Keeping our Faith and Hope in the Christ of Christmas

On the morning of Christmas Eve, I received the sad news that the rumours about Ravi Zecharias’ sexual misconduct were true.

It was not the kind of Christmas present anybody would have hoped for. Discovering an infidelity or betrayal on any day is a heart-breaking. Discovering the infidelity of a spiritual giant on Christmas can be faith-shaking. But discovering the infidelity of someone who has mentored you with his insights and ideas in your youth feels like personal betrayal.

I discovered the sermons, writings and speeches of Ravi Zacharias in the mid-90s, during my university days and was enriched by his ministry. Amidst the calls for the proper respect of the faith, religion and private beliefs of others, Ravi’s ministry engendered fresh confidence in the person of Jesus. His philosophical insight helped me see through the hubris of the culture’s confidence in secular wisdom rather than God’s revelation. And above all, Ravi helped me understand that there WAS a place for the Gospel in a culture dominated by scientific thought and reason.

But now this Saintly person in my life, is now discovered to be a vile Sinner. Someone who has abused women and betrayed faith and family and allowed his fleshly needs to overcome the many whom he has loved in Christ and for Christ. I am tempted to officially remove him from my list of Saints I trust; and relegate him and all his ideas to Gehenna.

But to do so would be to ignore the Gospel of Christmas. The posthumous revelation of Ravi’s sins on Christmas 2020 is a profound invitation for all of us to return to the Gospel of Christmas. How can we speak about the Gospel now?!

Christmas - we need Someone With Us

The meaning of Christmas is simply this - we need a Saviour. If we believe we can solve our own problems, then we don’t need a Saviour and Christmas is unnecessary. But the truth is, we can’t solve the problem of Evil and Sin within ourselves and in our world. We are all stuck in the same boat, and to hear of Ravi’s brokenness is to also be reminded of how broken we all really are. There is truly no room for condemnation. No one of us can raise a finger against him because we are all not just sinner in the past, but fallen from the glory of God, even now in our present state. Some of us have gotten really good at hiding our sins… but if we care to stand and live in the Presence of His Light and Glory - we will end up saying with John “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8)

To live in the Light of Jesus, is to confess - we are all in need of a Saviour.

But the Salvation that Christmas brings is not just that we need a Someone to die for us. Salvation is not just a declaration that Jesus died and forgave us for our sins. Salvation is a way of life in the Presence of Someone who died and forgave us for our sins. Jesus saves not just by dying on the cross. Jesus saves by being with us - Immanuel, God with Us.

But this leads us to another shocking truth of Christmas.

What is the holy God doing with sinners?!!

Christmas - we need Someone who will Stay With Us

Before this news, we could imagine God with Ravi Zacharias. He was brilliant. He was kind. He was generous and funny. He was a living statement that Christianity was smart, intelligent and wonderful. Surely God was with him. But now we have to wonder, how could God be with someone who abused women for his own needs? How could God bless someone who lived a double life? What kind of God would hang out with someone like this?!!

That Ravi Zacharias was sinful and broken is not shocking news to us. The shocking news is that God would choose someone like Ravi Zacharias to hang out with. This is the shock. And dare I say, this is the real offence. The real question is not how could Ravi Zacharias be like that, but how could God be with someone like that?!!

What about the many women he abused? How about the many victims of his hidden life? He has died… but many of them will have to live on in their pain and shame. Where is the justice? What kind of God could allow this? Only Someone who loved truly Ravi could continue with Ravi. Only Someone who truly Loved Ravi and refused to divorce or leave Ravi, could hang out with Ravi like that.

And this is the cost of Love. That a holy God would be seen as unholy. That a just God would be perceived as unjust. That an all powerful God would be misunderstood as soft and powerless. This is Grace. This is Love. This is Christmas. This is the powerful message of Christmas, God with Us, that we abusive, sinful, broken persons may be with Him. In this space, there is no room for human boasting or human pride or even human justice.

Christmas - we need Someone who will Consume Us In His Love

But let’s be clear - there will be Justice. Divine Justice. This is why the Christmas speaks not just of the Coming of a King, but also of the Return of the King. In the first coming of Jesus, He came in Grace and Truth. In his second coming, He comes with a scepter of Righteousness, to bring final judgement. In His first coming, He speaks the Truth in Love. In His second coming, His Love will come to us, as Consuming Fire, consuming all that is wicked and evil and bringing final purification to all creation. There will be Justice. And when it comes, it will be decisive and swift, without negotiation. True Justice. The true question of Justice is not where or when can Justice be found, but who can Judge Truly?

Who has the righteousness to Judge? Who has the wisdom to Judge? Who can make the decision to sentence someone to eternal punishment and damnation? Only the One who hangs out with us, whilst we were still sinners. Only the One who has waited patiently for us, whilst we were still sinners. Only the One who has laid down His life for us.

And today for those of us who believe in Him, Jesus has already begun to work of consuming us in His Love, to purify us by His Love. And so even as the news of the personal failings of a servant of God unfolds, let us continue to put our faith and hope in the Christ of Christmas. Let us keep prayerful and watchful. For the victims and their families and communities. For the ministry of RZIM. For the witness of the Church in the world. Till Jesus returns. Amen.