Are you ready for 2020 to end? I know I am.
One of the many issues in 2020 has been the COVID-19 pandemic and all the health-related concerns. I personally know dozens and dozens of people who have had or currently have COVID-19.
Praying and Living Philippians 1:9-11
In addition to the heavy physical toll, COVID-19 is costing the church a heavy relational toll.
Weekly I counsel pastors who are struggling under the stress of COVID-related decision-making and unhappy parishioners. Daily I see my social media timelines explode with divisive and judgmental comments—often aimed at brothers and sisters in Christ.
So…I thought I’d collate some post with practical biblical principles on how to make wise and loving decisions about pandemic mandates. Whenever I ponder wise and loving decisions, I pray through Philippians 1:9-11.
“And this is my prayer:
that your love may abound more and more
in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—
to the glory and praise of God.”
Do you see the flow?
Love that abounds in wisdom leads to discerning what is best so that we live pure lives that are filled with Christ’s righteousness all done for God’s glory.
5 Wisdom Posts: Making Wise COVID-Related Decisions
First, here are five posts sharing biblical wisdom principles for decision-making. What guidance does the Bible provide? What biblical principles are other church leaders using to think through the best path forward?
The Bible and Quarantines: 3 Chapter 13s
The first post is mine. You can find it here: The Bible and Quarantines: 3 Chapter 13s.
Here’s the summary at the end about 6 Biblically-Based Wisdom Principles for Godly Decision-Making Regarding the Pandemic:
- Question 1 from Leviticus 13: How should the biblical context that quarantines are commended and practiced in the Bible impact our decisions about pandemic-related mandates?
- Question 2 from 1 Corinthians 13: How should the biblical concern for others impact our decisions about pandemic-related mandates?
- Question 3 from Romans 13: How should biblical commands to comply with the law of the land out of commitment to obey God’s law of love impact our decisions about pandemic-related mandates?
- Question 4 from Romans 13: Before considering “civil disobedience,” have we exhausted the options given to us by our freedoms: a.) expressing our opposing views, b.) voting our conscience, c.) peacefully protesting, and d.) using all the legal means at our disposal?
- Question 5 from Acts 28: Like the apostle Paul in Acts 28:30-31, even while quarantined (or imprisoned) am I prioritizing proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with loving and gentle boldness over claiming and proclaiming my rights?
- Question 6 from Acts 28: Are my proclamations of my rights hindering or helping my Christian witness and my calling to proclaim the gospel of Christ’s grace?
The Government Says We Can’t Sing. What Should We Do? A Forum.
Post 2 is from 9Marks. You can read it here: The Government Says We Can’t Sing. What Should We Do? A Forum.
As the sub-title suggests, this post provides a forum of ideas from pastors about how to respond wisely to mandates that prohibit singing. The post ends with the author, Jonathan Leeman, sharing biblical decision-making principles.
The Biblically Quarantined Life
The Biblically Quarantined Life is a Christianity Today post by Pastor Skip Heitzig. I build my post off of his foundational study of how Leviticus 13, 1 Corinthians 13, and Romans 13 provide biblical wisdom for pandemic-related decision-making.
Obeying Rulers with the Reformed Tradition
At The Gospel Coalition, historical theology professor Ian Clary collates a litany of quotes from Reformed theologians, pastors, and leaders. According to Clary, they combine to lead him to conclude that:
“What are we to make of all of this? If we say that we are Reformed, and if the Reformed tradition that we so revere holds the civil magistrate in such high regard, should we not also? Should our first response to another lockdown be towards obedience rather than disobedience?”
Read Clary’s extensive citations and support for his conclusion at Obeying Rulers with the Reformed Tradition.
Should Your Church Comply with New COVID-19 Orders?
This is another 9Marks post. It has a lot of legalese, yet is quite informative. The editors introduce it with these words:
“The following memo was written by an elder of a mid-Atlantic church to his fellow elders. The author, formerly a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice, presently works as an attorney and has graciously agreed to let us reprint it here.”
The lengthy “memo” is directed to “the Elders” as a “Framework for Compliance with New COVID-19 Orders.” You can read the full post here: Should Your Church Comply with New COVID-19 Orders?
3 Loving Posts: Relating Like Christ When Responding to COVID Controversies
Where to begin? Wear masks. Don’t wear a mask. Anti-maskers. Pro-maskers. COVID is real. COVID is minor—like the common cold or flu. COVID is a governmental conspiracy. COVID mandates are making the US like a communist country. And the list goes on and on.
How do we relate well—with Christ’s grace-love—when we disagree with one another, or when we disagree with decisions our church leaders are making?
On This Sunday: Seeking to Be Wise
This post is by Pastor Kevin Carson. While it surely addresses wisdom principles related to COVID-19, even more it suggests biblical principles of Christlike love. For example:
“As you think about all the decisions individuals, families, pastors, and churches must wrestle through in light of individual circumstances, government mandates, government recommendations, health concerns, and other situational particulars, make sure our commitment to Christ and the body of Christ rules our hearts. Our own particular opinions related to the virus, government, or other objects of our passions should ride shotgun to the greater commitment we have to mutual care and seeking to serve each other. More specifically, our desire to serve each other through mutual care as part of the body of Christ should create an empathetic heart. Our personal opinions should be shelved as we consider those around us. In humility, we recognize we do not know all the pressures, situational concerns, and other issues surrounding other individuals, families, pastors, or churches. Instead, our mutual care for each other creates an empathetic heart for the other person’s situation.”
You can read and benefit from Pastor Kevin’s complete post here: On This Sunday: Seeking to Be Wise.
If You Can’t Be with the Church You Love. Love the Church You’re With
Professor Jared C. Wilson recognizes that COVID controversies can become so extreme that people wonder if they can even stay at their current church. He writes to provide “some biblical matters that ought to impact our conscience as it pertains to our church membership.” These include:
- When you join a church, you commit to a people, not simply to an experience.
- When you join a church, you commit to obey your leaders.
- When you join a church, you commit to focus on serving others rather than on their serving you.
Read Jared’s complete thoughts here: If You Can’t Be with the Church You Love. Love the Church You’re With.
Is Civil Disobedience the Only Option?
At The Gospel Coalition Canada, Pastor Paul Martin asks and addresses the question, Is Civil Disobedience the Only Option? This post could be placed in either category—wisdom or love (as could most or perhaps all of these posts). Here’s what Pastor Martin considers the heart of the matter relationally:
“If you think everyone must agree with your assessment of the pandemic, its handling, and how churches should respond to such, then I think you are not carefully thinking through both the principles and application of a host of Scriptures, not the least of which is Romans 12-14. If you demand that other churches follow your church in how to handle these matters, I also have deep ecclesiological concerns. I am a Baptist, after all. So, I take issue with one side charging the other with cowardice, as I do the “cowards” charging the others with being “too political.” “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). We simply must leave space to disagree with each other on this matter. Don’t forget we have an experienced and wicked enemy trying to deceive us into division, disunity and every violation of love (1 Corinthians 13).”
Setting this foundation of humility, grace, and love, Pastor Martin next addresses wisdom principles for churches. Read his entire post here: Is Civil Disobedience the Only Option?
4 Reasons to Wear a Mask Even If You Hate It
This is a Gospel Coalition post by Brett McCracken. Though it is a couple of months ago, it is as timely as ever. He acknowledges that he personally dislikes wearing a mask. However, he suggests the following 4 biblical principles for mask-wearing:
- To Love Your Neighbor (Matt. 22:39).
- To Respect Authorities (Rom. 13:1–7).
- To Honor the Weak in Our Midst (Rom. 14).
- To Use Freedom for the Sake of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:19–23).
You can read the entire post here: 4 Reasons to Wear a Mask Even If You Hate It.
Join the Conversation
What additional posts/articles do you recommend to help Christians to make wise and loving decisions related to COVID-19 restrictions?
