A friend recently spoke to a person (let’s call her “M”) who was interested in Jesus and had lots of questions. He found out M lives near me, so he gave her my number. Here is the text I received from her, along with my answers (answers lengthened for better clarity in this post).
M: If God told us to have faith, why are all the churches walking around with masks on and closing their doors? I want to find a church, but I’m discouraged because they don’t seem to be practicing what they are presenting.
For the first time in America, churches have to face the reality that there are times when they must disobey the government, it’s a new thing to them. Most churches are compliant, but some are not. I know of a church in Orange County that has continued to meet in spite of the government order. I have been in “underground” churches in China, where Christians disobey the government in order to practice their faith. Most Christians here have no concept of that. One of the issues churches are dealing with is Romans 13, which basically says Christians should submit to the government.
Romans 13:1–2
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
This section of scripture is one of the main text pastors are citing during the COVID-19 trial, and that makes sense, since it’s one of the clearest places where the church/government relationship is addressed. As with all verses, it’s good to look at the context to get the full understanding. Here are the following verses.
Romans 13:3–4
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
Those verses are the reason many Christians are choosing to disobey the government by keeping their churches open. In the opinion of many pastors, the government is not doing it’s God-appointed job. Verses 1-2 show that God established the government. Verses 3-4 show what the government’s job is: “it is a minister of God to you for good.” The argument is; if the government is not doing what God intended it to do… if it’s restricting you from doing good (like forcing you to close a church or forcing you to stop pleading for life in front of an abortion clinic), the government is now sinning, and you are not required to obey a command to sin. In fact, throughout the bible, people are clearly commanded to obey God rather than any man, including the government, regardless of the consequences. Famous examples would be Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, Daniel in the lion’s den in Daniel 6, and Peter and John in Acts 4.
This is not a contradiction (submit to the government / disobey the government), it’s simply an example of what to do when the government does not follow God’s plan. We see this kind of thing throughout the bible, a general truth with specific details concerning that same truth in other contexts. For example, we are told not to get a divorce, but there are provisions for a God-approved exemption for divorce (If your spouse has sex with someone else, God is not going to force you to stay with them and you are free to leave that cheating spouse; Matthew 19:9). In a similar manner, submission to the government is God’s plan for citizens, but there is an exemption when the government is encouraging you to sin. This is the big question; Is it sinful to close a church because the government tells you to, when you have a biblical reason to keep it open?
M: So by closing it’s a sin?
That’s the question many churches are trying to figure out. I would say it depends on the motive. Motive is always a factor. If a church is closed because the leaders are genuinely concerned for the safety of the people, that would be a good reason to close a church. Whether it’s a virus or structural damage, if the building poses a real threat to the safety of the people, close that thing until it’s safe. On the other hand, I believe a wrong motive to close a church would be to remain in good standing with the government, when the government is telling you to follow orders that oppose God’s commands. A church should get its orders from King Jesus, rather than any governor, mayor or president. In the book of Acts we see an example of this.
Acts 4:18–20
18 And when they (the authorities) had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
That text is not within the context of a church being shut down, but the principle for Christians is clear; we must obey God rather than men. Another verse that comes into play is…
Hebrews 10:24–25
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Because of that verse, many pastors think it is sin to close a church and stop meeting.
M: Ok, that makes sence.
(End of text)
From this point, I encouraged her to watch “American Gospel” on Nexflix. Pray for M, pray that God would guide her to the truth. Looking back on her questions, I realized I may have totally missed the point of her question. Yes, that actually happens on occasion.
M: If God told us to have faith, why are all the churches walking around with masks on and closing their doors?
After a second look, this question may have undertones of the idea that God will keep us from getting sick if we have enough faith. If I have the opportunity to speak with her again, I will ask if that was what she was getting at. If so, the answer is basically this; God healed many people in the bible but that does not mean He will heal us of every illness. Christians and unbelievers die of the same diseases. From there I can get into the issue of false faith-movement teaching if needed.
One might look at M’s email and think, “Yes, some unbelievers may be wanting to go to church, but other unbelievers will be mad at us if we open church.” That is true, but the bigger question is, why should we care about the opinions of unbelievers when we know what the bible says? Why should Christians allow unbiblical thinking to influence the direction of biblical ministry? If your goal as a pastor is to be a seeker-sensitive church, you have bigger problems than COVID-19. If you are desiring to do the will of God, I would hope that you are more concerned with God’s opinion rather than man’s. If you are in a position of leadership at a church, and you are involved in the decision of wether to open your church or keep it closed, I have no authority to tell you what to do. I simply ask that you examine your reason for doing what you do concerning the opening/closure of your church. In 500 years from now, COVID-19, the government and the shepherding of your church will no longer be an issue, but our King will remain. Serve your King to the best of your ability.
What do I take away from M’s text? A few things.
Unbelievers are watching us. Do they see Christians as courageous? Or do they see us as the rest of the world; uncertain about the future, fearing for our lives, answering only to the government as our final authority?
The lost are still out there. Now more than ever, they are thinking about death and their place in the world.
COVID-19 will pass, eternity is forever. Seek the lost, now is the time.
Eddie Roman
