​As Halloween approaches, some Christians struggle with the thought of participating in a holiday with pagan origins.  Halloween can be connected back to the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland who believed that the souls of the dead would come back and visit their homes.  It was then that people would sometimes wear disguises so the spirits would not recognize them (Britannica.com).  Throughout the centuries, as with other holidays with pagan roots, the concept has completely changed.  Christmas began as the celebration of the sun god, Easter was associated with the goddess Ostera as a symbol of fertility and rebirth, and even New Year’s Day was associated with a Roman god to represent new beginnings (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church).  Even so, most Christians do not have a problem celebrating any of these holidays because the purpose has changed.  Halloween is simply a day of dressing up for fun and getting candy, Christmas is a festive time of gift-giving and family, Easter often includes decorating and hunting eggs, and New Year’s Day is a time of celebration remembering the past year and looking forward to the new.
It is really all about our mindset and intent.  If the intent in celebrating Halloween is to glorify evil or evil spirits, then that would definitely be wrong (Isa. 5:20).  If the intent of celebrating other holidays with pagan roots is to honor false gods, that would be wrong (Isa. 44:6; Mat. 4:10). If our mindset and intent in celebrating any holiday goes against the Scriptures at all, where we have no authority, that would clearly be wrong (Col. 3:17; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 John 9).
Even with this knowledge, some may still have reservations about celebrating Halloween (or other holidays) in good conscience and that’s understandable. The apostle Paul used the example of eating meat offered to an idol.  It did not matter if a Christian ate the meat or did not eat the meat, but what mattered was their mindset behind eating the meat.  If the meat was eaten with the intent of honoring an idol that was wrong (1 Cor. 8:7).  Therefore, first century Christians who ate the meat in good conscience were encouraged not to pressure others to eat the meat when it would violate their conscience (1 Cor. 8:12). In the same way, no one should be forced to observe any holiday if it would cause them to violate their conscience and sin (1 Cor. 8:7-12).  Each person must make that decision for himself (Rom. 14:5).  With patience and understanding all Christians can get along with or without observing holidays simply as a matter of culture (Rom. 14:3).  Whatever we do, God’s Word must always be respected and honored. 
~Derrick Coble

All Christians have submitted themselves to Christ with the commitment to follow His example and seek those things that are heavenly and not worldly (1 Pet. 2:21; Col. 3:1,2).  That means when a question arises as to how a Christian should behave or what choice one should make in a difficult situation, all must be guided by Jesus and His Word and not what is acceptable in the world.  The requirement is to come out from among the world and be separate (2 Cor. 6:17).  In other words, if you examine the life of a Christian and a sinner side by side and you don’t see any difference between their choices, influence, speech, dress, etc, then there is a glaring problem because whoever “wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).  This is the situation when it comes to moderate drinking.
Most Christians have no problem with the fact that God condemns drunkenness (1 Cor. 6:10,11; Rom. 13:13; Gal. 5:21); however, there are some who believe that God approves simply drinking a beer or a glass of wine and “not getting drunk.”  The current legal limit in the U.S. for a DUI conviction is .08% blood alcohol concentration. This is the equivalent of 2 drinks (2 cans of beer or two 5 oz. glasses of wine). What is interesting is that according to an Alcohol Impairment Chart (penndot.pa.gov), the government recognizes that alcohol is a problem even after having 1 drink (.04% BAC).  The chart records that by simply drinking moderately, “impairment begins.” Impairment is defined as “loss of function or ability” (m-w.com). This is actually what the apostle Paul said too when he gave the command: “be not drunk with wine” (Eph. 5:18).  The term, “drunk” indicates the process of “being filled with” alcohol in the sense of becoming stupefied or excited by it.  According to the American Medical Association, “Alcohol use—and misuse—is common in society and can carry health risks” (ama-assn.org).
It is amazing that even those in the world recognize that alcohol as a beverage (even in a moderate form) is not a good thing.  That is why there are laws and limitations put into place so that people will not harm themselves or others because their mental faculties have been diminished by it. Christians must separate themselves from alcohol. God wants us to be sober-minded “keeping our head about us” (1 Pet. 4:7), to exhibit self-control (1 The. 5:6), to abstain from those things that are known to be evil (1 The. 5:22), and be a positive influence on others by letting our light shine leading them to glorify the Father (Mat. 5:16).  None of these principles can be accomplished by drinking alcohol as a beverage in any way.
~Derrick Coble