A letter from Anthony...
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all
of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither
slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you
are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29
It is a welcome, but
slightly strange, feeling to be let out of lockdown while so much of our state
is still living under strict restrictions.
But that said, it was a wonderful blessing to be able to meet with God’s
people in person last Sunday, as it will be, Lord willing, again this
Sunday.
At present our state and
federal leaders are working hard to try and open up the whole state again, but their
plans to do so have raised a number of contentious issues for many. And as those who follow the Lord Jesus it is
important that our decisions are being informed by Scripture.
I am sure that you would be
aware that a key element of our State Government’s road map out of lockdown is
a push to have 80 percent of the NSW population vaccinated. And I think it has been this strong push
toward vaccination that has opinions divided.
In recent weeks the vaccine has become somewhat of a hot topic. Many have had the vaccine and feel
comfortable with that decision, while others have legitimate concerns about
having the vaccine.
It was recently announced by
the State Premier that it will be mandatory for all teachers and medical
professionals to be vaccinated, and the intention is to include many other
industries in that in the future. Along
with this strong push toward vaccine, many are also concerned about the State
Government’s plan to introduce vaccine passports.
So how can we think about
these issues in a biblical way? I am not
a doctor, nor do I profess to understand all the intricacies of the arguments
both for and against the vaccine. However,
I do encourage us all to think about these challenges in a biblical way.
As those who have been united
with Christ through His life, death and resurrection we have not only been
united with Christ, but also with all other believers in Christ, as we were
adopted into the family of Christ. But
being united doesn’t mean that we will always see things from the same
perspective, and so on controversial issues like vaccination there will be any
number of different positions that we might hold.
So how can we think about
the vaccine in a biblical way?
Well firstly, we must think about these issues in the light of the law of Christ. The law of Christ is this, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). Therefore, according to the law of Christ, as followers of Jesus, we are called to serve the Lord by loving Him and our neighbour.
Due to the difficulty of
this topic, however, it is very likely that we will have different perspectives
on what is most loving toward God and our neighbour. One may say ‘take the vaccine, it will slow
the spread of the virus.’ Another may
say ‘don’t take the vaccine, and stand up for those who feel oppressed and pressured
into having it.’ But each of us should
be led by our consciences and convinced in our minds, as Paul says in Romans
14:5-6:
“One person considers one
day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them
should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as
special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they
give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to God.”
It is important for us to acknowledge
that either position on the vaccine (as long as it is held in order to love the
Lord and our neighbour) honours our Saviour.
So, if either position is
able to honour the Lord, then secondly, it is important for us to think about
whether our position will affect our gospel witness. Now as a pastor I am in a different position
to many, in that my position on taking or not taking the vaccine will directly
affect my gospel witness in the community.
There will be others in this position, but for many your position on the
vaccine will make no difference at all to the opportunities you have to share
the gospel and won’t be a deciding factor at all.
And then lastly, it is
important to ask ourselves, ‘how are our positions on the vaccine affecting
relationships within the body of Christ?’ With the constant drum beat that we are
hearing from our media and State Government, it is easy to get caught up in the
“for” or “against” camp without even realising it. But as those who are called to love the Lord
our God and our neighbour, it is important for us to think about how our words
are affecting our neighbour. We must ask
ourselves questions like, ‘Do I need to speak, or would it better serve the
gospel for me to remain silent on this issue at this time?’
There are a lot of different
reasons why we may be either for or against the vaccine, but these differences
should not divide us. As members of the
body of Christ we have been brought into a diverse family of believers who are
united through one thing, and that is the blood of Christ. Therefore, whatever our position is on the
vaccine, in Christ and amongst His body there is neither Jew nor Gentile,
neither slave nor free, neither vaccinated or non-vaccinated, nor is there male
and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In Christ, Anthony
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