Santa knows we’re all God’s children, but are we?
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
John 1:11-13
Ready for Christmas in May? After studying through the “Christmas” narrative in Matthew for a few weeks, my mind was wandering the other day, pondering Christmas songs. After reading John 1 as a cross reference in my study, my mind went down this rabbit trail. I’d like to think about the most theologically profound Christmas song of them all – “Here Comes Santa Clause.” Yes, I’m joking about it being theologically profound, (or remotely profound in any way), but I’m going to take you down the rabbit trail anyway!
Now, Gene Autry never claimed to be a theologian, so I won’t pick on him here – only his lyric. There is a line in the middle of the song that says, “Santa Claus knows we’re all God’s children, that makes everything right.” That’s a catchy line, and especially enticing when we’re talking about the prospect of whether or not we will get our Christmas wishes or a lump of coal. But in all seriousness, what about that line? Are we all God’s children, after all?
You may have heard of this concept: the universal fatherhood of God, and the universal brotherhood of man. That’s pretty catchy, too, and especially so when we consider the ramifications of whether or not someone is a child of God. Its nice to think, “hey – you’re a human! You’re God’s child! Everything is going to work out in the end!” Everything will work out in the end for God’s children, but it won’t be based on whether you’re a human or not. There is a far greater deciding factor at play.
What of the universal fatherhood of God? Doesn’t God reveal himself in scripture as a Father? God is the father of all in that everyone finds their origin in Him – but beyond that, we come into this life as anything but God’s children. Quite the opposite, we come in as foreigners and strangers, enemies who are far off. (Ephesians 2) So if you are relying on your humanity for your relationship with God, then I must say you’ve picked the wrong avenue.
What about religion? Surely, a place in God’s family is achieved through devotion to some kind of religion, right? I mean, we can’t possibly understand it all, and God will sort it all out in the end, right? This, again, is a nice thought to ponder; but is it true? What does the scripture say that we read at first? Who are the children of God? They are the ones who believe in Christ. It is notable that in that very passage, the ones who are children of God are put in contrast with “his own people" who rejected him. That is, most of the very people that were part of God’s chosen nation, Israel, throughout the centuries rejected their own spot in God’s family. And how did they do that? By denying and rejecting Jesus Christ.
What about Jesus? That becomes the operative question. Not, “am I a human?” or “am I religious enough?” But do I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ? In the Gospel, God is both gracious and exclusive, welcoming and narrow. Yes, the fatherhood of God is available to all who believe, but it is not simply all who believe in something, or have some kind of faith – the question of whether or not you are in God’s family is decided by your disposition toward Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If you reject God’s eternal Son, how can you expect to be named as one of God’s children?
No one is naturally born into God’s family, and God has no grandchildren. No one inherits their mother’s relationship with God. Your national heritage or religious devotion doesn’t gain you entrance into the household of faith. And your good deeds and efforts may earn you a gift rather than coal from Santa, but they don’t gain you merit in the record book of God. There is a way, a simple way. The Way, really. It is Jesus Christ. No one gets to God without Him (John 14:6), and no one will be in God’s eternal family who has rejected His Son. To put it in Jesus words, if you want to be in God’s family, if you want to be in God’s kingdom, “you must be born again.” (John 3:3) And all those who are born again - born into God’s family - are given the right to become children of God! Jesus purchased and secured that right for us in his obedience, death, burial, and resurrection. All who are born again are born miraculously – God’s children are born, “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13)
