. Blessings always.

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