Thinking about Valentine’s Day: Richard Baxter’s Directions about Marriage

Richard Baxter was an English Puritan whose practical works on the Christian ministry and life are still some of the best in existence. He wrote a massive 1,143 page book called A Christian Directory, that covered the practical Christian life as a minister, the master of a family, and private Christians.  He wrote it to be thorough and  addressed a wide array of questions and cases for wisdom in godly living.  His ministry completely transformed the town of Kidderminister, England. It was said that one could not walk through the streets without hearing families praying and singing praises together.  The selection below is a a bulleted list of the main points of a section entitled “Directions about Marriage.”

To the right constituting of a family belongs the right contracting of marriage…

Direction 1: Take heed that neither lust nor rashness thrust you into a married condition before you see reasons to invite you to it as may assure you of the call and approval of God.

Direction 2: To restrain your inordinate desire for marriage, keep the inconveniences of it in memory.

Direction 3: If God calls you to a married life, expect all these troubles or most of them and make particular preparation for each temptation, cross, and duty that you must expect.

Direction 4: Take special care that fancy and passion do not overrule reason and friends’ advice in the choice of your condition or of the person.

Direction 5: Do not be too hasty in your choice or resolution, but deliberate well, and thoroughly know the person on whom so much of the comfort or sorrow of your life will depend.

Direction 6: Do not let carnal motives persuade you to join yourself to an ungodly person.

Direction 7: Next to the fear of God, make the choice of a nature or temperament that is not too much unsuitable to you.

Direction 8: Next to grace and nature, have a due and moderate respect to person, education, and estate.

Direction 9: If God calls you to marriage, take notice of the helps and comforts of that condition as well as the hindrances and troubles, that you may cheerfully serve God in it, in the expectation of his blessing. 

Direction 10: Let your marriage covenant be made understandingly, deliberately, heartily, in the fear of God, with a fixed resolution to perform it.

Direction 11: Be sure that God is the ultimate end of your marriage and that you choose that state of life in which you may be the most serviceable to him and that you heartily devote yourselves and your families unto God, so that it may be to you a sanctified condition.

Direction 12: When you are first joined together, (and through the rest of your lives), remember the day of your separation.

How should we live in community with one another?

Doug Wilson on Understanding Gospel Logic:

As we consider the meaning of the death of Jesus—intended by God as the death of all envy—and the power of His resurrection, intended as the basis for the proclamation of the gospel of life, what should we do? In the light of this, how should we live in community with one another?

Here is a fundamental rule of thumb to test whether you are living in accordance with gospel logic. What is your attitude toward people who excel you in anything? . . .

Read the rest . . .

Sermons are important but insufficient for your church

The excellent book on church ministry, The Trellis and the Vine, includes a chapter entitled “Why Sunday Sermons are necessary but not sufficient.” 

Sound like heresy?

Sermons are needed, yes, but they are not all that is needed…

To say that sermons (in the sense of Bible expositions in our Sunday gatherings) are necessary but not sufficient is simply to stand on the theological truth that it is the word of the gospel that is sufficient, rather than on any one particular form of its delivery. We might say that the speaking of the word of the gospel under the power of the Spirit is entirely sufficient—it’s just that on its own, the 25-minute sermonic form of it is not.

We say this because the New Testament compels us to. As we have already seen, God expects all Christians to be disciple-makers by prayerfully speaking the word of God to others—in whatever way and to whatever extent that their gifting and circumstances allow. When God has gifted all the members of the congregation to help grow disciples, why should we silence the contribution of all but one of them (the pastor), and think that this is sufficient or acceptable?

In his fine book on preaching, Speaking God’s Words, Peter Adam… concludes that:

…while preaching…is one form of the ministry of the Word, many other forms are reflected in the Bible and in contemporary Christian church life. It is important to grasp this point clearly, or we shall try and make preaching carry a load which it cannot bear; that is, the burden of doing all that th Bible expects of every form of ministry of the Word.

Adam goes on to define preaching as the “explanation and application" of the Word to the congregation of Christ in order to produce corporate preparation for service, unity of faith, maturity, growth and upbuilding”. But he points out that Sunday preaching is not the only way to address the edification of the body:

While individuals may be edified in so far as they are members of the congregation, there may well be other areas in which they need correction and training in righteousness which they will not obtain through the Sunday sermon, because by its very nature it is generalist in its application.”

…Sunday is not the only place where the action is.

John Piper, certainly no opponent to the preaching of the Word, agrees that it is not enough:

What does it mean to “accept Jesus”?

Ray Ortlund:

“You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9

You and I are not integrated, unified, whole persons. Our hearts are multi-divided. There is a board room in every heart. Big table. Leather chairs. Coffee. Bottled water. Whiteboard. A committee sits around the table. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the sexual self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others. The committee is arguing and debating and voting. Constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision. We tell ourselves we’re this way because we’re so busy with so many responsibilities. The truth is, we’re just divided, unfocused, hesitant, unfree.

That kind of person can “accept Jesus” in either of two ways. One way is to invite him onto the committee. Give him a vote too. But then he becomes just one more complication. The other way to “accept Jesus” is to say to him, “My life isn’t working. Please come in and fire my committee, every last one of them. I hand myself over to you. Please run my whole life for me.”  That is not complication; that is salvation.

“Accepting Jesus” is not just adding Jesus. It is also subtracting the idols.

Parenting Is Your Highest Calling and 8 Other Myths

Walt Mueller via Vitamin Z:

I knew more. . . alot more. . .about parenting before I ever had kids myself. Then I had kids. Then I had teenagers. Then I got to the age I’m at now. Along the way, reality came at me through experience, and then even more importantly, God’s Word.

My own personal history from one who was sure of and dependent on the "foolproof" stuff I once believed. . . to sure of the ignorance of the "foolproof" stuff I once believed and currently experiencing the joy and freedom of riding along while God’s at the wheel. . . has been quite a journey. Early in the journey I immersed myself in every Christian parenting book I could find. I was in search of the foolproof formula that would enable me to become the perfect parent raising perfect kids. I don’t know how many books I digested before giving up. I’m glad that it didn’t take too long to realize that those books leave you feeling quite beat up. I stopped reading them. Why? Because as your eyes are locked on the pages, they’re also locked on your own heart. And what you see on the page doesn’t mesh with the complex darkness that exists inside, which explains why the formulas don’t lead to fruit.

Now, I run into parents each and every week who are looking for the "how to." It’s not there. Rather, I’m convinced that our certainty, joy, and wisdom as parents is dependent on who we believe. If there’s a secret, it lies in knowing, worshiping, following, and believing the One who made us for Himself. It comes in bathing ourselves in the truths of His Word. I was reminded of this yesterday when our pastor preached on the Resurrection from Matthew 22. The answer Jesus gave to the ignorant Sadducees applies to all of us and our confusion in life. . . even when it comes to our misplaced priorities and beliefs regarding parenting and our kids. Jesus said, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" (v. 29).

If we only knew the Scriptures we would see that many of our parenting beliefs and practices are about replacing the Creator with created things. . . including our parenting skills, our twisted beliefs, the family, and even our kids. They can all become idols.

So for the last few years I’ve been committed to answering the question, "What’s the best parenting book I can read?" with this simple answer: "The best parenting book I’ve ever read is Paul Tripp’s "Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Second Edition (Resources for Changing Lives)" For one, Paul gets the Creator and created priorities right. Paul knows how sinful we and our kids really are. Paul knows how dependent we are on God. Paul knows that there are no foolproof formulas. Paul knows because he knows the Word, and he’s been through it as a dad. It’s a great book.

This morning I finished a book that joins Age of Opportunity on my list. A few weeks ago I mentioned Leslie Leyland Fields’ article – "The Myth of the Perfect Parent" – in Christianity Today Magazine. The article was full of truth that is liberating to those of us who have bought the lies. It made me want to hear more from this mother of six. She sent me a copy of her book, :"Parenting Is Your Highest Calling: And Eight Other Myths That Trap Us in Worry and Guilt"Now I’ve got a number two on my list. Fields addresses each of the 9 myths straight from the Scriptures in a way that leaves readers wondering, "Duh, how did I ever miss that?!?" She busts through the myths by taking us into a deeper understanding of the sovereignty of God and His grace in the lives of fallen humans who cannot save themselves.

The myths (and idols!) Fields’ says we believe? . . .
1. Having children makes you happy.
2. Nurturing your children is natural and instinctive.
3. Parenting is your highest calling.
4. Good parenting leads to happy children.
5. If you find parenting difficult, you must not be following the right plan.
6. You represent Jesus to your children.
7. You will always feel unconditional love for your children.
8. Successful parents produce Godly children.
9. Why God is not limited by imperfect families.
Do you scoff at any of these myths? Don’t. . . until you’ve read the book.

“But I Am Glad…”

IMonk:

Some Christians love to talk about the sins of Obama or gays or the mainstream media, but get really animated when I suggest we need to talk about our own, even if they are listed in the Bible dozens of times.

If the Gospel isn’t grabbing you by the real sins in your real life, just exactly what is the Gospel doing for you? Or you with it?

I don’t like the fact that I can give a really good talk on prayer when I rarely pray.

I don’t like it that I can read Matthew 5:23-24 and, as far as I can recall, never take a single step toward obeying it.

I don’t like that I can sin and then condemn someone else’s sin in almost the same breath.

I don’t like it that I’m convinced people need to understand me, but I take so little time to understand others.

I regret that I’ve spent so much of my life seeking to make myself happy in ways that never led to real happiness at all.

I don’t like it that I’ve accumulated so much stuff I don’t need, and I’m so reluctant to give it away.

It causes me real sorrow that I’ve said “I love you” far to little in my life, especially to the people I love the most.

I don’t like the fact that some of my students think I’m a hero, when I’ve done nothing more than be an unprofitable servant.

I hate the difference between what I know and what I do.

I hate the fact that I can use words like “radical” describing what others should do in following Jesus when I’m the first one to want to play it safe.

I don’t like that part of me that thinks everyone should listen to what I say.

I wish I could see myself as God sees me, both in my sinfulness and in the Gospel of Jesus.

I regret using so little of my life’s time, energy and resources for worship and communion with God.

I despise that part of me that always finds fault, and uses that knowledge to put myself above others.

I am embarrassed by the words I use that come so easily from the tongue but have little root in the heart.

I regret taking so few risks in the cause of living a God-filled life.

I despise the shallowness of my repentance for sin that has caused hurt and pain for others.

I don’t like that part of me that can make up an excuse, even lie, almost endlessly in the cause of avoiding the truth and its consequences.

I don’t like that I can talk of heaven in a sermon or at a funeral, but very little of me wants to go there.

I regret that I have loved my arrogant self far than I’ve loved my self humbled in Christ.

I regret that so much good advice, good teaching and good example was wasted on me.

But I am glad . . .

“Zero Tolerance”

Something I’ve thought about. Chris Anderson expressed it better than I could have said it. Priority examination and sacred cows.

“Why Satan fears small churches more than megachurches”

Tim Chester:

Here’s a quote from Organic Church (p 211-212) by Neil Cole. It’s a story that made me cry when I first read it.

While doing some teaching in Japan, I had a dream that Heather, my daughter, started a church. In the dream, a room was full of young people who were all seriously worshiping God. When I returned from the trip, I mentioned it to her just to let her know that she was on my mind and in my dreams while I was away.

The next day she said, ‘Dad, my friends all want to do it!’ ‘Do what?’ I asked. ‘Start a church.’ I told her that she would have to do most of the work, and I would coach and lead only a little. She said that was fine. The next day she arranged a house to meet in, picked a night of the week, and found a worship leader; flyers were soon being passed out to friends on campus.

After the church had been meeting for several months, I met with these students and we all sang praises to the Lord. I felt the Lord’s pleasure. I asked the students what was the biggest church they had ever been to. Living in Southern California there are many options of megachurches, and a number of churches were mentioned, ranging in size from two thousand attendees to more than fifteen thousand.

I then told them that I think Satan is more intimidated by this little church of fifteen high school kids than by any of those Godzilla-sized churches. They all sort of chuckled and looked around the room at one another with smiles.

I showed them why I thought this way: ‘How many of you think you could start a church like one of those megachurches?’ No one raised a hand. I asked, ‘How many of you think you could start a church like this one?’ and all raised their hands. I asked them to look around the room at all the raised hands, and I said with a new found soberness, ‘I assure you, Satan is terrified by this.’

The Four Covenants with Israel and Their Associated Provisions and Key Elements

There are four covenants God made with Israel that are unconditional and bear much weight in prophecy and Israel. They are the Abrahamic Covenant, the Palestinian Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. The foundational Covenant of these four is the Abrahamic Covenant.

The Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional, unilateral, eternal covenant found in six passages of Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3, 12:7, 13:14-17, 15:1-21, 17:1-21, and 22:15-18. The persons involved in this covenant are God and Abraham. Abraham was the representation of the entire Jewish nation in by nature of his descendants in this covenant.

There are fourteen promises made in this covenant. First, a great nation would come from Abraham (Israel). Second, Abraham was given Canaan geographically. Third, Abraham would be blessed extensively. Fourth, Abraham would have a great name. Fifth, Abraham would become a blessing to others. Sixth, those who blessed would receive blessing themselves. Seventh, those who cursed Abraham would experience cursing of themselves. Eighth, all would be blessed ultimately by Abraham, specifically the Gentiles. Ninth, Sarah would bear Abraham a son. Tenth, Abraham’s seed would see bondage by the Egyptians. Eleventh, other nations beside Israel would descend from Abraham (Arabs). Twelfth, Abram’s name would be changed to Abraham. Thirteenth, Sarai’s name would be changed to Sarah. Finally, circumcision on the eight day would be the token of the covenant.[1]

This would be a unilateral covenant meaning that the responsibility would be completed by God unconditionally. The land would be covered in the Palestinian covenant, the seed would be developed in the Davidic covenant, and the blessing would be ultimately designated in the new covenant. Much of the Abrahamic covenant has been unfulfilled to this day and will ultimately be completed in the Millennium.

This covenant was confirmed and reconfirmed several times to Abraham and his descendants. In Genesis 26:2-5 and 24 Jehovah appears to Isaac and reminds him of the covenant that God made with his father that would continue through Isaac. Later in Genesis 28:13-15, God moves the covenant through Jacob to establish the perpetuality of it. The twelve sons then became the twelve tribes of Israel that would be the patriarchs of the nation to whom God would work this covenant through.

The second unconditional covenant is called the Palestinian covenant because it mainly has to do with the geographical land of Palestine. Fruchtenbaum prefers the more accurate term of “Land Covenant” to reduce confusion with what we associate with Palestine in this day.[2] The main text for this covenant is found in Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20. It is not a part of the Mosaic Covenant but separate as stated in 29:1.

There are eight provisions in this covenant. First, Israel would be scattered because of their disobedience to Moses’ law. Second, Israel would repent. Third, the Messiah would return. Fourth, Israel would be regathered. Fifth, Israel would finally possess all the area in the Promised Land that He had originally intended for them to conquer. Sixth, Israel would be regenerated. Seventh, the foes of the Jews would be under God’s judgment. Eighth, the complete blessings of the millennial kingdom would be enjoyed by Israel.[3]

The importance of the Palestinian Covenant is that God gave His full stamp of approval and affirmation of Israel’s legitimate right to the land He promised her. Her disobedience conditioned her enjoyment of the land but never did it relinquish her right to ownership. The unconditional Abrahamic covenant bypasses the Mosaic covenant conditions through this Palestinian covenant and is in effect today where ultimately it will be fulfilled during the Millennial kingdom.

The next covenant is the Davidic Covenant. Two primary passages spell out the Davidic Covenant. They are 2 Samuel 7:11b- 17 and 1 Chronicles 17:10b-15. The Samuel passage focuses on Solomon’s role and the Chronicles passage emphasizes Messiah’s[4]. This covenant was made between God and David as David represented the kingly line of Israel.

This covenant has seven provisions. First, an eternal dynasty kingdom is eternally promised to David through his descendants. Second, Solomon would take the throne after David’s death. Third, the temple would not be built by David because of his shedding of blood in war and his murder of Uriah, but by Solomon. Fourth, David’s throne and Solomon’s kingdom or his authority to rule would be forever established. Fifth, although Solomon would be punished for his disobedience, God would not take away His lovingkindness from him because of the unconditional nature of the covenant. Sixth, the Messiah would come from the line of David. Seventh, the Messiah would rule His kingdom forever.[5]

So four main things from these seven provisions are promised in summary: an everlasting dynasty, an eternal kingdom, and an eternal descendant promised thorough the Messiah.[6] The Davidic covenant amplifies the seed portion of the Abrahamic covenant and narrowed down to the Israelites from who the Redeemer would be born. Much of the Davidic covenant is still unfulfilled and will be seen in its fullness in the Millennium.

The New Covenant is recorded in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Nine promises are seen in this covenant. First, the nature of the covenant is unconditional involving God and both houses of Israel, the entire nation of Israel, or all Jews. Second, it is not involved with the temporal and conditional Mosaic covenant and is the cancellation of the Mosaic Law. Third, the new covenant will see Israel as a nation regenerated. Fourth, this regeneration will be for all Jews from the initial generation to succeeding generations, and therefore the unregenerate people at that time will be in the group of Gentiles. Fifth, forgiveness of sin will be provided for since the Mosaic covenant could only accomplish covering of sin but not forgiveness. Sixth, the Holy Spirit will supply the power to obey God’s righteous expectations of man. Seventh, physical blessings will be given to Israel as they are empowered to Keep God’s righteous law. Eight, the temple would be rebuilt for worship in the Millennium. Ninth, the Law of Christ rather than the Law of Moses would be the standard of obedience.[7]

The New Covenant expounds the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant and because it is unconditional it is in action today in some parts but will ultimately be fulfilled in the millennial reign of Christ. This covenant is the basis now for the age of grace in which the church participates in and enjoys the salvation and spiritual blessings spoken of.

Each of these four covenants has parts that have been partially fulfilled and others that have yet to see fulfillment. The partial fulfillment does not cast doubt on the fulfillment of these four, but rather proves the future fulfillment of these. The very character of God will see these entirely fulfilled as they relate to the nation of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom.

---

[1] Fruchtenbaum, Israelology. 574-575.

[2] Ibid 581.

[3] Ibid 582.

[4] Ibid 583-584.

[5] Ibid 584-585.

[6] Ibid 585.

[7] Ibid 586-587.

Environmentalism Is a Religion

Albert Mohler shares some insights on the fad of environmentalism and turning the creation into the Creator:

Instead of religious sins plaguing our conscience, we now have the transgressions of leaving the water running, leaving the lights on, failing to recycle, and using plastic grocery bags instead of paper. In addition, the righteous pleasures of being more orthodox than your neighbor (in this case being more green) can still be had—the new heresies include failure to compost, or refusal to go organic. Vitriol that used to be reserved for Satan can now be discharged against evil corporate chief executives and drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles. Apocalyptic fear-mongering previously took the shape of repent or burn in hell, but now it is recycle or burn in the ozone hole. In fact, it is interesting the way environmentalism takes on the apocalyptic aspects of the traditional religious narrative. The idea that the end is nigh is quite central to traditional Christianity—it is a jolting wake-up call to get on the righteous path. And we find many environmentalists in a similarly earnest panic about climate change and global warming.

Full article here.

They’re Just Kids?

Converts to a Cause? Or to Christ?

Ed Stetzer:

So, my Reformed friends, let’s not only read 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John (that is, John Calvin, John MacArthur, and John Piper), let’s go plant some more churches. My emerging church friends, let’s take a pause from the theological rethink and head into the neighborhood and to tell someone about Jesus. My missional friends, let’s speak of justice, but always tell others how God can be both "just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." My house church friends, let’s have community, but let’s be sure it is one focused on redemption. My Baptist friends, let’s focus more on convincing pagans than Presbyterians. And, my charismatic friends, let’s focus less on getting existing believers to speak in tongues and more on using our tongue to tell others about Jesus.

EVERYBODY asks and answers THESE questions

Michael Emlet, in his excellent book CrossTalk, writes about worldview questions in the chapter “What’s Your Story?”:

A way to speak about the storied quality of human life is to affirm that each person (or community) asks and answers foundational questions about the nature of life, consciously or subconsciously. The answers we give to these questions characterize our “worldview,” our “take” on the nature of reality. The Bible itself answers these foundational questions and urges us to live in light of the Biblical worldview, the true story of the world. In fact, you might say that even asking these questions shows that we are God’s image bearers. As we will see later, the fact that we are broken, fallen image bearers means that we answer those questions in ways that compete with the biblical narrative.

Brian Walsh and J. Richard Middleton propose four basic worldview questions:

1. Where are we? That is, what is the nature of the world in which we live?

2. Who are we? Or, what is the essential nature of human beings?

3. What’s wrong? That is, why is the world (and my life!) in such a mess?

4. What’s the remedy? Or, how can these problems be solved?

These questions—and how we answer them—form the narrative backbone of our lives. They shape the way we interpret life events, from the mundane (no milk in the refrigerator for the breakfast cereal) to the horrific (loss of children in a car accident). They shape our view of ourselves and others. They shape our vision of what constitutes a meaningful life, even a meaningful moment. They shape our beliefs, emotions, and decisions every day. Everybody has an overarching story he or she lives by, moment by moment. Everybody is a meaning maker with categories for making sense of life. Reality does not come to us unfiltered but always through the lens of our perception. The real question is, What lens will we use? What story, what narrative will we use to see our world and interpret our lives?     

Santa or No Santa?

Good thoughts here on Santa from Noel Piper:

Thinking About Santa

(Author: Noel Piper)

Over the years, we have chosen not to include Santa Claus in our Christmas stories and decorations. There are several reasons.

First, fairy tales are fun and we enjoy them, but we don’t ask our children to believe them.

Second, we want our children to understand God as fully as they’re able at whatever age they are. So we try to avoid anything that would delay or distort that understanding. It seems to us that celebrating with a mixture of Santa and manger will postpone a child’s clear understanding of what the real truth of God is. It’s very difficult for a young child to pick through a marble cake of part-truth and part-imagination to find the crumbs of reality.

Third, we think about how confusing it must be to a straight-thinking, uncritically-minded preschooler because Santa is so much like what we’re trying all year to teach our children about God. Look, for example, at the "attributes" of Santa.

• He’s omniscient—he sees everything you do.
• He rewards you if you’re good.
• He’s omnipresent—at least, he can be everywhere in one night.
• He gives you good gifts.
• He’s the most famous "old man in the sky" figure.

But at the deeper level that young children haven’t reached yet in their understanding, he is not like God at all.

For example, does Santa really care if we’re bad or good? Think of the most awful kid you can remember. Did he or she ever not get gifts from Santa?

What about Santa’s spying and then rewarding you if you’re good enough? That’s not the way God operates. He gave us his gift—his Son—even though we weren’t good at all. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He gave his gift to us to make us good, not because we had proved ourselves good enough.

Helping our children understand God as much as they’re able at whatever age they are is our primary goal. But we’ve also seen some other encouraging effects of not including Santa in our celebration.

First, I think children are glad to realize that their parents, who live with them all year and know all the worst things about them, still show their love at Christmas. Isn’t that more significant than a funny, old, make-believe man who drops in just once a year?

Second, I think most children know their family’s usual giving patterns for birthday and special events. They tend to have an instinct about their family’s typical spending levels and abilities. Knowing that their Christmas gifts come from the people they love, rather than from a bottomless sack, can help diminish the "I-want-this, give-me-that" syndrome.

And finally, when children know that God’s generosity is reflected by God’s people, it tends to encourage a sense of responsibility about helping make Christmas good for others.

Karsten, for example, worked hard on one gift in 1975. On that Christmas morning, his daddy stepped around a large, loose-flapped cardboard box to get to his chair at the breakfast table. "Where’s Karsten?" he asked, expecting to see our excited three-year-old raring to leap into the day. Sitting down, I said, "He’ll be here in a minute."

I nudged the box with my toe. From inside the carton, Karsten threw back the flaps and sprang to his full three-foot stature. "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them . . ." He had memorized Luke 2:8-20 as a gift for his dad. Karsten knew the real story.

In fact, a few days later, he and I were walking down the hall at the church we attended then. One of the older ladies leaned down to squeeze his pink, round cheek and asked, "What did Santa bring you?" Karsten’s head jerked quickly toward me, and he whispered loudly, "Doesn’t she know?"

(Adapted from Treasuring God in Our Traditions)                   

 

Agree? Or disagree?

Santa Claus Jesus

Sinclair Ferguson:

It is always easier to lament and critique the new paganism of secularism’s blatant idolatry than to see how easily the church — and we ourselves — twist or dilute the message of the incarnation in order to suit our own tastes. But, sadly, we have various ways of turning the Savior into a kind of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus Christianity
For one thing, in our worship at Christmas we may varnish the staggering truth of the incarnation with what is visually, audibly, and aesthetically pleasing. We confuse emotional pleasure — or worse, sentiment — with true adoration.

For another thing, we may denigrate our Lord with a Santa Claus Christology. How sadly common it is for the church to manufacture a Jesus who is a mirror refection of Santa Claus. He becomes Santa Christ.

Santa Christ is sometimes a Pelagian Jesus. Like Santa, he simply asks us whether we have been good. More exactly, since the assumption is that we are all naturally good, Santa Christ asks us whether we have been "good enough." So just as Christmas dinner is simply the better dinner we really deserve, Jesus becomes a kind of added bonus who makes a good life even better. He is not seen as the Savior of helpless sinners.

Or Santa Christ may be a Semi-Pelagian Jesus — a slightly more sophisticated Jesus who, Santa-like, gives gifts to those who have already done the best they could! Thus, Jesus’ hand, like Santa’s sack, opens only when we can give an upper-percentile answer to the none-too-weighty probe, "Have you done your best this year?" The only difference from medieval theology here is that we do not use its Latin phraseology: facere quod in se est (to do what one is capable of doing on one’s own, or, in common parlance, "Heaven helps those who help themselves").

Then again, Santa Christ may be a mystical Jesus, who, like Santa Claus, is important because of the good experiences we have when we think about him, irrespective of his historical reality. It doesn’t really matter whether the story is true or not; the important thing is the spirit of Santa Christ. For that matter, while it would spoil things to tell the children this, everyone can make up his or her own Santa Christ. As long as we have the right spirit of Santa Christ, all is well.

But Jesus is not to be identified with Santa Claus; worldly thinking — however much it employs Jesus-language–is not to be confused with biblical truth.

The Christ of Christmas
The Scriptures systematically strip away the veneer that covers the real truth of the Christmas story. Jesus did not come to add to our comforts. He did not come to help those who were already helping themselves or to fill life with more pleasant experiences. He came on a deliverance mission, to save sinners, and to do so He had to destroy the works of the Devil (Matt. 1:21; 1 John 3:8b).

Those whose lives were bound up with the events of the first Christmas did not find His coming an easy and pleasurable experience.

Mary and Joseph’s lives were turned upside down.

The shepherds’ night was frighteningly interrupted, and their futures potentially radically changed.

The magi faced all kinds of inconvenience and family separation.

Our Lord Himself, conceived before wedlock, born probably in a cave, would spend His early days as a refugee from the bloodthirsty and vindictive Herod (Matt. 2:13-21).

There is, therefore, an element in the Gospel narratives that stresses that the coming of Jesus is a disturbing event of the deepest proportions. It had to be thus, for He did not come merely to add something extra to life, but to deal with our spiritual insolvency and the debt of our sin. He was not conceived in the womb of Mary for those who have done their best, but for those who know that their best is "like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6)–far from good enough–and that in their flesh there dwells no good thing (Rom. 7:18). He was not sent to be the source of good experiences, but to suffer the pangs of hell in order to be our Savior.

A Christian Christmas
The Christians who first began to celebrate the birth of the Savior saw this. Christmas for them was not (contrary to what is sometimes mistakenly said) simply adding a Christian veneer to a pagan festival–the Roman Saturnalia. They may have been doing what many Christians have done in marking Reformation Day (which happens to fall on Halloween), namely, committing themselves to a radical alternative to the world’s Saturnalia, refusing to be squeezed into its mold. They were determined to fix mind, heart, will, and strength exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ. There was no confusion in their thinking between the world and the gospel, Saturnalia and Christmas, Santa Jesus and Christ Jesus. They were citizens of another empire altogether.

In fact, such was the malice evoked by their other-worldly devotion to Christ that during the persecutions under the Emperor Diocletian, some believers were murdered as they gathered to celebrate Christmas. What was their gross offense? Worship of the true Christ — incarnate, crucified, risen, glorified, and returning. They celebrated Him that day for giving His all for them, and as they did so, they gave their all for Him.

One Christmas Eve in my teenage years, I opened a book a friend had given to me as a present. I found myself so overwhelmed by its teaching on my recently found Savior that I began to shake with emotion at what had dawned on me: the world had not celebrated His coming, but rather had crucified Him.

Doubtless I was an impressionable teenager. But should it not cause us to tremble that "they crucified my Lord"? Or is that true only in song, not in reality? Are we not there when the world still crucifies Him in its own, often-subtle ways?

The truth is that unless the significance of what Christ did at the first Christmas shakes us, we can scarcely be said to have understood much of what it means, or of who He really is.

Who is He in yonder stall
At Whose feet the shepherds fall?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! Crown Him, Lord of all!

And we might add:

Who is He on yonder cross
Suffers for this dark world’s loss?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
‘Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! Crown Him, Lord of all!

Let us not confuse Jesus Christ with Santa Claus.