Is God Santa Claus?
by Stephen Abraham
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The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
On YouTube, there is a fascinating debate between an atheist Professor Dap Hartmann of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands versus the famous Christian apologist Professor John Lennox of Oxford. In it, Professor Lennox responds to Hartmann, who compared God to Santa Claus. John’s response: ‘I’m not convinced about comparing God with Santa Claus … because have you ever met an adult who came to believe in Santa Claus?’
The text for today is a profound paradox. Paul reminds us that what the world labels as weakness and foolishness is actually the display of God’s ultimate power and wisdom. In Western culture, we demand logical answers, faultless strategies and undeniable physical proof. (Isn’t it fascinating that in Paul’s time, people sought the same things as we do!) The Greeks chased logical reasoning, while the Jews demanded miraculous signs. A crucified Saviour does not fit into either of these moulds. To the intellectual, a Messiah on a cross seemed utterly absurd; to the religious elite, it was a sign of God’s complete absence, not his divine presence.
Later in the debate, John Lennox shares that his own reason for believing in God is twofold. Firstly, God hasn’t hidden himself. He’s revealed himself in space–time in history through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Secondly, God doesn’t force his way into our thinking. God came into the world in such a way that did not threaten people. Not in a colossal display of power, but almost incognito, so the people could get to know him and see his love.
You cannot get people to accept the truth by force, so another way is required, and the incarnation is the way God chose to do it. God deliberately bypassed human expectations. He chose to come through the life of a human being and to completely conquer sin and death in humility, pain and the seeming weakness of the cross.
Lord Jesus, thank you for revealing yourself to the world in such an intimate and personal way. You defeated sin and death for me. Help me share that good news with someone close to me today. Amen.
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