Santa Claus and Self-Justification

My wife and I have been debating whether or not we will "do Santa Claus" in our family or not for 6 months now. I know, I know. It is June 2nd. More than that, even debating it reeks of sub-culture, anti-culture Christianity. Still, I think that the issue is an important one to resolve, and not so much because Santa Claus is necessarily all that insidious, but because there is an underlying idea that the Santa Claus tradition promotes that is already generally insidious.

There are two basic reasons why we would not make Santa Claus a tradition in our family:

1. Santa Claus isn't real. Accordingly, telling our kids that he is real would be a lie.
2. Santa Claus promulgates the idea of works-righteousness, or self-justification.

I don't much care for the first argument. I think that there are probably ways to avoid lying about Mr. Claus and still make him into a family tradition. What troubles me more, however, is the second reason.

Hair Cuts and Works-Righteousness

I was waiting to get my haircut last December, just before Christmas, and overheard a father disciplining his two sons. "Now remember that Santa is watching. If you misbehave, you won't get any presets this year." Shocked an appalled, I put my supertheology cape on, ran up to him (at the speed of light) and, with fists on my hips, pronounced: "Do you know that you are teaching your sons works-righteousness?!" Then I sucker-punched him and ran out of the store.

I shouldn't have been surprised at the father's statement. It has since occurred to me that this aspect of Santa Clausian theology is well known. "He's making a list, and checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty or nice..." I just quoted that from memory, as I am sure most Americans could. And this is not an idea unique only to America, or even to the Santa Claus Christmas tradition. All people are, it turns out, self-justifiers.

And it is so ironic that this idea of self-justification has arisen around the Christmas holiday. It isn't surprising, because all people believe that, deep down, we must work to get anything good (e.g. presents). But it is ironic, because Christmas celebrates the arrival of the man that would destroy the belief that we could ever be good enough to get anything good.

Three Ways

Tim Keller is now famous for his teaching that there aren't two ways to live, but three ways. Irreligion, Religion and the Gospel. The first two reject God as savior. The third way is the only way you can have relationship with him.

Irreligion (or unbelief) says that God is not necessary for happiness or salvation, and that what is important is living in opposition to God's laws and living the way you see fit.

Religion (or moralism) says that God is necessary for happiness and salvation, but that you gain this through your own hard work in following his laws. When you do this, God ends up owing you.

Now I'll get to the third way in a second, but make sure you see something about the first two ways. In some ways they are different. But in a most fundamental way, they are the same. They are both forms of self-justification. Though they have different gods they are working to please, both are working, nonetheless. Keller says that,

Irreligious people seek to be their own saviors and lords through irreligion, "worldly" pride. ("No one tells me how to live or what to do, so I determine what is right and wrong for me!") But moral and religious people seek to be their own saviors and lords through religion, "religious" pride. ("I am more moral and spiritual than other people, so God owes me to listen to my prayers and take me to heaven. God cannot let just anything happen to me--he owes me a happy life. I’ve earned it!") The irreligious person rejects Jesus entirely, but the religious person only uses Jesus as an example and helper and teacher--but not as a Savior. (Flannery O'Connor wrote that religious people think "that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin...") These are two different ways to do the same thing--control our own lives.

Do you see? Works-righteousness is the idea that we must work to gain our righteousness (if we follow the law closely enough, God won't have to forgive us). And that is a notion and practice that must be dismissed and avoided. But see that while 'works-righteousness' is a theological term pertaining to a religious person's attempt to get to God, an irreligious person is doing the same thing. We are all, at heart level, doing self-justification

The Third Way? The Gospel

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast," (v. 8-9). Now how could he say this? Why would he say this? As we have said, Jesus Christ came because God knew that works righteousness was a futile enterprise. No one can make themselves right with God (See Rom. 3:23-26 and Gal 3:23ff). Self-justification is, ultimately, no justification. Not only will it leave you feeling empty, it will leave you outside of the grace of God. Paul knew that the only thing that would make us right with God was our faith in the grace of Jesus. The Reformers called it Sola Gratia, or, By Grace Alone. And that, in a nutshell, is what the third way is.

The Gospel says that we are so sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, but that we are more accepted and loved than we ever dared hope. Or, we are so sinful that Jesus had to die for us, but that we are so loved that Jesus was glad to die for us.

There was nothing, there is nothing, we can do to gain favor with God. There is nothing we can do that will remove our guilt. There is nothing we can do to escape the punishment we deserve. It is only by faith (Sola Fide) and the unearned grace of Jesus that we are able to get back into right relationship with God (which is what righteousness really is).

Santa Needs to Get Stuck in a Chimney

Now back to our original problem. Why is it (probably) a bad idea to do Santa Claus with your kids? Because it reinforces in them the idea that already plagues their tiny hearts: that in order to get right with (insert god/idol here), they will have to work to get it. And that is insidious. In a million ways they will try and gain the favor of the good things they have made ultimate (friends, money, sports). And because idols don't give back anything of what they have taken, the worshipers of those idols will quickly find themselves empty. Of love, satisfaction, grace. If we teach our kids anything, it must be that there is nothing good they can do outside of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And, once this is ingrained, it is life changing.

1. It makes kids humble because they know they know they are sinners (against falsely encouraging them so that they have high self-esteem).

2. But it also makes them incredibly confident because they know that they are loved and accepted by the God of the universe (against the idea that they are worthless and that there is no hope).

3. And this leads to the outworking of grace as they seek to do to others what Jesus has done for them (e.g. sacrifice, forgive, serve).

So this was a post a lot less about Santa and a lot more about the gospel (it is June 2nd, by the way). Parents, it is our job to make clear to our kids the glorious gospel. Over and over. And we do this first by believing the gospel ourselves. If it is clear and real and right to you, you will be able to make it clear and right and real to them.

In the end, it is up to you if you want to make Santa a tradition in your home. Just make sure that they understand that the presents your kids get are on account of Jesus and not Ol' Saint Nick.