# What does the Bible say about Christmas? > Christmas Bible verses on the birth of Jesus, from Isaiah’s promise to the manger, plus whether Christmas is biblical, why December 25, and how to keep it. Source: https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/christmas By Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin · October 29, 2026 Verses are chosen for the question being asked. Scripture on this site is quoted from the Lumin Translation, the same text as the public reader and the iPhone Bible tab: Lumin’s own translation, drafted with AI from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, checked verse by verse against them, and approved by Lumin. Glosses in answers are original summaries, not a second Bible. Open the named passage; AI is not the interpreter. [How we cite Scripture](https://www.lumin.faith/about#how-we-cite) The Bible tells the story of Christmas in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2: the angel’s message to Mary, the birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds, and the magi. It does not name a holiday or a date, and it never tells Christians to celebrate one. What it does give is the reason Christians have kept the feast for centuries: the Word became flesh. God did not save the world from a distance. He came as a baby, born to a young woman in a borrowed room. - [Read the Advent plan: 25 days to Christmas](https://www.lumin.faith/plans#advent.md) - [The Advent reading plan, day by day](https://www.lumin.faith/advent-reading-plan.md) - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) ## Bible verses about Christmas - **[Isaiah 9:6](https://www.lumin.faith/read/isaiah/9#6)** — A child is born to us, a son is given: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - **[Micah 5:2](https://www.lumin.faith/read/micah/5#2)** — From small Bethlehem will come a ruler whose origins go back to ancient days. - **[Matthew 1:23](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/1#23)** — The virgin will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us. - **[Luke 2:7](https://www.lumin.faith/read/luke/2#7)** — Mary wrapped her firstborn son in cloth and laid him in a manger. - **[Luke 2:10-11](https://www.lumin.faith/read/luke/2#10)** — Good news of great joy for all people: a Savior has been born, the Messiah, the Lord. - **[Luke 2:14](https://www.lumin.faith/read/luke/2#14)** — Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth. - **[John 1:14](https://www.lumin.faith/read/john/1#14)** — The Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth. - **[Galatians 4:4-5](https://www.lumin.faith/read/galatians/4#4)** — When the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, to redeem us. ## Highlighted verse > The Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us. We looked on his glory, glory like that of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. > > — John 1:14 (Lumin Translation) ## Reflection Christians have argued about Christmas for a long time. Some point out that the Bible never commands it, that December 25 is a guess, and that many customs have nothing to do with Jesus. Others see a feast like the ones Israel kept to remember what God had done, and an open door to tell neighbors why it matters. Romans 14 gives room for both: one person honors a day and another does not, and each does it for the Lord. What matters more than the date is the event. The first Christmas was quiet and poor. The news went first to shepherds on a night shift. The child in the manger was named God with us, and he grew up to die and rise for the people who were waiting for him. Keep the season in whatever way helps you see that. Read the story slowly, give to someone who cannot give back, and make room for the people who find December hard. ## One next step Read Luke 2:1-20 aloud this week, with your family or alone. Then give one gift to someone who cannot repay you, as a thank-you for the gift of Jesus. ## FAQ ### Where is the Christmas story in the Bible? In Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. Luke tells of the angel’s visit to Mary, the birth in Bethlehem, and the shepherds (Luke 2:1-20). Matthew tells of Joseph’s dream and the visit of the magi. John 1:1-14 tells the same event from heaven’s side: the Word became flesh. ### Is Christmas biblical? The birth of Jesus is at the heart of the Bible, but the holiday is not commanded in it, and the Bible gives no date for the birth. Christians are free to keep the day for the Lord or not, and should not judge each other over it (Romans 14:5-6). ### Was Jesus born on December 25? The Bible does not say. Shepherds in the fields at night suggest to some a season other than winter, but no one knows. The early church chose December 25 by the fourth century, for reasons historians still debate. The date is a remembrance, not a claim the Bible makes. ### What is the best Bible verse for Christmas? Luke 2:10-11 is the angel’s announcement: good news of great joy for all people, a Savior has been born. Isaiah 9:6 and John 1:14 are the other verses most read at Christmas. ### When does Advent start in 2026? Advent begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and runs to December 24. Lumin’s free Advent reading plan has one chapter a day from December 1 to Christmas Day. ## Related questions - [What does the Bible say about hope?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/hope.md) - [What does the Bible say about joy?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/joy.md) - [What does the Bible say about peace?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/peace.md) - [What does the Bible say about salvation?](https://www.lumin.faith/what-the-bible-says-about/salvation.md) ## Related guides - [Read the Advent plan: 25 days to Christmas](https://www.lumin.faith/plans#advent.md) - [The Advent reading plan, day by day](https://www.lumin.faith/advent-reading-plan.md) - [Ask with Scripture you can open](https://www.lumin.faith/ask.md) --- Ask, Bible Coach, Pray, and Sermon Week are the four jobs in Lumin. The app is for iPhone and iPad. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lumin-bible-ai-companion/id6754889412 Ask on the web: https://www.lumin.faith/app Browse answers: https://www.lumin.faith/answers.md