Christmas time is a wonderful time of relaxation and cheer. It is also a time of year that highlights the misperception with which many Christians approach faith today. You may think by the title that the misperceptions we’re going to look at has to do with the varied cultural traditions around this time of year, like Santa Claus, Christmas trees, mistletoe, presents etc, but that’s not it.

We are going to look at a far more devious way in which Satan has deceived the hearts of men to turn them away from true faith. So, let’s explore the title of this blog, “Santa Claus Jesus versus Covenant Jesus” to better understand what the Spirit is highlighting.

Firstly, it is good to remember that God brings these distinctions to bring correction for faith and not to condemn or burden us. As He brought out in Matthew 11, Jesus desires for us to learn of Him and in so doing, to experience the lightness of His yoke.

Matthew 11: 29–30
²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

“Santa Claus Jesus” is a term we’ll use to represent something that isn’t true. As with many myths and legends, the origin of Santa Claus is linked to a real person’s existence. But the way in which Santa Claus is portrayed today as a jolly red-nosed, sleigh riding, gift-giving man is far removed from the man, Saint Nicholas who lived centuries ago. Over the years, the fable of Saint Nicholas has been tweaked, reshuffled and reshaped to represent a variety of versions that differ from one nation’s culture and traditions to the next. The origin may be the same, but the traditions that have evolved from it are varied – be it St Nic, Sinterklaas, Father Christmas, or Santa, the fabled figure has little in common with the real person who once lived.

We are using “Santa Claus Jesus” as an analogy of how Satan’s influence through false knowledge mingled with the imagination, aspirations and principles of man, have likewise molded many versions of Jesus, and traditions and practices of faith which are far removed from His reality and the true traditions of faith God sanctified in Him.

Yes, Jesus does exist, and He did come to earth in the form of man. He performed many miracles, taught the multitudes and died for our sins only to rise again, victorious over death. These are all fundamental facts that are true about the life and history of Jesus, but taken into the wrong direction, this knowledge becomes void of His life and power, as fables and traditions are formed that reflect man’s desires, needs, fears and failings; forming dead traditions and false religious customs. We can see evidence of this not only in the vastly varying denominational churches, but also in the modern non-denominational groupings, each having its own flavor to cater to every taste.

When the oversight of apostles in the church was set aside as those first apostles began to pass away, false doctrines started entering the church, taking scripture in the wrong direction, and in so doing shaping man-made versions of Jesus to cater to man’s tastes. Many teachings today reflect this, as believers are taught to isolate verses and thereby “claim” salvation by merely proclaiming the name of Jesus.

Ministers preach a very detached doctrine, resulting in believers ignorantly petitioning God for all His favor and bargaining in return with promises that they would do better, be better, would pray more –if only He would do this one thing for them. By having directed expectation to the flesh, many ask God to change their circumstances, being under the impression that God just wants to bestow earthly riches upon them and a good life in this dimension. This is not faith that reflects Christ. This type of faith is ruled by the aspiration of man. Did God not urge the saints to seek His kingdom first and not only that, also His righteousness? (Matthew 6:33)

Others follow another version of Jesus, which is one of self deprivation and flagellation, ever repenting and going to great pains to prove their worth to God through abstinence and self inflicted suffering. This also has its origins in scriptural references, but once again, it does not reflect God’s righteousness, and falls short of the perfection God seeks. Jesus addressed the vanity of man’s efforts to please God even through works of great sincerity with things that seem good and Biblical, yet will in the end be shown not to meet His standard and expectation.

Matthew 7:21-24
²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Jesus is not a figurehead for Christianity in all its varied flavors that dwells in churches on Sundays, and leaves it up to believers to select their own preferred means by which to express faith. God sent His Son not only to die for our sins as we have been taught in churches, but to set forth a pattern for perfect faith. His blood purchased a new covenant to contain all things that pertains to godliness; that in keeping His covenant commandments believers would build that spiritual house upon His living reality as the rock of our salvation.

It is a good time now to remind ourselves of our purpose in this dimension. This is a time of testing, where God has set forth His judgments upon the people, to see who has a heart of faith and is obedient to His voice of grace that asks of us to prepare ourselves as His spotless bride, for the coming of the king. The choice of faith is now for those of willing, seeking heart to be restored to the covenant God initiated through Jesus Christ.

The record of Jesus Christ is the only authorized truth the Holy Spirit will follow to confirm Him. Therefore, the record of Christ not only speaks of the pattern of truth (the foundation for perfect faith), but also speaks of the witness of His Holy Spirit, given to co-labor for our perfecting in Him.

The record of His holy knowledge has now been restored to the church in our time under God-appointed apostolic oversight, to restore believers to the terms, commandments, tools, and contact points He sanctified for our faith. This framework of truth gives us boundaries we are to abide in, called the doctrine of Christ.

God gave only one pattern, which apostles unfold to the church. When faith follows the living record of Jesus Christ by covenant, it reflects God, not man; and the fullness of Jesus’ living reality is present to perfect our faith, and transform our souls in His righteousness.

Whatever record you embrace, you embrace the power behind it, which will always bear witness to that record. If you receive the record of the flesh for faith, you live by that power unto condemnation. But if you receive the record of Jesus Christ for faith, you live by the power of the Spirit.

Satan deceives believers with a false gospel that is impure. God expects an altar of faith that is built with whole stones of the gospel – nothing of man is added, nothing of Christ is taken away. If a gospel is centered around the flesh, it is blemished.

Ephesians 5: 27
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

“Santa Claus Jesus” is a blemished gospel or idol that serves the flesh and let’s believers off the hook. “Let off the hook” is a word of knowledge the Lord ministered regarding the distinction that is being made between true faith, (which is responsible to His standard and expectation in Jesus Christ), and the version of faith that is of the flesh (responsible to the gospel of men).

Let off the hook, as taken from the internet means: “To allow someone to escape from a difficult situation or to avoid doing something that they do not want to do.”

When faced with a challenging scenario, it can seem easier to quote scripture or claim the blood of Christ, than to take one’s thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Many believers are taught to give over their problems to God and simply believe that God has their best interests at heart. But this is passive faith, not engaging God’s grace for growth, but in effect only engaging man’s own imagination and emotional cues for a false sense of comfort.

Believing in God doesn’t end with acknowledging Christ as the savior, but is a daily activity of faith: obeying the commandments of God in the second covenant priesthood. Understand that faith is a labor and not just a proclamation. Acknowledging, molding with and submitting to the grace of God is the true definition of what it means to believe.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

God designed faith to be a daily activity, so that we may remain in rhythm with His Spirit and grow in the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. To remain in a system that only caters to our comfort zones, and uses the Bible verses to support our principles, is to serve a make-believe Jesus and remain in a system of darkness. Where the aspiration rules, the Spirit of God departs. The old habit of thinking is to take the easy way out, where the covenant way is to teach us to think like Christ, to take our thoughts captive and weigh and measure according to the scales of truth and not the scales of our own experiences.

You may be thinking that God surely just wants the best for us? The answer of course is yes, God does want the best for us, which is why He created a covenant where you are certain of your salvation and responsibility towards Him and your faith is not left grasping at straws. What better way to look after His children, than to fellowship with them daily and prepare them for His coming? What better gift to give his children than hope that is daily made living?

The pattern of faith Christ set for our faith is revelation, resistance and reward. In our free online IDCCST Course, we teach you about the record of Christ and the significance of our cycles of growth. To give you a taste, we’ll finish off by looking at the EVA Terms Glossary definition for Revelation, Resistance and Reward provided in the course:

We are taught to recognize the pattern Jesus established in Himself for our faith to reflect Him and express Him. The pattern acts as a blueprint for our faith because it lifts out and highlights God’s covenant path. From revelation to resistance, to reward, Jesus is the pattern we follow.

Our growth cycle is not by happenchance, neither is it defined by our own ideas about suffering and how that somehow gets shuttled over to our moral code to see how we’ve benefited. Our growth cycle is by divine design, and that design follows a divine pattern: Revelation – Resistance – Reward.

We used to experience a daily cycle of death unto death whereby the soul continued to come back to the knowledge and experience of this world that brought it into bondage. But in Christ, we now experience a new daily cycle. A cycle of life unto life whereby the soul follows the example Jesus set for us by his experience. . . revelation, resistance, and reward.

Our growth cycle is designed by God for fruit bearing, to assist us to overcome ourselves, Satan, and the world. When this process of transition does not take place to meet God’s expectation, a believer is given a psychology to believe in rather than the covenant: He is encouraged to try to find relief in the idea that we all have flaws and weaknesses, but he should not be discouraged by them because God loves him anyway, and will forgive him, and that his problems are not a reason to run away from God, but a reason to run to God.

Do you see how the problem is central to this faith model? It can’t get any plainer than this. His problems are said to be a reason to run to God. It is the starting point for a believer’s reasoning, and thus the foundation for his relationship with God. Although he may be told that only God can help him overcome his faults, he is not given the covenant foundation knowledge, which means that he really does not have a way forward.

Without the blueprint for faith, believers are left to use their imagination and logic to fill in the gaps. The starting point for their faith is themselves. God is equipping believers now with truth, where the starting point for faith is grace, and the living realty of Jesus is a daily experience.