What If God Was Like Scrooge? How Would Christmas And Salvation Be Different?

We all know Charles Dickens’s story of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Scrooge was the epitome of stinginess: the personification of being a miser when it came to money and generosity. It got me thinking about the Christmas message of a Saviour being born and the high price of our salvation. How different the message of Christmas and Salvation would be if God was like Scrooge?

Here are some thoughts on what would change if God was indeed like Scrooge.

1) If God was like Scrooge – there would be no Christmas.

Matthew 1:23

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us

If God was like scrooge do you think he would have wanted to have come down and associate with the sin laden weak humanity. Not likely. Snotty snobs like the rich hob nobs of society don’t want to lower themselves by being seen with commoners. The Scrooge God might have tried to work out some other way of saving humanity but the whole idea of lowering himself to become like those who need to be rescued is not likely

2) If God was like Scrooge the redemption of man would not have taken place as the cost was too high.

Ephesians 1:7

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Acts 20:28

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood

The cost of redeeming humanity was the blood of the son of God. Ever gone to buy something and then realized that it is just too expensive? If God was like scrooge He would have been the same way. He may want to save humanity but simply sees the price as too high. I mean how precious is the blood of His only son? How expensive is the salvation of humanity?

The bible actually talks about those who backslide – that it would have been better for them not to have been Christians and backslide than to have been one and counted the blood of the new covenant as of no value

Hebrews 10:29

29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Father God values highly the blood.

If God was like scrooge – do you think he would have paid such an expensive price for such a destitute situation? Clearly not. Thankfully God is not like Scrooge and thankfully He willingly paid the price.

3) If God was like Scrooge – and lets just say that He did pay the expensive price of His son to save us – maybe He would have forced us to accept the gift and removed our free will.

Ever given a child a present and they have not understood the value of it and then they play with the wrapping more than the present and you in frustration force them to use the present as you want to feel like you got your money’s worth? I know I have.

If God was like scrooge then that may have happened.

Scrooge would want to make sure He got fair value for the price of His son. So He would have removed free will and forced everyone to accept Christ.

However the minute God does that, is the minute we stop being humans and we start being robots. Free will is one of the great gifts that God gave to man. It’s the big argument against God – why does God allow evil to happen? But if He stepped in and took away our free will then we would no longer be human.

The Christmas story is one of a love story where humanity is courted and wooed by God into a love relationship.

God loves us. And we choose to love God

4) If God was like Scrooge: Salvation would not be for all people

If God was like scrooge then maybe salvation would not have been purchased for all people. Maybe it would have been cheaper to purchase it for just one race. – like the Russians for example.

Or maybe just one colour skin – black

Or for one period of time up to the year 1000

Or for a set number – like 144,000

Or for those with a net wealth of over $100,000

Or for Beautiful people

Or for those with a certainly level of Fitness

But God who thankfully is not like Scrooge, actually purchased Salvation for the Whosoevers….