Why Are People Who Don’t Believe in Jesus OK with the Christmas Story?

on December 10, 2024

Hi! Welcome back to the Kids Answers magazine blog, where we answer your big questions about God’s Word and God’s world.

Renae (age 10) asked,

“Why are people who don’t believe in Jesus OK with the Christmas story?”

Thanks for your great question, Renae.

There are many reasons people might be OK with the account of Jesus’ birth even if they do not believe in Jesus as their Savior.

Some might be OK with the Christmas account because they think it’s just a fictional (made-up) story. They don’t believe the events recorded in Matthew and Luke really happened in history.

Because we have used symbols like the Christmas star, the wise men, and baby Jesus to decorate our houses and trees for Christmas for a long time, some people might enjoy the tradition.

There are other people who aren’t followers of Jesus who still believe that Jesus was a real person, born about 2,000 years ago. But they think he was just a good teacher and leader, not the Messiah who came to save us from our sins.

The Real Reason for Christmas

We know that we can trust God’s Word. Everything in the Bible is true because it was breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). (Read more about what that means here.) The birth of Jesus is completely true. And it’s really good news!

Jesus came to earth as a baby. He was both fully God and fully human. While he was growing up, Jesus was always obedient to God. He never sinned. Sending Jesus to earth was God’s perfect plan. Jesus paid the penalty for sin by being put to death on a cross. He was buried and rose again three days later so we could have a right relationship with God.

God calls each of his followers to share this good news—the gospel—with people who don’t believe or who might not have heard it before (Matthew 28:19). This Christmas, thank God for sending his son Jesus to earth and ask him to show you someone you can share the good news of Christmas with!

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!