CHARLESTON, S.C. - Dec. 22, 2020 - The true meaning of Christmas can be easily forgotten. In December 2020 Teleios conducted a survey of young believers to determine if they could recognize the biblical meaning of Christmas. The results of the survey were compared to one performed in the same manner in 2018.
A total of 350 responses were received with the majority from the United States (61%) and from non-denominational, Bible-believing churches (34%).
The majority (97%) noted Jesus primarily came to earth to bring salvation to the world (Mat 1:21, 20:28) and to show mercy to man (34%). Most participants (70%) recognized Christ was born a man, God's demand for a sufficient sacrifice for sins required a perfect man, and Christ fulfilled this role (Rom 3:25, Heb 9:16). Some noted (15%) Christ's purpose was to be a holy example (1 Pet 2:21).
When asked why Christ was born of a virgin, the majority (80%) selected to show that He was begotten of God by the Holy Spirit- all man, all God (Heb 9:14-17, 1 Tim 2:6) and more than half (58%) said to fulfill prophecy (Mat 1:22-23, Isa 7:14). Most (69%) agreed that Christ was born from the lineage of King David to fulfill prophecy (2 Kings 7:12-16) and more than half (58%) chose as a sign that Christ really was Messiah (2 Kin 7:12-16, Mat 22:42-42).
Half (56%) noted the promised Kingdom Christ intended to bring was a place where Christ will reign as king (2 Sam 7:12-16, Psa 110:1), while others (38%) chose the kingdom will include the Gentiles (Hos 1:10, 2:23). When asked about the meaning of the term 'Christ', the majority (83%) selected it means the 'anointed one' derived from the biblical Hebrew title 'Messiah' (1 Sam 2:10, Psa 45:6-7).
Finally, participants (87%) agreed salvation is obtained by God's forgiveness by faith alone through Christ's death for sins on the cross (Eph 2:2-10, Rom 3:23-26).
Dr. William C. Stewart, co-founder of Teleios, noted, "This survey was quite positive in that when young evangelicals are shown choices of biblical beliefs regarding Christ and his initial advent, the majority are able to choose correctly. However, there was also a substantial proportion of incorrect answers or failure to identify what was true based on the biblical narrative."
In summary, this survey indicated that young Christians generally have a good sense of the true biblical meaning of Christmas.
Complete results of this survey can be found here: 2020 and 2018. Please view more findings on the Teleios website (http://teleiosresearch.com/).
WC Stewart, JA Stewart, LA Nelson
About Teleios – Teleios teaches the Bible and the gospel, giving confidence to its truth. Teleios is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to show the truth of the Bible through research and generate practical tools for scriptural understanding and confidence!
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