Santa Claus Parenting is NOT a Substitute For the Fear of the LORD Parenting

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Christmas is just around the corner and I pray to God that this article will continue to offend those politically correct parents who think lying about Santa Claus is just harmless fun. How does the Bible tell us to parent our children? Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up the child the way he should go, when he is old, he will not depart from it." So where does Santa Claus parenting fit in that one? There's no place for Santa Claus parenting for this reason. Santa Claus is only meant to believed when you are a child but the Lord Jesus is meant to be believed from childhood to the grave.

So what's the difference between Santa Claus parenting and the fear of the LORD parenting? The difference isn't only with the truth that Santa Claus isn't real and Jesus Christ is real. The reason of parents lying about Santa Claus and parents who tell the truth about Jesus Christ is very different. One only wants their children to do good while the other talks about the natural sinfulness of man and why sin must be dealt with.

Parents today teach their children to tell the truth all the time but they lie about Santa Claus. They love to make up the excuse that it's just harmless fun compared to their children who lie about their homework. Worse, they can go as far as to say something like, "If you lie to me about your homework, I'll tell Santa Claus you lied to me about it and you won't get any gifts!" The worse part is when the child discovers Santa Claus isn't real and is indirectly taught it's okay to lie in the process as long as it makes the other happy. They will soon lie about doing their homework when they aren't all because parents lied to them about Santa Claus. So if lying about a magical old man in a red suit to get children in their best behavior is justifiable then it should be okay for children to make up one lie after the other to avoid making their parents upset.

Santa Claus parenting substitutes genuine righteousness from God for secular righteousness with man's own standards. It's all about doing your best and Santa Claus gives you a present. What a present? A present is not something you work for. It's something you didn't deserve but it was given to you anyway. If Santa Claus gave you a present because you were good all year then that's a reward. While not everyone who believes in Santa Claus automatically becomes an atheist but the other dead end is believing one can earn their way to Heaven. After all, Santa Claus only rewards the good little girls and boys right? This is very different from Jesus that knows you've been naughty yet He offers the gift of salvation from sin and new life through Him. Jesus has a naughty and nice list and the bad news is that we've all been naughty (Romans 3:10-19).

So how does the fear of the LORD parenting defeat Santa Claus parenting? It's because Jesus Christ is very real and Santa Claus isn't. It addresses the one truth about your sin and the need of the Savior. Matthew 1:21 says that Jesus' mission is to save the people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus Christ is real and He should be introduced to children as early as possible. His way is the way that the child should grow. You instill their belief of Jesus Christ as a child and it's the way they should go. There's no stopping there like the Santa Claus parenting. The parent doesn't suddenly break out the news Jesus isn't real like they break the news Santa Claus isn't real. Instead, it's all about the parent teaching the child the way of the LORD as the way that they should go. They are taught in the proper way that they should never depart from it.

The Christian life is also taught that you should do good even if it means the world gets you into trouble. There's nothing wrong with offering rewards for a job well done but the problem is when the child only works for rewards. Santa Claus parenting tends to teach the child that if you do good you'll never get into trouble. Fear of the LORD parenting teaches you that you should do good even if you get into trouble with the world because God the Father will reward you later. Santa Claus parenting focuses only on the secular. Toys will just break but the rewards in Heaven can never be lost. Teaching children about the Lord Jesus Christ and all He did for the sins of man, that mankind is doomed without a Savior and that they're not good enough is in the spirit of humility. Santa Claus parenting is focused on pride and more pride.

The truth is the Lord Jesus is infinitely more wonderful than the non-existent Santa Claus. If there's any reason for living everyday and not just on Christmas it's the fact that He may come anytime soon. There's the wonderful assurance that the saints of God have that in the midst of their trials and tribulations that it's all but temporary. This life isn't the last and there's still a life after the next. Santa Claus is a nonexistent false hope. The Lord Jesus is the reason not only for the season but for all seasons. Even so come Lord Jesus!

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