Essay 1: Christians and the Covid Vaccine
On July 29 2021, President Biden tweeted "I know people talk about freedom, but with freedom comes responsibility. Your decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else. Please get vaccinated. For yourself. For the people you love. And for your country."
Christians are called to do two things that are relevant here. First, we are called to honor the king and those in authority over us. In the same way that marriage is sacred because it is an image of God's character, authority is also sacred- it is a picture of the way God is, and is blessed by him.
Second, we are called not to lie. Proverbs 12:22 says that the Lord detests lying lips. Paul pointed out that liars go to hell. If the law or the request of a business owner is to wear a mask in certain establishments unless you are vaccinated, and you act like you are vaccinated by not wearing a mask, you grieve the Holy Spirit, and serve the father of lies.
It doesn't matter if you think that much of this stuff is unconstitutional, or if you think that it is an overbroad exercise of executive power. Paul never questioned the legitimacy of the emperor (even though all human power is always disputable); instead, God had him tells us to honor him REGARDLESS of the context. Paul commanded people to honor the emperor as that emperor was ACTIVELY STARTING TO PERSECUTE THEM for their faith.
God never commanded people to only honor authorities they believed were legitimate. Instead, he modeled submission to illegitimate authority. Jesus paid the temple tax to a temple authority he knew was illegitimate. Regardless of your feelings about the constitutionality of this or that, if you are a Christian, you must honor and obey your leaders.
Jesus made it clear- if someone takes your cloak, give them your shirt as well. If someone forces you to carry a load one mile, go two miles with them.
Some Christians defend their choice to not get the vaccine by saying "what about my health" (because they believe the lie that the vaccine is harmful). It doesn't matter- God doesn't promise us good health, and he commands christians to do many things that harm their health.
Look at the martyrs, who God loves dearly - he led them into places that would kill them. Honor God with your actions. Place your trust in him as you strive to honor him. God doesn't particularly ask christians to worship their health above honoring him.
The world sees Christians refusing to get vaccinated to stop covid, and it sees selfish people hurting others for the sake of living by fear of a vaccine. We are called not to have a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a *sound mind*.
Please, Christians, have a sound mind. Consider how improbable it is that so many doctors all collaborated to create and distribute something to harm people. Consider how if it were some sort of conspiracy to harm people, there would be some whistleblowers from within. Tens of thousands of doctors and researchers collaborated to create this incredible work of science- what are the odds you're more right than them?
Consider the data that we see now- that the vast majority of people dying and hospitalized from Covid are unvaccinated. Open your eyes, and look past the beliefs you've built up around you- see that it works. Honor the authorities, and by so doing obey God- get vaccinated.