For generations the question at church was “should women be allowed to wear pants?” Progressives led the way. Conservatives held back. Eventually pants-wearing women became acceptable in church. Hair covering and long hair v. short hair, for both men and women went through years of debate. The style of music a Christian should listen to, the type of beverage you should drink – all of these fall into the Biblical category of “disputable matters.”
Today the pressing question is: “To mask or not to mask.” Some feel strongly that everyone should wear a mask as a courtesy to everyone else. Others feel strongly that no one needs to wear a mask since the typical surgical mask does not protect you from a microscopic virus. (Check out this article that shows the WHO and CDC disagree about masks.) Mask-promoters respond, “the mask does not protect the wearer, it protects others from the wearer, who might be carrying the virus and not know it.”
In the first century the question was: “Is it ok to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols?” Most meat in the marketplace was definitely in that category and it was hard to find meat you could be certain had not been sacrificed to an idol. So the choice to avoid spiritually defiled meat was basically a choice to not eat meat. Paul addresses this in Romans 14 and it is strikingly relevant to our situation today.
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 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. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?”
Romans 14:1-4, NIV
Now, don’t get hung up on the “weak” and “strong” faith thing. Paul is overstating the case for the sake of argument, not pronouncing judgment on the vegetarians (the thing he explicitly forbids in this text). Jesus spoke about your “measure of faith,” and Paul echoes this (Rom. 12:3) as a simple matter of fact, not something to be proud about or to judge others over – like your height. To some people, God has given a strong faith – even the spiritual gift of faith – to others, God has given a lower measure of faith. It is nothing to boast about if God gave you a great deal of faith and it is nothing to be ashamed about if your faith is “weaker.”
As you walk through this pandemic, some have a strong confidence based on faith or just based on their general physical health. Others feel more cautious. Let’s listen to the Holy Spirit individually and take the steps He leads us to for ourselves and our families – and let’s give extra grace to others who are approaching this differently. Here are some key principles I see here.
- Don’t judge. Whichever side you are on, it can be tempting to judge the other side. God frequently commands us not to judge – it is simply not our place. And this makes sense – we don’t have enough data to make a good judgment. Leave it to the Lord.
- Be patient. The reality is that no one knows how this whole thing is going to play out. Will mask-wearers be proven wise or will we one day laugh about those days we were wearing masks?
- Be supportive. If you have Vegan friends (and most of us do!), you don’t make fun of them or make life difficult for them (except when they really ask for it…) – you seek to accommodate them when you have them over and you make special preparations so they can enjoy a meal with you.
- Make adjustments. The “stronger” group is the one Paul exhorts to accommodate the “weaker.” This is almost certainly why he chose that language. It’s like Dr. Eggerichs (Love and Respect) little twist of the knife when he says “the one who should break out of the Crazy Cycle is the one who is more mature.” Listen to how Paul concludes Romans 14:
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”
Romans 14:19-21, NIV
In America we are all about our rights. But in the church we should be all about laying down our rights to serve one another. That’s what Jesus did. And that’s what the Holy Spirit calls us and empowers us to do. Our new verse of the month is:
“Be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:18-21, ESV
The Holy Spirit transforms our speech, our hearts, our attitudes and our relationships. The fourth transformation results in mutual submission. We lay down our rights and preferences in deference to one another.
Wherever you land on the question of masks, let’s agree together to love one another and maintain a commitment to serve and support each other! For some of us who might not otherwise choose to wear a mask, it’s a pretty simple step to take for the next few weeks or months, to wear a mask – and let that small act of service remind us of Jesus’ great act of service to us.