Do You Believe?

With Christmas upon us, we’ve all been inundated by images and concepts related to the holiday. Two figures, more than anything else, are given special attention for Christmas: Jesus Christ and Santa Claus. For believers, that statement may seem laughable. Christmas by definition is the commemoration of Jesus’ birthday, so how can anyone suggest that Santa is just as prominent during this season? Well, before you ask that question, think about the Christmas decorations you saw in the stores you’ve visited recently, the Christmas related commercials or shows you saw the last time you turned on your TV, or the Christmas themed clothing you’ve seen recently. How many times did you see Santa? How many times did you see Jesus or something related to Jesus? Chances are, you encountered much more Santa than Jesus. 

That’s a sad reality There’s nothing wrong with indulging in some of the less spiritually based aspects of Christmas, but we do have to stay grounded in our beliefs about why the holiday exists in the first place. That said, the topic of belief raises an interesting question. Is your belief in Jesus any different than your belief in Santa? Again, at its face, that question may sound ridiculous, but is it? You might say Santa isn’t real. Who would believe in a jolly fat man that can deliver toys to every child on earth in one night by piloting a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer? That’s fantasy, and it sounds like it. However, is it any more fantastic than God coming to the earth in the form of man, living a life full of spreading God’s Word and performing miracles, dying to take on the sins of all of humanity, and then coming back to life to inspire his followers to keep their faith alive? 

Nonbelievers would probably say there is no difference, and that they were the same. This matter of what you believe about Jesus isn’t something that can be easily dismissed. Belief in Jesus as the resurrected Son of God is paramount. It is required for salvation. 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9

That is not the same as simply believing Jesus existed. You may not believe in Santa Claus, but perhaps you do believe that St. Nicholas existed and acknowledge that he was the inspiration for Santa Claus. That kind of belief doesn’t work for Jesus, at least not from a Christian standpoint. You can’t simply believe that Jesus was, in reality, just a normal man who was the MLK or Gandhi of his day and that all the more fantastic elements of his story are myth. You have to believe everything, especially those more fantastic elements. For some that may seem hard and even unfair. 

We live our lives believing in very little that we can’t verify in some way with our senses. It seems strange that God would expect us to believe in something that we can’t see, hear, touch, smell or taste, but that is exactly the case. For God, faith is everything, and by definition, faith is believing or trusting something as fact even when we can’t verify it with our senses (Hebrews 11:1).   

Maybe those who have trouble believing may find comfort in the fact that they aren’t alone. The Bible is full of people that didn’t believe. Even in Jesus’ circle, there were those that didn’t fully believe. Consider Thomas. When Jesus returned, Thomas would not believe until he could verify with his senses. If Thomas, someone who travelled with Jesus in person, had trouble believing, it’s not so crazy that some of us who have never laid eyes on Jesus also struggle. Yes, Jesus said the following: 

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29 

That might seem like a rebuke from Jesus, and maybe those that have trouble believing are discouraged by it. They shouldn’t be though. Yes, Jesus made it clear that ideally, you shouldn’t have to see all of God’s works to believe in them, but we shouldn’t ignore the fact that when Thomas asked for proof, Jesus provided it. God wants us to have faith, but he’s not above giving us what we need to develop that faith. If you have a problem believing, maybe that should be the subject of your prayers. After all, if you pray but don’t believe, then your prayers are empty and will likely be fruitless. However, if you’re praying to God to open your heart, he will do it. He’s done it before. 

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. - John 1:12-13 

The Bible is telling us that everyone who comes to believe in God is doing so as a result of His will, so we can all rest assured that if we ask him to lead us to belief, he will because that is what he wants for us. Christmas is the holiday of miracles. If that’s what it will take to help you believe, then let God work that miracle in your life and maybe you’ll become one of those that can believe without seeing.

Chris Lawyer

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