Santa

"If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared." Psalm 130: 3-4

I wonder how many of us have had our concept or understanding of God influenced by the Jolly old fat man in the red suit - Santa Claus. For many, God is merely a benevolent old white man who generously gives gifts to people - unless of course, you are on the naughty list. Santa, you see, has a list that keeps a tab on all of the bad things you've done over the past year. His omniscient gaze records all of our mistakes, and if we accrue too many of them...we find ourselves on the naughty list - and that means that you will not be on the receiving end of any generous gifts.

Is this anything like your view of God?

With regards to our sins - do we have this picture of God keeping track, like a careful accountant in a ledger, of every sin we commit? And does He do this so that someday He might be able to justly hold them against us? Does the thought of being on God's naughty list send sickly shivers of guilt up your spine?

If you're anything like me, you have done your fair share of sinning and disobedience over the past week (let alone the past year). If God were truly keeping such a list as this (a record of our sins) - as the Psalmist rightly wonders, "who could stand?" We would all be brought to our knees in guilt before our holy God. And even going further, who would ever want to seek the presence of God in worship or prayer or fellowship? No one in their right mind would want to spend time with One holding a complete record of your mistakes in front of you.

God is not like Santa Claus. He is so far beyond our imagination in His greatness and eternal glory, and the good news is...that in Christ we have the complete forgiveness of our sins.

In other words there is no list, or record of our sins. Once we have been forgiven by Christ, His blood makes us white as snow, and through the work of the Spirit, Jesus imputes His righteousness to us. This means that when holy God looks upon us, He does not see sinfulness - He only sees the perfect righteousness of Jesus.

So do not fear the judging gaze of holy God anymore when you do sin - In the Name of Jesus, ask for forgiveness and enjoy the freedom that comes with having no record of sins with God.

Be God's, Scott