Passive or Active?

Responses to Covid 19 have divided the church.  At the root of much of this division has been how people are addressing an age-old question, namely, how to find the balance between trusting God (passive) and doing something about it (active), in daily situations. 

For example, some say that they will refuse a vaccine when it comes out and rather trust God to protect them.  This statement sent me down a trail pursuing this thought to its logical conclusion.

·       If not this vaccine, then we should reject all other vaccines including polio, smallpox, mumps, …

·       If no vaccines then we should eschew all medicines including ibuprofen, antihistamines, cancer treatments …

·       If no medicines, we should avoid all so-called natural remedies, because how do we define them?

·       If no remedies then we should decline all medical treatments including setting broken limbs, surgery, bandaids, childbirth support…

o   No prosthetics, including walking sticks

o   No keeping mice and bugs out of the house to prevent plague, lyme disease, malaria…

o   No watching your diet for health reasons, such as sugar, fats, preservatives, food allergens…

·       Indeed – no avoiding poisons

·       Then, jumping off high places and walking on the highway are OK

At the extreme end of the “let go and let God” scale then, one can sit at the table and order a steak dinner and expect God to serve it.  This is clearly absurd, not least because after the fall, God told Adam that “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread”, i.e. no free (steak) lunch.  We have to work to survive.

Therefore, there has to be a point where we take responsibility and put some effort into looking after ourselves, and our neighbors, and another where God takes over.  But where is that cutoff?  Many far smarter and better-educated people than I have wrestled with this, but I am stupid enough to try too.

Let us start by stating unequivocally that God is sovereign.  That means He is totally in charge and indeed could easily serve steak dinners and protect us from every harm, if he chose to.  But he doesn’t.  He clearly gives us responsibility to take action to care for our bodies (temples) and allow them to flourish.  Intertwined with this is that He, and only He is the giver and taker of life. Simply stated, God is in control, but I am responsible; which is a conundrum that we will only understand in heaven

Noting that Jesus stated that those who are sick need medical help, and that one of his disciples was a physician, it would seem reasonable that God is not anti-doctor.

There are many passages in scripture where God instructs people to go do things: build the ark, fight the battle, catch the fish, prepare the meal, feed the poor, pay the tax, buy a sword.  There are also passages where the battle was won with no fighting, swords were banned, and people were miraculously healed and raised from the dead.  Sometimes Paul fled from the riots he caused, and sometimes he stayed to be arrested. 

There is obviously then, no simple injunction that we can follow blindly.  So how do we know what to do?  We listen to God. How does He speak? Through scripture first.  But scripture is completely silent about Covid-19.  However, He has laid down principles about loving Him and our neighbors, not killing, stealing, or coveting, and not limiting our horizons to this life.  The Bible consistently condemns inaction in the face of injustice, poverty and need.  Most of all we are told to walk away from the fear and anxiety that is expressing itself as selfishness, paranoia, and bigotry in our community today.  We are also told to seek His presence and rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance (subject to the principles of scripture to ensure that it is the Holy Spirit we are listening to).  We avoid fear by trusting Him explicitly.

So: two contradictory messages and we are back where we started.  We have to trust God with every detail of our lives, and we have to take action.

The only way I have been able to resolve this is to act where I can, and to let God take on the outcomes and the things I have no control over.

This includes taking advantage of medical professionals and their treatments and recommendations.  At the same time, I seek joy and reassurance in God’s presence.  It is kind of fun to watch our mighty human edifices crumble in the face of a teeny tiny virus, and to remember who is actually in control.