A New Sin, and a New Salvation Requirement?

Are you saved? The new Covid Gospel:

Yes we have actually got to the place with all the hysteria and fear over this virus that the traditional understanding of sin and salvation are now being thrown in the air. You may have thought that there are no new sins – just the plain old standard ones like murder, theft, lying, etc. Well, it seems that some folks have managed to create a whole new sin: the sin of being unvaccinated.

Sadly we have gotten to the place where some believers are basically arguing that fully submitting to medical mandates is somehow tied in with being a good Christian. Indeed, one wonders if some of these folks now believe this to be a requirement for salvation!

Two millennia ago the Apostle Paul had to chew out the Galatians because they were adding to the gospel. They wanted to add works of the law to their salvation by grace through faith. Paul asked them: ‘Who has bewitched you?’ (Gal. 3:1).

There have always been temptations to add to the gospel and to make salvation dependent upon various works that we might perform. Now we have those who have hesitancy about various health mandates being viewed as subpar Christians – maybe not even Christians at all.

If you have questions about the efficacy of masks, or lockdowns, or the new Covid vaccines, you are looked at like some sort of despicable heathen. You are treated with contempt by some of these ‘Christians’ as they try to make you feel like you cannot possibly be saved. You are now a heretic who dares to differ from this New Gospel of theirs.

In the old days one could ask if a person was actually saved if they had not been baptised or who had not done certain religious works. Now we have a new test for Christian orthodoxy. And we have the zealous Covid evangelists preaching their gospel to the unclean unconverted. Sadly I have had to deal with many of these evangelical Pharisees.

I know of too many of these folks who are utterly obsessed with the Rona jab, and they spend all their time attacking and denouncing any believer who dares to ask honest questions and show the least bit of hesitancy about them. They are convinced that we are all evil, deluded conspiracy theorists who must repent and get saved – saved to the New Covid Vaccine Gospel.

Thankfully many Christian leaders are standing against all this nonsense, including the matter of the State forcing churches to ban the unvaxxed from entering churches. I wrote about this very alarming matter just yesterday: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/09/09/the-big-brother-war-on-churches/

This shocking new development should greatly bother every true Christian out there. And some are speaking out. Sydney church leaders like Archbishop Anthony Fisher of the Catholic Church and Archbishop Kanishka Raffel of the Anglican Church have both taken a strong stance against this.

The latter for example said this: “Jesus is Lord of all, and his gospel is a gospel for all. A ‘No Entry’ sign at the door of the church is wholly inconsistent with the gospel preached inside. Neither race, gender, ethnicity, age, nor economic or educational status – or vaccination status – are to operate as divisions within the Christian community or barriers to the fellowship we share because of Jesus.” https://sydneyanglicans.net/news/consultations-begin-on-post-lockdown-plans

A Scottish pastor, now based in Sydney, David Robertson, recently wrote a piece on these issues that is worth quoting from:

Getting vaccinated may be an act of love (although it could just as easily be an act of fear, self-preservation or guilt), but love is never compelled by law.

 

Those who are vaccinated are protected against the virus. Granted it may not fully protect them from getting or passing on Covid, but the evidence so far suggests that it greatly diminishes the possibility of serious illness or death. Therefore, if you are protected from the virus, why are you scared of other people, who through their own choice, have decided not to take it? If you fear the vaccine does not work, then why did you take it, and why insist that everyone else you meet has to take it? The Church cannot be bullied by irrational people who demand that others should be excluded in order to cater for their fears.

 

If we want to insist on total safety, then we should probably close down all public worship gatherings. That way we would ensure that no-one ever caught anything from another person in church. Plus, think of the lives that would be saved by not travelling or risking going outside – where there may be a lion! (Proverbs 22:13 “the sluggard says, ‘there is a lion outside! I shall be killed on the streets.”)

 

As for the public witness, the Church is not a business, and we are not so much concerned for our own reputation as others. I remember once being told that our church welcoming down and outs was a bad witness because it encouraged ‘these sort of people’ into ‘our’ streets. Do we really want to go down that route? Businesses may choose to exclude – does that mean churches should follow suit? Perhaps our new Woke Jesus says, “come to me, all you who are weary and vaccinated, and I will give you rest…and yea, the unvaccinated shall be cast into outer darkness”?

 

A few years ago, a young couple came into our church, weathered and bruised by drugs. The first thing they said to me was, “Hi, we’ve got Aids, can we come in?”. Maybe for the ‘safety’ of the congregation I should have said no? Instead, we said, ‘of course’ and we welcomed them, the same as we would welcome anyone else. There may be circumstances where refusing entrance to a sinner into a church could be right, but these are few and far between, and certainly do not include the sin of refusing to be vaccinated!

 

But what about the government ordering us? Don’t we have to obey government? Are there no limits to that? It may be that in an authoritarian tyranny we don’t have any other option. We are not under that kind of State – although the signs are that we are heading in that direction.

 

However, while we are part of what remains of Western Christian-based democracies, we need to remind the State that it is not absolute. There is a line. When the State tells the Church who can and who cannot come to church, we simply say ‘no’. Thus far and no further; you are way over the line.

 

Churches need to be preparing and campaigning on this now. It will be too late when the enabling laws are passed. (I note that as I write this the Anglican and Roman Catholic archbishops of Sydney have both expressed their opposition to mandating vaccination in order for people to attend places of worship).

 

We must tell government now that there are no circumstances in which we will obey any government dictate which tells us how, when and who can worship. The spiritual independence of the Church, and the Headship of Christ over the Church, is the principle on which my denomination, the Free Church of Scotland, was founded. It is one we should not give up.

 

Whatever our church, surely if all Christians stood together and declared we will not give to Nicola, Boris, Joe, and Scott what is Christ’s, then our governments would have to listen. Or have we already gone too far down the rabbit hole? https://theweeflea.com/2021/09/04/vaccine-passports-for-church-ct/

Terrific stuff David. Well said. Let me offer one final word here. In a great article titled “Will the Unvaccinated Be Saved?” Jane Stannus discusses these matters. She concludes with these words:

“Unleashing a panicky witch hunt on the unvaccinated wouldn’t just be cruel and illogical. It would, and already has, set child against parent, brother against sister, neighbor against neighbor, worker against worker. It is an act of violence against the fabric of society—a greater evil, it seems to me, than the shared suffering of disease.” https://www.crisismagazine.com/2021/will-the-unvaccinated-be-saved

Beware those who come to you preaching another gospel.

[1343 words]

 

25 Replies to “A New Sin, and a New Salvation Requirement?”

  1. Hello
    I have seen films of Christians who have been tortured for their faith, shot for their faith as in Mumbai and murdered horrifically for their faith as in ISIS.
    They counted their lives as nothing for the sake of remaining true to the gospel.
    Were they afraid, likely. Some of these people died horrible deaths for their faith.
    God advised me at the very beginning of this pandemic before all the fear started to not get involved in fear from COVID. The reason for this is obvious. People make poor choices if they are afraid. No one is immune from this. Not even governments or medical staff for that matter.
    The bible teaches that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.
    Follows of Christ should not make any decisions based on what they are afraid of but should make decisions based on faith sourced from the teachings of God and factually based research.
    If we have taken the vaccine based on fear then we should know that fear is the opposite of faith and that fear leads to witchcraft which is control and manipulation.
    For those who took the vaccine based on fear, our God is a forgiving God and will accept all those who return to Him.
    Christians who shun the unvaccinated are no different to the Pharisees who shunned the unclean or leaper. Jesus was regularly seen with the unclean and the leaper. He loved to heal them and to lift them up but to the Pharisee Jesus spoke his most harshest words.
    We have a choice today. We can give into fear, we can behave like a Pharisee and persecute the unvaccinated or we can walk in faith and follow Jesus.
    As for me and my household, we will resist fear, walk in faith and follow Jesus

  2. The churches who go along with only allowing vaccinated worshippers may as well ban those with: herpes, warts, bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, laryngitis, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis…..Why aren’t they getting worshippers to sign declarations saying they are free of ANY communicable diseases? If they did that there would be an outcry. Anyone else see the utter stupidity of this?

  3. Yes exactly right Philippe – a solid point indeed. But we better not give these woke pastors who go along with this – or worse yet, initiate this – any more ideas!

  4. Unfortunately, I saw all this coming when churches were required to have “covid marshalls” last year.
    It was the first step to a government sanctioned church.
    I’m so glad the church I attend has stated that they will not allow any mandates to stop people from coming to worship.

  5. Thanks George. And well done to your church. Sadly this may well be the next real divide – what separates the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares.

  6. Hi Bill.
    Thanks for articles…. appreciated
    It is a strange time in which we live here in the land of ‘ she’ll be right mate’
    I finally looked at the NSW 70% rules. Astounded and disgusted to read about some of the limits on the ‘great unwashed….oops unvaxxed’
    The idea that the govt can tell me my unvaxxed daughter cannot visit us, nor some grandchildren, is way way over the top. And to say those same people ….daughter is married to a pastor who is also not vaxxed……cannot enter church….far out. Flabbergasted

  7. Many thanks Mark. Yes all of this is just so shocking, so Orwellian. Yet so many folks are just happily going along with all this in true zombie fashion. Scary stuff indeed.

  8. Thanks Bill for all your articles about the situation our dictator govts have caused us. I’ve been praying that the disabilities that are having to jabbed people will happen to our leaders so people will see and realize what they are doing to their bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit. A terrible thing to pray for our leaders but it would definitely stop the push they are subjecting people to.
    Also, I’ve asked God what we can do about Dictator Dan now that he is back skiting off all his demands once again after his supposed fall (warning) some months ago and the words came ‘Humpty Dumpty’. Whether that means Dan will fall off his high wall and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men won’t be able to put him together again, I don’t know but I hope it happens. Sorry for being off topic again but just had to get it off my chest.

  9. “Therefore, if you are protected from the virus (by being vaccinated), why are you scared of other people, who through their own choice, have decided not to take it? If you fear the vaccine does not work, then why did you take it, and why insist that everyone else you meet has to take it?”

    This is a great quote from pastor David Robertson.
    I keep asking the very same question.
    Kyle

  10. Out of curiosity, is Jesus giving us a test to see just how much stupidity humans can pack into 1, 24 hour period, to see if the second coming needs to happen? Just a thought.

  11. Hi Bill
    I am appreciating your articles more and more as this whole covid mess heats up. I recently sent an email to our church leaders which in essence was a shorter version of your article “The big brother war on churches”. Unfortunately it seems few in my church agree with you and I and leaves me in a difficult place where I could easily be excluded from church due to my stance on the so called vaccines. If there are any positives for me, one is that it is driving me closer to God.
    I have been encouraged a lot by your words as well as Caldron Pool. Helps me to feel less alone in the fight.
    Thanks indeed Bill
    Howard

  12. With so much stupidity around to cope I have reworked Duke Ellington’s/ Bob Russell’s “Don’t Get Around Much Any More”. Probably done by others but this is my version:-

    “Dan Won’t Allow That Anymore”

    When I’m not playing solitaire I take a book down from the shelf
    What with programs on the air I keep pretty much to myself

    Miss the Saturday dance
    Now it’s just empty floor
    Having fun is illegal
    Dan won’t allow that any more

    Thought I’d go to the club
    But they’ve all shut the door
    Cannot have socialising
    Dan won’t allow that any more

    I guess I’d have to say my mind is at ease
    But it seems like a lot of cost and bother over just one disease

    I’d like to go on a date
    Solo life is a bore
    My dating app is no good now
    Dan won’t allow that any more

  13. “Churches need to be preparing and campaigning on this now. It will be too late when the enabling laws are passed.”

    A big problem many who warn face. Many say where are the concentration camps or where are the troops in the street?? Yet those are among the final steps not the first signs. If you are waiting for them to fight your doomed. Waiting till it is CRYSTAL CLEAR what is happening with NO ambiguity and then deciding it is time to rise up is like waiting till you’re being walked to the gas chamber to decide to start mounting a defense against false accusations.

    These pseudo Christians seem to only care about getting back to their dead faith of going through the motions. “Your hearts are empty your ears closed to the truth you stand for nothing but your own petty interests!” We have become a society, even church, only caring about people who agree with us. “The problems of others are not our concern.”

  14. Also Philippe Armstrong if we ban physical ailments why not mental?? After what if they meet some in the church, marry and have kids – they could be effected too and we are far too exclusive for that.

    Not saying banning COVID people from living life as normal will lead to eugenics but if we can exclude them from living a normal life why not from just LIVING??? And once we have established having COVID make a person unworthy of life what is to stop the shunning and exterminating of people with other conditions??? I mean what is what is being proposed for those who are unvaxxed but a social eugenics???

  15. The Pharisees and the scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not vaccinate before doing anything in life, including attending church”. He answered them “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said “This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men”. … “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man … but to eat unvaccinated does not defile a man”.

  16. Can someone explain how it works for children.

    Dads and mums (vaccinated) visit church but hesitant to vaccinate their 5 to 15 year old children for whatever reason.
    So, the adults can enter and kids detained outside, that’s going to work well or have I missed something. At what age does the mandate begin? current advice is to vaccinate from age 12 up, is an 11 year old not able to catch virus be asymptomatic and pass on?

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