Can even Santa Claus be saved???

    Santa Claus is very popular around the world.  The Santa Claus that we mainly see today is the Coca Cola version of the big, red and white Santa Claus.  So, was Santa Claus a real person? Who was he? Is he just a pagan idea?

  Most people simply do not realise the rich ancient heritage behind the Santa Claus story.  Santa Claus is a form of the Dutch name Sinter Klaas, which is a reference to Saint Nicholas.  St Nicholas was a fourth century Christian Bishop of Smyrna which is now part of modern day Turkey.  Today December 6th is actually Saint Nicholas day and in many European countries today is the day in which gifts are exchanged and Christmas day is a day of a feast and celebration of Christ.  Saint Nicholas was traditionally known as lavishing gifts on children and the needy.

  St Nicholas was born is 280AD and was raised in a Christian home.  He was forced to grow up quickly because of  the sudden death of his parents.  He inherited his parents wealth and was known for sharing his wealth for good.  He was elected Bishop of Smyrna and was known to be a faithful man and passionate for the gospel.

  Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, and was imprisoned.  After Emperor Constantine ordered the cessation of all persecution of the church, and the Christians were released from prisons Nicholas was released.  He later attended the Council of Nicea in AD 325, where he affirmed the Doctrine of the Trinity.

  Also at the Council of Nicea Arianism was declared heresy.  Arianism is the idea that contrary to John 1 Jesus was a created being and sub ordinate to God the father.  There is a weak tradition that Saint Nicholas got into a debate with Arius himself and as the heat increased Saint Nicholas actually punched out Arius! 

  So can Santa Claus be saved?  Yes! He can be known as a defender of the faith, as a man who stood by orthodox Christian doctrine, as a man who used wealth for charity, and as a man of passion for God.  If it is true that he punched Arius I don't agree at all with his action but I cant help but have a laugh and understand we all make mistakes, but I can also admire his passion