So be good for goodness’ sake?

A seasonal quiz question. Here are some words from a well-known song but just whom do they describe?

‘He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.’

Is it: a) an M15 “spook”; b) Father Christmas; or, c) God?

I would think most people would get the answer straight away. It’s b (the words are from ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’). But my guess is that many people think that they might also describe God – or, at least, describe an idea of “God” that they themselves would reject but which is taught in the Bible and talked about in church. A god who watches our every move, who gives us presents when we’ve been good and a ‘lump of coal’ when we’ve been bad. A god whose love and acceptance we can only earn by “being good for goodness’ sake”.

Truthfully, I believe that’s a pretty warped picture of God. And whilst I can’t answer for the belief of every church and every Christian, it’s not the God written about in the Bible and it’s certainly not the God whom Jesus came to speak of and to show to the world.

In his recent book The Prodigal God, the writer Timothy Keller describes one of the ways in which people seek ‘salvation’ today. Keep the moral laws and be very, very good, and you will get there in the end. Religious and respectable people, even in churches, most often try to life this way and easily end up looking down on people who don’t.

But the gospel of Jesus is something else entirely. As Keller puts it, ‘Everyone is wrong, everyone is loved, and everyone is called to recognize this and change’. And the change only comes through a living relationship with God, one that’s made possible for everyone by Jesus’ death on our behalf and by his resurrection.

This Christmas, you can try to be good and hope that you get the spiritual equivalent of a sack full of stuff. But you’ll be missing out on the best present of all. The free gift of salvation – of being right with God and receiving new life from him – that is given by Jesus, not earned by our own moral efforts.

Have a wonderful Christmas,

Mark

[A quick afterword: you can get hold of ‘The Prodigal God’ from Quench in Queen St – we also have some copies at St Peter’s until Christmas. It’s a great read.]