Should We Get Vaccinated
While many people see vaccines as a normal part of life, there are many who dont hold this view. The real issue of vaccination is not one of right or wrong, it is one of personal choice and preference. When asking should Christians get vaccines, we cannot make this a question of sin, judgment, or condemnation. In other words, you are not sinning if you get vaccinated and you are not sinning if you dont.
Let me give you a biblical reference that you can use as a guideline to help you as you think about this topic.
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One persons faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone elses servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand .
Here are 3 ways this can be applied in relation to vaccines.
1. It Is a Disputable Matter
Whether you believe Christians should get vaccines or you are on the other side, this is an issue that can be disputed. I would encourage you to follow Pauls advice and dont make it an issue you quarrel about. Dont turn a decision of personal choice into an issue of right and wrong.
2. Accept the One Whose Faith Is Weak
3. God Has Accepted Them
Engaging Views And Analysis From Outside Contributors On The Issues Affecting Society And Faith Today
CP VOICES do not necessarily reflect the views of The Christian Post. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
On September 9, President Joe Biden announced new executive action concerning COVID-19 vaccines. According to the presidents plan, all employers with more than 100 employees must require their workers to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. Businesses that do not comply with the rule can be fined up to $14,000 per violation. The new mandate follows a recent mandate that all federal employees receive the vaccine, get tested weekly, or face dismissal from their job.
The new regulation is supposed to be drafted and implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor . Currently, it is unclear what type of medical, religious, or conscience exemptions will be granted concerning the vaccine mandate.
How should Christians respond to President Bidens sweeping vaccine mandate? Specifically, how should Christians think about religious exemptions and accommodations? Admittedly, these are complex questions on which many biblically grounded Christians differ. But given the scope and far-reaching consequences for civil liberties, conscience rights, religious freedom, and the ability of families to make health decisions, these questions deserve careful consideration and reflection.
Legal concerns
Role of government
Political concerns
Conscience concerns
Abortion concerns
Final reflections
Many Bible Belt Preachers Silent On Shots As Covid
Dr. Danny Avula, the head of Virginias COVID-19 vaccination effort, suspected he might have a problem getting pastors to publicly advocate for the shots when some members of his own church referred to them as the mark of the beast, a biblical reference to allegiance to the devil, and the minister wasnt sure how to respond.
A lot of pastors, based on where their congregations are at, are pretty hesitant to do so because this is so charged, and it immediately invites criticism and furor by the segment of your community thats not on board with that, Avula said.
Across the nations deeply religious Bible Belt, a region beset by soaring infection rates from the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus, churches and pastors are both helping and hurting in the campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19.
Blankenship ended with an Amen, said almost as if a question. He was met by silence.
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What Does The Bible Teach About Vaccines
Obviously, the words vaccine and vaccination arent found in the Bible. These are modern medical concepts that were used and popularized way back in the 1940s.
The Bible is specifically silent on the use of vaccines. It does not promote or prohibit its use. However, this does not mean that we should not do our part in exploring the pros and cons when it comes to vaccinations.
The Bible tells us:
Test all things hold fast what is good .
We also need to be like the Bereans . Though it was the Scripture that they were studying, we can also apply the same principle when it comes to examining what others are telling us.
Churches Agree Vaccines Are Important
Evangelicals have historically been at the forefront of promoting vaccinations and see them as God’s gift to modern medicine. Some Christians have adversity to vaccines, because the original vaccines made relied on use of cells from aborted fetuses. The Catholic Church concluded, in a 2005 statement, that those who receive vaccines are not culpable in the original abortions. Additionally, Focus on the Familys Physicians Resource Council suggests that Christians have the moral freedom to receive vaccines, though it also respects those Christians who come to a different conclusion after consideration and prayer. Lastly, the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission wrote in a blog post that “Pro-life proponents of immunization point out that vaccines no longer rely on abortion to provide further fetal cellsand that the initial two abortions were not conducted to supply vaccine makers with fetal tissue in the first place.”
It can be scary to vaccinate your child or yourself if you do not have all the facts. God, however, wants your family to live healthy lives. That means take the time to learn about vaccinations and how they can promote your health long-term. They are safe and effective gifts from God Himself.
Megan Bailey is the Social Media Specialist and Content Producer for Beliefnet. She attended James Madison University where she received a degree in psychology.
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So Is The Vaccine The 666 Mark Of The Beast
Growing up, I never heard any of this stuff. I reckon that most people in my evangelical tradition havent either. But without all the background information, people are being tossed to and fro by endless speculations and fears. Sadly, some peoplemany of them sincere Christiansare terrified that they will be forced to take the mark of the beast in the near future. Could it be the vaccine? Is it a computer chip? What if I get tricked into taking it?
With these questions in mind, let me offer a few remarks about modern-day application. First, the historical data does not permit us to think the mark of the beast is something you can accidentally take. Its a mark of loyalty and worship, which requires full cognitive and heart-felt awareness of what you are doing . If there is some future mark imposed on people by some nefarious person, then to take that mark, youll know exactly what you are doingnamely, cursing Christ and pledging devotion to his enemy. Scripture and other ancient writings from that timeperiod point us in this direction and, quite frankly, there isnt much leeway on this point .
*Correction: An earlier version of this post stated that the Senate had a bill before it, when it is the House of Representatives.
C = 3
Be Filled With The Blood Of Jesus
Literally, by believing and praying so , we will be filled with The Blood of Jesus Christ The Son of God! By faith and prayer, we have The PRECIOUS Blood of Christ circulating in our body, yes, The Blood of Jesus effectively working in our whole spirit, soul and body, for The Blood is the core of The Word of God, .
Thus, Paul caught this BIG revelation, always carrying about in the body The Dying of The LORD Jesus , that The Life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. .
I have been praying 2 Corinthians 4:10 and related Scriptures for some years now. Then sometime ago, while I was meditating on that Scripture, The Holy Spirit suddenly said: That Scripture is about The Circulation of The Blood of Jesus.
I thought it further. It is indeed! For It says always carrying about in the body The Dying of The LORD Jesus, that The Life of Jesus also be manifested in our body. The life of the flesh is in the blood, .
Therefore, as we circulate The Blood of Jesus in our body by praying so always and by taking The Communion, His very Life is manifested in our body.
Oh, that youll catch this revelation and run with it!
When you believe it with the heart and confess it with the mouth , you will be always carrying about in the body The PRECIOUS Blood of Christ, that The Life of Jesus also be manifested, revealed, effected in your body!
The Life of Jesus is in His PRECIOUS Blood. Get The Life! Get The Life of Jesus, by His Blood in your body your whole spirit, soul and body.
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Data Collection And Satanic Surveillance
Finally, a veiled subplot of this pandemic is data collection on individuals and families. .
There are contact tracing efforts in countries all over the world as part of covid monitoring, prevention and treatment.
But this is already being plotted to become data collection for Satanic surveillance.
A BBC report quoted former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as saying:
Collecting this data in one place, with one patient record, is going to be absolutely vital testing, vaccinations, every single thing to do with the development of this disease You need to record every single piece of data you can lay your hands on because we will be adjusting our vaccination programme as we go we may even have to adjust the vaccine itself.
As the BBC news report noted,
civil liberties and data rights campaigners have already raised concerns about issues such as the data collected by the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app, and about the role in building a virus dashboard the government has given to the controversial American firm Palantir.
They can be expected to mount a vigorous fight against any attempt to create a national Covid passport and many MPs across the political spectrum will share their unease.
But not everyone will reject the idea out of hand. Some whose freedomshave been curtailed may think that giving away some of their data is a price worth paying for a return to normality.
Depend on The Blood of The Lamb to escape the mark of the beast.
Revised: 19 March 2021.
Bible In The Hands Of Ordinary People
In the 16th century, Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers translated the Bible from an already existing Greek text into the languages of common people. Prior to this, most men and women in Europe were exposed to the Bible through the Vulgate, a Latin version of the Old and New Testaments that only educated men mostly Catholic priests could read.
As people read the Bible many for the first time they inevitably began to interpret it as well. Protestant denominations formed around such interpretations. By the time Protestants started forming settlements in North America, there were distinctly Anglican, Presbyterian, Anabaptist, Lutheran and Quaker reading of the Bible.
The English Calvinists who settled the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay built entire colonies around their reading of the Bible, making New England one of the most literate societies in the world. In the 18th century, popular access to the Bible was one way that the British including the North American colonies distinguished themselves from Catholic nations that did not provide such access.
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The Bible On Vaccination
What does the Bible say about taking a vaccine?
Not a darn thing.
However, we can draw on examples in order to make some conclusions.
Lets see what we can learn from 1st Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 3:16-1716 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Our flesh bodies are Gods Temple.
If we are one in Christ, if we adhere to Gods Word, then the Holy Spirit dwells within us, . That means we are to be clean. If we are not clean, it is of great offense to God, even to our destruction.
Considering vaccines, they contain DNA, cells, proteins, metals, and all sorts of other substances that do not occur in our bodies naturally. Nor are they found in the foods we consume.
Therefore, by taking a vaccine, I feel one is defiling the temple of God.
Speaking of vaccines in general, God never intended for us to insert DNA and cells from aborted fetuses and other organisms into our bodies.
In my opinion, that is an abomination against Gods creation.
Is Vaccination The Answer To Prayers About The Pandemic
In times past, terrible diseases like smallpox, polio, tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough maimed and killed many people. The answer to prayers for an end to those diseases came in the form of the vaccines that have now controlled or eliminated those diseases as major threats.5
We now have vaccines that have the ability to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and let us return to life as normal. But vaccines can only control the spread of diseases if a high percentage of people are vaccinated.6
Doubts and fears caused by the barrage of malicious misinformation on social media are causing many people to avoid vaccination. But putting a quick end to the COVID-19 pandemic requires us all to work together for the common good and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
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In The Race For A Covid
Since then, hes left his government job and lent his public health and community-based expertise to grassroots organizations throughout the city, including the Family League of Baltimore, and he sits on the board of the National Minority Quality Forum to help develop a vaccination education strategy.
He understands the science, but hes living the work of translating it into health equity by staying in the community and trying to help in the community, said Laura Lee Hall, president of the Center for Sustainable Health Care Quality and Equity at the National Minority Quality Forum, whos working with King on the vaccine acceptance plan. That, I think, is an amazing combination.
Although King has the authority to speak on these issues, hes careful not to prescribe any medical treatment to his congregation given the historic lack of trust of institutions, and medical institutions in particular, in the Black community.
You cant just say, Heres what were going to do to you. Heres how were going to help you, he said. That very paternalistic perspective is what has been harmful throughout the years and has exacerbated the distrust between many of these communities and institutions that attempt to work with them.
Is Coronavirus A Sign Of The End Times
Jesus often described the End Times as being birth pangs. Just as labor pains grow stronger and closer together, God will allow escalation in trials of all kinds to bring men to Christ. In fact, the purpose of the Tribulation itself is to bring pressure for men to surrender to Jesus and find salvation.
Jesus describes End Time events in Matthew 24, , and Luke 21. Heres what Jesus said in Luke 21:
Master! they exclaimed. When? And will there be any warning ahead of time?
He replied, Dont let anyone mislead you. For many will come announcing themselves as the Messiah, and saying, The time has come. But dont believe them! And when you hear of wars and insurrections beginning, dont panic. True, wars must come, but the end wont follow immediately for nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be great earthquakes, and famines in many lands, and epidemics, and terrifying things happening in the heavens. ESV
The passage further describes persecution of Christians .
Christ encourages us four ways: dont be deceived or surprised, dont panic, be patient and witness . This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Jesus is coming.
For more details, read my article on preparing for End Times.
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What Does The Bible Say About Coronavirus And Covid
Although the coronavirus is not mentioned by name in the Bible, some Christians have claimed online there are prophetic passages and messages that can be linked to the pandemic.
A commonly mentioned passage is Matthew 24.
The scripture reads: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginnings of sorrows.
The passage is attributed to Jesus Christ who told his followers what to expect before his second coming.
A similar account of Jesus teaching is found in Luke 21.
The passage reads: Then he said unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: Abd great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake.
A passage in 2 Chronicles 7 also warns of plague: If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from the wicked ways then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
The Bible will tell you more on this subject.