Because death is the penalty for sin, we needed a perfect man to take our penalty. Compared with God’s righteousness and holiness, all the “good” things we do are just “filthy rags” in his sight (Isaiah 64:6, NKJV). We are sinners and deserve God’s judgment and the wages of sin-death (Romans 6:23).Īnd we can’t do anything about our condition! Our good works won’t save us. Because of his sin nature that we inherit-and our own sin (Romans 5:12)-we’re all born into and continue in rebellion against God. We’re all descended from Adam, the first man, who rebelled against God. The Christian message is one that starts with bad news in Genesis. A Message Upside-Down to the Gospelīut this is completely upside-down compared to the gospel. We also like to think that we’re basically good, that our good works outweigh our bad ones, and that we deserve good things. Earning gifts (whether physical, emotional, or monetary) is our default mode of thinking. Every man-based religion operates on the principle that if you do certain things you will be rewarded.Įvery man-based religion operates on the principle that if you do certain things you will be rewarded.
The philosophy and message behind the idea of a man who delivers gifts to “nice” kids and coal to “naughty” kids-and the accompanying idea that everyone really is “good” and deserves gifts (does any parent really put coal in their “naughty” child’s stocking?)-fits perfectly with the world’s philosophy. You watch as I try to do as I should, at night you tell Santa the news is all good. But, according to the “Elf on the Shelf” marketing song, every child is “good” and, as long as you are trying, you’re in the clear: According to the folks selling the popular “Elf on the Shelf,” Santa uses magical scout elves to “help Santa manage his naughty and nice lists by reporting back to him at the North Pole nightly.” These scout elves operate on the same principle as Santa-be good and you get gifts. Scout Elves Reporting to Santaīut maybe Santa is not omniscient or omnipresent. We should be “good”-as defined by God in his Word-because we love our Heavenly Father and do not want to sin against him, and because he has commanded us to be perfect as he is (Matthew 5:48).
And who defines what “good” is in this context anyway? It also urges children to “be good for goodness’ sake!” But some vague idea of “goodness’ sake” or the hope of reaping a reward from Santa (or anyone else) should never be our motivation for being good. Of course, those are attributes that belong to God alone. Nick as omnipresent and omniscient-he somehow knows what every child is doing everywhere in the world. This popular song portrays the portly North-pole dwelling St.
The familiar holiday song about jolly ol’ Santa Claus rings out to remind children not to pout or whine becauseīelieving that Santa is watching their every move and judging their actions to see if they deserve gifts may be an effective way of getting children to behave during the holiday season, but what message is this sending? Be Good for Goodness’ Sake?
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