Reformation Day, Halloween, and False Liberty in Christ

Introduction

Every October 31st many professing Christians face a choice. Some participate in Halloween under the claim of cultural harmlessness while others attempt to redeem the day by calling it Reformation Day. Both approaches miss the mark of biblical truth. Neither Halloween nor Reformation Day has any basis in Scripture or in the liberty given to the Body of Christ under grace. These practices are rooted in human tradition, religious pride, and worldliness disguised as devotion.

The Apostle Paul did not reform religion. He revealed a mystery that had been “hid in God” according to Ephesians 3:9. The Protestant Reformation did not recover the gospel of the grace of God. It did not bring believers into the understanding of the one new man, the Body of Christ. What it produced was a cleaner version of Roman religion. When believers use “liberty in Christ” to justify participation in pagan observances or historical traditions, they pervert the very liberty that grace provides.

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1. The Misuse of Christian Liberty

The phrase “liberty in Christ” appears in Paul’s epistles as a declaration of deliverance from bondage to sin, law, and religious ordinances. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1). Liberty in Scripture is the result of grace, not permission to compromise. It is freedom to serve the Lord apart from the works of the law, not an excuse to walk after the flesh.

Paul warns, “Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). Liberty that serves the flesh is not liberty at all. It is deception. The world disguises rebellion as freedom, and religion disguises compromise as unity. True liberty is found in walking according to sound doctrine, not cultural relevance. Halloween and Reformation celebrations serve the desire to belong to the world’s traditions while pretending to honor God.

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2. The Pagan Roots of Halloween

Halloween began with the Celtic festival Samhain when pagans believed spirits of the dead roamed the earth. They lit fires, wore costumes to ward off spirits, and practiced rituals of divination. The Roman Catholic Church attempted to convert these pagans by replacing Samhain with All Saints’ Day, moving it to November 1st, and calling October 31st All Hallows’ Eve. That name eventually became Halloween.

This combination of paganism and religion created a counterfeit observance filled with imagery of death, fear, and superstition. Paul commands believers, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11). No one can redeem or sanctify what God calls darkness. No matter how harmless it seems, Halloween still glorifies the realm of fear and death.

Churches that hold “harvest festivals” or “trunk or treat” events often blur the line between holiness and worldliness. God never called His ambassadors to sanctify culture. He called them to preach “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Compromise always costs clarity.

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3. Reformation Day Is Not Revelation Day

Some Christians replace Halloween with Reformation Day, claiming it honors the recovery of truth. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses protesting Catholic corruption. Yet Luther did not preach the mystery revealed to Paul. He did not teach salvation by the gospel of the grace of God as revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4. He did not distinguish between Israel’s prophetic program and the Body of Christ’s mystery program.

Luther and the Reformers rejected papal authority but retained sacraments, water baptism, and covenant theology. They did not stand where Paul stood. The Reformation restructured religion but never restored Pauline doctrine. Nowhere in Scripture are believers told to commemorate men or movements. We are told to “remember Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, raised from the dead according to my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8).

To elevate human reformers as heroes of faith is to trust tradition rather than revelation. The Reformation was a historical protest, not a spiritual awakening to the mystery. Revelation came through Paul, not Luther.

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4. The Body of Christ Has No Holy Days

Paul wrote clearly that the Body of Christ is not under days or seasons. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17). The moment someone attaches spiritual meaning to a day, they step back into bondage.

Israel had feast days because they were a covenant nation with earthly promises. The Body of Christ has no holy days because we are a heavenly people with a spiritual position. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Whether Christmas, Easter, Lent, or Reformation Day, these observances belong to religion, not grace.

Our calling is not to commemorate reformations or repeat Jewish shadows. It is to make known “the fellowship of the mystery” (Ephesians 3:9). Every time tradition replaces doctrine, the message of grace becomes dimmed.

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5. The Danger of Blending Light and Darkness

When Christians justify Halloween as harmless or call it Reformation Day, they create a mixture of light and darkness. God is not honored by rebranding evil. He calls His people to separation, not adaptation. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Paul’s question answers itself. There is no fellowship between light and darkness. The Body of Christ is not part of this world’s celebrations. We are ambassadors of a heavenly message (2 Corinthians 5:20). When believers participate in worldly customs, even under religious names, they obscure the gospel of grace. The issue is not whether something appears harmless but whether it aligns with sound doctrine. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22).

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6. True Liberty Produces Separation and Clarity

Grace teaches believers to live differently. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11–12). True liberty is not seen in the ability to participate in culture but in the willingness to stand apart from it.

The liberty Paul preached was spiritual deliverance through the cross, not freedom to observe man-made traditions. “Christ hath made us free” (Galatians 5:1) means we no longer need religious holidays to approach God. The gospel of grace reveals complete acceptance in Christ without ceremony. To use that liberty to justify worldly observances cheapens grace.

Liberty in Christ frees us from religion’s control, not to rename it. Halloween and Reformation Day both belong to human tradition, not divine revelation.

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Conclusion: Reformation Is Not Revelation

The Reformation was a human movement, not a divine revelation. Halloween is a pagan festival, not Christian liberty. Neither belongs to the dispensation of grace. The Body of Christ has no holy days and no traditions to observe. We have a Savior to trust, a gospel to preach, and a mystery to make known.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Right division separates truth from tradition and grace from religion. Those who claim liberty to join the world’s holidays misunderstand liberty itself. Our calling is higher, our message is heavenly, and our mission is clear: to make all men see the fellowship of the mystery (Ephesians 3:9).

When believers mix worldly traditions with spiritual identity, they lose clarity and truth. True liberty does not participate in darkness. It reproves it. The Body of Christ does not celebrate Reformation Day or Halloween because it was never called to reform the world. It was called to reveal a mystery.