What is the ‘Loving’ Thing to Do?

As I consider all that has happened this week with regard to the Coronavirus and the subsequent directives that have been given, I am troubled. Like everyone, my life feels topsy-turvy because of all of the changes that have happened so quickly, but I don’t think that is the primary source of my disquiet. I believe that I am most concerned with the disconnect that I feel between the way that I am looking at the world and the way that the ‘leaders’ are looking at the world. Stepping back from the situation a little, this should come as no surprise to me because I know that as a Christian I have a worldview that is distinctly “other" than what is common in today’s Secular Materialist society. 

A worldview is the way that we understand the world that we are living in. It consists of our preconceived notions of “how the world is” - the things that we believe without ever really thinking about them. The Christian worldview believes that "God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.” This is foundational to the way that a Christian looks at the world. On the other hand, a Secular Materialist worldview does not believe in a Triune and personal God but believes that only matter exists - certainly in differing configurations, but none-the-less, just matter. There is no personal God who orders the universe for the good of his creation; only various levels of evolved matter, at the top of which is man, who is the ruler of his own destiny. 

What I have noticed about the way that the Coronavirus has been handled is that there are certain elements of the Christian and Secular Materialist worldviews that overlap. Both worldviews are perfectly comfortable with talking about what the virus is and how it spreads in identical terms. However, simply because we understand some parts of the world the same way, doesn’t mean that our basic presuppositions are the same. And it is precisely here that Christians need to take note. We can agree that it is good for us to do what we can to stop the spread of the virus. But we cannot agree that the success of man’s prevailing against the virus rest solely upon our own ingenuity. If Christians insist on going along with thinking through the Coronavirus problem in the same way as the Secular Materialists, then the thought path on which we travel is a path which, from the beginning, excludes the existence of God and humanity’s dependence upon him. God is removed from the equation, and we need to figure out how to save ourselves. Rather than traveling along the same path as the Secular Materialists, it is important for Christians to identify what elements of the Secular Materialist worldview are incompatible with the Christian worldview so that we do not unthinkingly arrive at the same conclusions. 

Stopping the Coronavirus is a fine objective to have. However, as with all objectives, the means to accomplish that objective need to be considered and weighed so that the best approach can be taken. God has made humans complex in many ways. Even if we were to look only at what it means for a human to be “healthy,” we would soon discover that a definition of “virus free” would be far too simple and narrow to truly describe what it means to flourish in a healthy, human, way. One of the problems that the Secular Materialist worldview has is that it does not recognize “spiritual health” as a component of what it is to be a healthy human being. Therefore, when the Secular Materialist sets about to calculate the best means to accomplish the objective of eradicating the Coronavirus, the equation is incomplete, and the method that he will advocate will be inconsistent with the Christian worldview. 

As your pastor, I have an obligation to you all to lead the congregation in the most responsible way possible. I recognize that I am not an expert in all things virus related, so I rely upon the information that I receive from the experts in that field. I also recognize that they in-turn are not experts in consideration of “spiritual” things. It would be negligent of me to look at only the “science" or only the “spiritual” side of things. Likewise, it would not be good pastoring at this juncture to not raise a red flag and indicate that there is danger ahead. Not only the danger of the Coronavirus, but something that is ultimately even more dangerous, an uncritical acceptance of the conclusions of the worldly wisdom of the Secular Materialist worldview.   

When Christians take the “science" and “spiritual” into consideration when contemplating the correct response to the Coronavirus, one of the largest questions becomes: “What does loving my neighbor look like?”. This truly is a difficult question to answer, and unfortunately, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Because we love our neighbor, we do not want to inadvertently carry the virus to anyone and potentially infect them. Yet, we also know that loving our neighbor simply cannot be done from a distance alone; that love for our neighbor is not only the goodwill that we feel toward them, but also the love-in-action support that we give to one another as we interact with one another in the created, physical, world. God made us in such a way that, even before the fall into sin, God said that it was not good for the physically perfect Adam to be alone. It was with the introduction of sin that man and woman became ashamed and subsequently separated themselves from one another and hid themselves from the presence of God because of their fear. 

When people are afraid, they begin to think about themselves. Today we might call this the “fight or flight” instinct. As Christians, we confess that self-preservation can be a God-pleasing attitude because it demonstrates a healthy respect for the value of the life that God has given. Yet, we also recognize that if left unbridled, this attitude can be an expression of the sinful nature’s fallen tendency to care only about oneself. One of the medicines that God has given his people in order to continue to fight against this sinful selfishness is that of living together in community. By God’s grace, when a person is made aware of the needs of his fellow man, the Spirit moves him to compassion and empowers him to do something that may not be for his own highest good, but is simply for the good of another. God made Adam and Eve and all of humanity to serve as helpmates to one another. The Christian Church is the community par excellence. Through baptism into Christ, believers have been united not only to Christ, but to one another as well. As the Body of Christ, Christians in the local church need one another in the same way that a human body needs its various parts. Separation of any of the parts (individual members of the local church) from the others results in harm to the body (the whole congregation). Simply put, it is unhealthy, and results in spiritual sickness.

Now, having considered these things, we are able to see that there is more to the equation for the Christian than for the Secular Materialist. Loving our neighbors isn’t as simple as “social isolation” for a while. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t practice some social isolation, but it also doesn’t mean that we should stay separate from one another no matter what. It is true that we cannot know if we are carriers of the virus until it may be too late, and we end up “giving” the virus to someone else. For this reason, it is important that we are mindful of the way we interact with people whom we know will be particularly impacted by the virus. Yet, we will also be mindful not to carry the logic of this practice to the extreme. Christians recognize that they live in a fallen world and that bad things like viruses make people sick as a result of living in this sin-sick world. They also recognize that God realized this fact to, and yes, still encouraged people to gather together in community regularly, especially for the purpose of living out their faith and love as members of the Church. There is risk involved in this strategy from the perspective of our understanding of germs and diseases, yet the Holy Spirit also gives Christians the ability to hear God’s voice calling them back into community, which ultimately is an act of faith and trust in Him. The Christian worldview accepts this understanding of “physical” and “spiritual” health and is therefore unwilling to make “health" in one category or the other mutually exclusive. God has made humanity in His image and given us a body and soul; that means that our physical and spiritual health go together. 

This is why, even in the midst of a pandemic, I believe it is right and God-pleasing to continue to keep the church open. Working with the leadership of the congregation, there are some elements of our life together that we have modified for the time being (like closing the school) in an effort to show deference to our governing authorities to the extent that we are able without violating our consciences. I do not believe that the members of the church will be well served by the pastoral office dictating which activities of the church should carry on and which should be discontinued. If a Bible study or small group desires to meet, they should do so with faith in God who is in control of all things, and, if a group decides not to meet, they should do so thanking God for granting Christians the grace and liberty to make conscientious choices with his help. I do not believe that there is an absolute right and wrong in these questions, unless the decisions are made in a way that has not wrestled with “health” and “Christian love” from a decidedly Christian worldview’s perspective.

Because Christians are a New Creation in Christ Jesus, we are certain of our ongoing and eternal life in him. His perfect love has driven out the fear that once held us in bondage. Jesus has made us a priesthood of believers so that with His strong Word we might be a light to the world. In a world that is going mad with fear as it confronts the reality that all people die, and that no one can add a single moment to his life, Christ calls us to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us as His children. This is the hope that we share with one another as well as we gather in His presence and receive the riches of His grace! Our Great Physician has given us His eternal health when he drew near to us. So, let us also join together as we draw near to His Throne of Grace, the altar of His cross!