Nearly five months ago I was burdened to write an appeal to churches who seemed to be ignoring the suspected severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time there were so many unknowns that I was concerned that people were putting themselves at risk for the wrong reasons.
A lot has changed since then. We now know which part of the population is most at risk and how best to protect them. We also know how the virus spreads and how it doesn’t. We also know that the risk of death to the general population according the CDC is as low as 0.26%. The CDC has further stated that 94% of all COVID-related deaths occurred in people with an average of 2.6 comorbidities. Even the New York Times and BBC, which I dare suggest are not what you call right-wing conspiracy outlets, have released articles in the past two weeks highlighting that as many as 90% of positive tests should not be considered “cases” because there is not enough viral presence to make a person sick or transmit the virus to others. Add to that the fact that many studies are now showing that the lockdowns are creating issues that one could argue are more severe than the virus itself, and not only that, but the lockdowns themselves may have done absolutely nothing to stop the virus’ spread or save lives. This is a significantly different scenario than we believed we were facing back in April.
What hasn’t changed has been the inconsistent and heavy-handed measures taken by state and local governments who have chosen to play politics rather than trust people to make wise decisions for their health. The result has been nothing short of flabbergasting. Churches are ordered to remain closed in some areas while abortion mills and liquor stores are deemed essential. Casinos can operate at 50% capacity but churches are limited to 50, and in some cases as few as 10, people. I don’t believe it to be a coincidence that the industries that generate enormous amounts of tax revenue for the state are deemed “essential” but non-profit organizations are shuttered. Those who were once saying “trust the science” are now realizing that the science is not on their side, so they have made this into a political debate. Health officials have vocally supported and encouraged “peaceful” protests involving thousands of people that have resulted in millions of dollars of destruction and numerous injuries, even deaths, across the country. All while blatantly discriminating against any other public gathering, most egregiously gatherings that are also protected in the First Amendment along with the right to peacefully protest: the right to assemble for a religious gathering.
When we had little information about the pandemic it seemed wise to take extra precaution, but now it is becoming increasingly apparent that the restrictions on religious activities have very little to do with the virus and have more to do with control over the free exercise of our faith.
Some churches have received fines and threat of legal action for daring to defy their local governments’ orders. Most notably Grace Community Church in California. Pastor John MacArthur’s comments should resonate with us all as they did with me.
The risk of dying from COVID-19 is quite low on the eternal scale compared to the never-ending anguish of “the wages of sin” — what Scripture refers to as “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). In other words, sin is by far the most deadly corruption that has ever infected the human race. It is a fatal defilement that threatens everyone with eternal disaster. The only cure is the gospel — the good news of Christ’s death as an atonement for sin and His resurrection from the dead. Here we have the irrevocable guarantee of God’s full forgiveness, promised to everyone who is united with Christ by faith. That is the message the church has been given to proclaim…
To pastors around the world, I remind you that you have not been given a pause from the divine mandate to let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16) nor to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2). Let the church be the church. Let the light shine; gather your sheep; feed the flock of God; welcome the fellowship of the saints; celebrate the Lord’s supper; give your people biblical instruction — and most of all, persist in preaching the gospel.
The question of whether we should keep our churches open is without controversy. There is no other option if we are going to be faithful to our Lord. How we do that might vary based on geographical and legal circumstances, but dear pastor, it is you — not some elected or appointed civic official — who must be the one to shepherd your church under Christ’s authority as Lord. We cannot yield to Caesar that which belongs to God. May the Lord give us all wisdom, courage, and love to honor Him as so many of our spiritual ancestors have done in much harder times than these.
Dr. John MacArthur, courtesy of TheDailyWire.com
Christians do not have the promise of tomorrow, nor are they promised safety and security. In fact, the Christian is called to a life of sacrifice. That sacrifice comes in many forms. We have enjoyed freedom of religion in our country for many, many years but we are not promised religious freedom. Just ask the many Christians in countries where Christianity is outlawed. I believe we are experiencing a great shift in our society that is becoming increasingly hostile toward conservative values and Christianity in general. And while many Christians will quote Romans 13 as a reason to obey the governments’ orders, they forget that those words were written by a man who regularly was imprisoned for preaching Christ when he was ordered not to do so. Think of the Christians who “obeyed” the government in Nazi Germany while justifying their inaction by misusing Romans 13.
If the government can unlawfully discriminate against church gatherings under the guise of public safety, then what is to stop them from declaring Christianity a danger to public health at some point? Before you dismiss this idea, consider that racism is being called a “public health crisis” in many states around the country. The Black Lives Matter organization themselves promote many ideologies that are counter to the Word of God on their website, and they have the full support of many people in power. We are already being told that our views are unhealthy or hate speech. If you do not bow to the “Woke” movement then you are immediately “canceled.” The groundwork is already being laid to eliminate the church’s standing in our culture in the ongoing attacks against those who hold traditional, biblical views on sexuality and the family.
God has called us to shine as a light to the world. The world is telling us to keep that light to ourselves. They say it subtly using phrases like “private” and “personal” but what they really mean is for us to ignore the call of God to preach the gospel to all people in the hopes of saving some. At some point in the future, perhaps sooner than we ever anticipated, there will be a time where we are faced with the decision of obeying our government or obeying our Lord. For now, it is time for the church to gather publicly and proclaim the hope of the gospel to a hopeless world. Come what may.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
Ezekiel 33:6
So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.
Acts 4:18-21