It is very disheartening to hear what people have been saying. It is very discouraging to see what people have posted. Have we lost sight of who we are as believers? Have we lost sight of what Scripture says? Have we lost sight of how Jesus treated others? Why does it seem like sheep are hurting other sheep so much in the church over this issue of wearing masks?
What Paul Says About Christian Freedom
Romans 14 is the fundamental chapter in the Bible about Christian freedom and winsome love towards fellow Christians even when (especially when!) they disagree with you. Paul was writing to a group of people who were divided over non-essential issues. He was writing to a group of people who were dividing over things that could tear the church apart if they were not careful.
How does this affect us today with mask-wearing? There are some who think that masks represent political views. There are some who think that masks represents your view towards science. Others think that masks is about asserting your right. So…what might Paul say about this issue if he was pastoring our churches today?
What follows is a word for word reprint of the ESV translation of Romans 14 but phrases such as “eating”, “observing days”, and “drinking” are replaced with “mask-wearing”.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions (such as whether to wear masks or not). One person believes he may not wear a mask, while the other person only wears the mask. Let not the one who does not wear masks despise the one who wears masks, and let not the one who wears masks pass judgment on the one who does not wear masks, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person esteems wearing masks as better than not wearing masks, while another esteems not wearing masks as legitimate. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who wears masks, wears it in honor of the Lord. The one who does not wear a mask, should go about it in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who wears masks, should wear it in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother for wearing a mask? Or you, why do you despise your brother for not wearing a mask? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that neither view is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by you not wearing a mask, you are no longer walking in love. By you not wearing a mask, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of wearing masks or not wearing masks but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Do not, for the sake of wearing or not wearing masks, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what how he views wearing masks. It is good to wear a mask so that your brother does not stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he does not wear a mask, because the not wearing a mask is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Key Verses
Listen to these key verses again:
v1 “but not to quarrel over opinions”
v4 “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?”
v10 “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother?”
v12 “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
v13 “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”
v15 “For if your brother is grieved [by your view of masks] you are no longer walking in love.”
v19 “So let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
The Problem
How many of us have seen Christians assert their right to not wear a mask in such a way that it hurts other Christians? How many of us have heard others make comments about those who do not wear masks as if they may not be Christian at all? We are using our freedom to beat people over the head. We are using our convictions to shame others who don’t agree. Brothers and sisters, this should not be!
If we are not careful, we will see this build-up into strife and division. Where are the servants in the church? Where are those who want to use their Christian freedom to build others up? Where are those who won’t impose their beliefs on someone else? Where is the grace-hunting? Where is the encouragement? Where is Jesus being seen through us?
The Solution
The only way to come together as the body of Christ is to press further into the gospel. We don’t need less gospel; we need more gospel. We can’t assume the gospel or even just throw the word gospel around. We need the explicit gospel. We need to know that the Son of God humbled Himself to voluntarily take on human flesh to be thrown into the thick of temptation, sin, and sinful culture. We need to know that He remained sinless and perfectly loving and compassionate while pursuing utmost holiness. We need to know that He went to the rugged cross where He absorbed an eternity’s worth of hell for a countless yet definite number of people on their behalf. We need to know that He died a death’s death and when He died He put death to death. We need to know that He rose from the dead and crushed the head of the Serpent with His first step of resurrected life. We need to know that He ascended into Heaven where He reigns and rules with utmost love, sovereignty, compassion, power, justice, and grace. We need to know that we can be saved by grace through faith in Christ alone according to what the Scriptures alone declare to God’s glory. We need to know that He is coming again to judge the righteous and the wicked and that an eternity’s worth of hell or heaven awaits all people who have ever lived.
Do we really know this gospel? Or, do we just assume it? Are we ok with having a short and quick definition of the gospel or is it the very life we live by? Are we ok with hearing sermons that merely mention the word “gospel” or do we long to see the ins and outs of the “heavenly dynamite” (Rom. 1:16) that God has given to us? Is the gospel merely what we embrace to be converted or do we see that it is God’s plan for the entirety of our salvation and the main theme of an eternity’s worth of heaven? Do we just throw the word “gospel” around like it’s a filler word in our Christian sentences or do we cherish the thought of the fact that Jesus is now ours and we are His?
What Now?
Our rivalry over this issue shows that there is a gap between head and heart for the Church (not merely POPC). This is not something that non-PCA churches only need to think about. This is about us. This is about all who call themselves Christians and walk in our doors each week. This is about everyone who looks at what we post and hear what we say.
Brothers and sisters, we must be thoughtful with our posts on social media. We must be compassionate and gracious with our words towards each other. We must stop asserting our rights at the expense of loving another person.
You might ask:
At what point do we assert our right?
At what point do we stand for our viewpoint?
At what point do we stop “giving in”?
When will it ever end?
What’s going to be the next burdensome step we’ll have to take?
Isn’t this just a government issue?
There are thousands of ways to come to the conclusion of those questions but there is one question that weighs more.
The most important question is this: What do you think about Jesus?
That’s it.
To be clear, thoughtful Christians will have different opinions about this issue. And you know what? That’s fine if stays in the realm of a non-essential non-divisive conversation. We should have these conversations.
We will disagree with each other but that should never sever our love for each other.
That’s the most important question. Is Jesus so lovely to you that you would do anything to show Him to others? Where are the Hudson Taylors who wanted to love the people in China so much that he laid down his own “rights”. Where are the John Patons who went to minister to cannibals in the New Hebrides rather than forcing them to become Scottish just like him? Where are those who feel so strongly over a non-essential issue and yet (even if it bugs them internally) will take an act of love for those who might not feel the same?
Yes, there is a point where we must stand in our Christian freedom. Yes, there is a time when we should not let people determine how we live. But my friends, we are a long way from there. There are churches in China who are doing all that they can to merely meet together to worship without being arrested and we are over here arguing with each other about our view of mask wearing.
“But this is a bigger issue than just wearing masks. This is about [science, politics, the future of our country, the health of others, etc.].” There are holy men and women who take both sides to this. Let us not let this non-essential matter divide us. If wearing a mask is better for your more sensitive neighbor then wear a mask. If not wearing a mask (in a more private setting) around someone who is absolutely against wearing masks is more advantageous (and yes, you can keep yourself and others you come in contact with safe) then maybe it’s better to not wear a mask. Whatever we do, let’s do it out of intelligent love.
What we are really seeing right now is what our idols are.
***IF I CAN TAKE A BRIEF PAUSE. THIS IS WHY WE ARE DOING A SUNDAY NIGHT SERIES ON THE IDOLS OF THE HEART. WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SHOW US OUR IDOLS SO THAT WE CAN GROW VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY. FOR THE SERMONS, CLICK HERE.***
Who Needs To Respond?
It doesn’t matter if you’re more conservative or liberal politically. It doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. It doesn’t matter if you’re in medicine or if you’re not. It doesn’t matter if you think this is a hoax or if this is the next Black Plague. What matters is this: What do you think about Jesus?
Paul rooted this doctrine of Christian freedom in the gospel. Jesus didn’t assert His right. He gave it up. He wanted to love us in the way we needed to be loved (be very careful with saying that your “not wearing a mask” stance is the way in which you are loving people in the way they need to be loved). The fundamental issue is showing Christlike love.
If we are not careful, we will see people grow bitter towards others because of what some post and say.
Dear Christian, what do you think about Jesus?