Touchy Questions for a (Not So) Touchy Time

I am so thankful that we’ve gone back to two services. My prayer is that gathering in the same room again will help us worship more joyfully and feel more unified. But the unity we want will likely be challenging to achieve. 

The COVID pandemic has brought a number of touchy questions to the surface that we have never wrestled with before. Is it okay to stay home from church out of precaution in this pandemic? Or is it okay to go to church for worship and fellowship even if it poses a risk? Is it wrong to remove my face mask within six feet of another person and risk spreading the disease? Or is it wrong to distance myself from others and risk even more isolation?

Three months ago, these questions would have hardly made sense. Now we can’t avoid them. There are passionate voices everywhere these days telling you what to believe. Either that it is reckless and irresponsible to spread germs around and risk infection, or that it is reckless and irresponsible to be fearful of the media hype about this disease and to cut yourself off from others. So how should we, at JVC, respond? 
 

Touchy Questions & Christian Freedom

The most important questions are ones that sometimes get overlooked. One that we need to start with is: do we have freedom to come to diverse conclusions on these questions? And if so, where does that freedom come from? 

If you are a Christian, you are free in Christ. What that means is that Jesus freed us from our slavery to sin, death, Satan, and idols so that we would serve him out of joy and love (see WCF ch. 20:1). The concept of Christian freedom rests on two revolutionary ideas. First, our freedom comes from being saved by Christ alone. Second, because of this, we serve him not out of slavish fear, but in childlike love. Christian freedom means that we are free to love and obey Christ; that releases us from everything else, including our own strong convictions and opinions.

Churches get into trouble when they are enslaved to other voices. We lose our sense of unity in Christ if we form factions according to convictions on touchy subjects. If this happens, we’re obeying another voice at the expense of Christ’s freeing command to love God and one another. In Romans 14, Paul teaches that unity is found in caring for others’ consciences, even to the point of forgoing our own freedom for the sake of each other! What this looks like for us is caring just as much about others’ viewpoints on face masks and social distancing as we do our own. Expect other Christians at JVC to have different convictions from you; don’t just expect them to fall in line with your conviction. Both our freedom and our unity as a church is based not on sharing opinions, but on sharing in Christ. 
 

Understanding One Another

This doesn't mean that having an opinion is wrong. But given that we will disagree, the gospel challenges us to respond with understanding to others at church who hold a different view. So how do you respond when you are offended by a face mask wearer or by an enthusiastic hugger? Do you assume they are blind, ignorant, fearful, rebellious, or lacking faith, and that you are wiser and more mature? Do you only talk to those who feel the same way you do?

That is not the best way for us to treat each other. Instead, consider that someone who holds that different view than you do has reasons you might understand if you understood them better. For example, some of us feel very strongly that face masks and social distancing should be mandatory because we care about others’ welfare and the good of our church. Others of us at JVC believe equally as strongly that face masks should not be worn for the same reasons, except we are thinking of the relational and emotional ramifications of social isolation. Both positions come from love for others, are defensible from Scripture, and were formed by our various experiences and relationships.

Strive to truly understand others’ positions and opinions before judging or critiquing. Try to see how and why their stance might be how they love you and others. Be eager to allow others the Christian freedom you enjoy in your convictions. Be quick to ask forgiveness for your lack of understanding before expecting others to ask forgiveness of you. Approach someone who has offended you kindly, rather than complaining, gossiping, or withdrawing from them. And even if, after trying to understand their position, you conclude they are foolish or sinful, consider how to graciously invite them into closer obedience to Christ.  

Oh, and by the way, if you come to the conclusion that my perspective on this is foolish or sinful, please let me know! But do it in a way that graciously invites me into closer obedience to Christ. In that way, you will be showing me the kind of grace that Christ has shown you. And if we all do that, we will grow in unity during this touchy time.

In Christ,

Pastor Jonny