The Sins of
Covid. Galatians 1-3
“But when
Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.”
Apostle Paul,
Galatians 2:11
“Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
This is a very prominent and respected Christian principle, which is based off
of a paraphrase of something that Jesus says to the Jewish leaders who brought
the woman before him that was caught in adultery. The principle is very simple:
before you seek to judge, weigh up your own guilt, especially if you are
involved in this same situation. A very applicable principle to every human
being.
I bring this up, because I am going to address one of
the key sins of the Church from the Covid years and some people will
immediately think: mate no one got it perfect, so why don’t you lay off other
pastors who were just seeking to do what they thought at the time was the right
thing? This is an understandable comment. Pastors don’t have an easy job, it is
not the hardest job in the world, but nor is it the easiest. Leading,
ministering to and caring for large groups of people brings a host of
challenges, especially in trying times. So, why would a fellow pastor want to
bring up this big fault in a bunch of other pastors’ work during the Covid
years? Someone might say to this article, “Let him who is without sin, cast the
first stone. You, are not a perfect pastor, so let it go.”
I understand those who are coming from this
perspective, and I even think some of them are coming from a genuine place and
have no malice. They just want to move on from what happened, and they
genuinely believe that they did not do wrong with things like supporting
mandates and segregating Churches. But this is exactly why this piece is so
important. I have encountered guys recently who thought this way and then
changed their mind after they encountered the Scriptural argument for why
segregating the Church is a grievous sin. One discussion I had with a man ended
with him acknowledging that he had not really thought about this issue from the
perspective of the book of Galatians.
So, in light of this, what I want to do in this piece
is take you through the argument for why segregating the Church, even at the
behest of the state telling you to, is sin, and why pastors who did this need
to recognize their wrong, and admit it. I want to seek to bring people along
who may disagree with me. Some people will not change their mind on this, but I
have seen for myself that some people will. So, let’s examine how the book of
Galatians shows us the error of segregating the Church.
Many Christians, particularly Protestants, will be
familiar with Galatians as a wonderful text about justification by faith alone
apart from works and as a strong defence for an orthodox gospel. Many would
consider the book of Galatians as the second most powerful treatment of the
gospel of salvation by faith alone after the book of Romans. This teaching is
central to this letter. For instance, Paul tells us that,
“15 We
ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a
person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ,
so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be
justified” (Gal. 2:15-16).
Paul initiates the book by outlining how disappointed
he is that the Galatians are departing from the gospel that he taught them, “6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the
grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is
another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel
of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-7). Galatians will often be quoted, correctly, by
Christians to challenge Pharisaical ideas that teach you must add works to
salvation. How can works be added to salvation when no one is justified through
works of the law?
But, perhaps because of certain influences in
Protestant theology which have caused us to emphasize soteriological or salvific
issues, that is issues regarding salvation, alongside a de-emphasis on social
issues, a lot of Christians forget about the deep ecclesiological and
sociological application of this teaching from Paul. The Galatians are falling
for false teaching that has the impact of segregating the church. Because they
are falling under the sway of Judaizers who teach that you must become Jewish
to be considered a full member of the people of God. This creates different
classes of people in the household of God, something which is inherently
anti-gospel. So, Paul is going to prove to the Galatians that they have
departed from the gospel.
Paul is adamant in chapter 1:11-24 that the gospel he
preached was not given to him by man, but was given to him by the Lord Jesus
Christ, and that he was accepted by the Apostles,
“11 For I
would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not
man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard
of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and
tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own
age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my
fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called
me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might
preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went
away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after
three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him
fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's
brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I
went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in
person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing
it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried
to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.”
It is important for Paul to establish his gospel is
directly from Christ, and therefore he is an Apostle of Christ, because he is
going to hammer the Galatians on the gospel they were practicing.
Paul then explains how he was dedicated to making sure
that the Gentiles knew that they did not need to submit to the law to be
Christians, “But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised,
though he was a Greek” (Gal. 2:3). When he encountered the rest of the
Apostles, none of them corrected him on this. They added nothing to Paul’s
teaching, because what he was teaching was the vintage and correct gospel,
“7 On the
contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the
uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the
circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to
the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when
James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that
was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me,
that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they
asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Gal. 2:7-10).
Paul is establishing his credentials here as a Christ
appointed authority on the gospel of Jesus Christ. His gospel is the same as
the gospel of the Apostles that lived with Jesus. Paul just received this
gospel from Jesus in a different way (1 Cor. 15:1-11), but it is the very same
gospel stamped by Christ and confirmed by the leaders of the Church in that era.
The gospel that Peter, James and Paul preach does not require submission to the
works of the law. Gentiles need not be circumcised, that is “Judaized” to be
part of God’s people, Israel, the Church, because the gospel is for all who
believe. Which he is going to establish conclusively.
How does he begin to establish it? By singling out
Peter’s error of falling into the trap of segregation in the Church. Paul is
horrified when he comes to the Apostles and witnesses Peter excluding himself
from fellowshipping with the Gentiles,
“11 But when
Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but
when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision
party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that
even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their
conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before
them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how
can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (Gal. 2:11-14).
We have already established that Paul’s concern in
this letter, Galatians, is about their departure from the gospel. Paul is
furious that they appear to be following a false gospel, “6 I am
astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of
Christ and are turning to a different gospel—” (Gal. 1:6, emphasis
added). However, he then starts to complain about Peter’s eating arrangements.
This is a strange turn of events, isn’t it? Peter had stopped eating with the
Gentiles and was now only eating with the Jews, who had come from James, that
is from Jerusalem. In fact, Paul is so angered by this he opposes Peter to his
face, and says he was not living in step with the gospel!
What does he mean? What does the gospel have to do
with who you eat with at church gatherings?
Well, as we know early church meetings often centered
around a meal (1 Cor. 11:17-34). This was a meal that all believers were
allowed access to. Even when full meals were not being practiced, the church
still ate together from the communal bread to remember Christ,
“16 The cup
of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?
The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of
the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17).
Every believer was allowed access to this meal,
because it was a remembrance of what Christ had done for them on the cross.
What gave them the right to have access to this meal? They were justified - declared
righteous - in the eyes of God through faith in the Lord Jesus,
“15 We
ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a
person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ,
so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in
Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be
justified” (Gal. 2:16-15).
To become followers of Jesus with full access to the
Church of the living God, Gentiles did not need to submit to the law, making
them ritually clean enough to eat with Rabbinical Jews (cf. Mark 7). They
simply needed to place their trust, their faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ. We
are justified by this repentance from our sins and our turning to our Lord and
believing that he can save us. This makes us full members of the body of
Christ. This grants us, as a result, complete access to the people of God. Full
citizenship as Paul explains it (Eph. 2:11-22), a citizenship that comes, let
me emphasize again, by faith, not via works of the law.
This is why Peter’s segregation from the Gentiles was
not in step with the gospel, and why Paul opposed him to his face. By not
associating which the Gentiles when he ate, Peter was reinforcing the Pharisees’
idea that Gentiles were not ritually clean. But the gospel says we are ritually
and spiritually cleansed by the blood of the lamb, and we do not have to add to
this with any works. It is a finished work, achieved by the Lord Jesus Christ
himself,
“21 But now
the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the
Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom.
3:21-24).
This true and experienced spiritual cleanliness,
granted to us through the righteousness of Christ being accounted as ours, by
his free gift that we access by faith, gives us the right to full fellowship in
the community of believers. We would be sinning to exclude anyone who had not
sinned grievously and rejected Christ first (Matt. 18).
We would stand condemned with Peter. We would be
accounted as bewitched, like the Galatians,
“1 O foolish
Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was
publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive
the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish?
Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you
suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies
the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by
hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him
as righteousness”?” (Gal. 3:1-6).
The book of Galatians is one of Paul’s greatest works
attacking the idea of salvation by works and defending the truth of salvation
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And because of this, it is also one of the
most significant works in the Bible for understanding who has access to the
church gathering: everyone who has been justified, and who has not rejected
their faith and been excommunicated as a result of unrepentant and continued
sin[i].
And this is also why Christians could not expel people
during Covid because of their vaccination status. Because as much as we want to
obey our government authorities - and we really do, Chrisitans like myself see
the authorities as God’s ordained servants put in place to punish evil and
reward good - even more than this we want to obey our God. And our God does not
allow us to exclude someone from the fellowship for something which is not a
sin in Scripture.
To exclude someone would make us stand condemned as
Peter was, and in need of repenting. It would also have caused us to show
favoritism, something Jesus’ brother James, condemns,
“1 My
brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes
into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if
you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here
in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or,
“Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not
God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the
kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored
the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag
you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by
which you were called?
8 If you
really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you
are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James
2:1-9).
There was no heart or desire for rebellion in the
hearts of any minister who could not allow themselves to segregate the Church. In
fact it came from the exact opposite place, obedience, a desire to obey their
Lord and God. The church is a place for people of all walks of life, all
ethnicities, all types and shapes and colours, and this includes all sorts of
opinions about vaccines. We were being asked to do something which is not
instep with the gospel and which Paul would have condemned. He would have
opposed us for segregating the Churches.
The Biblical law makes provisions for excluding people
from meeting who are sick (Lev. 13). This is a wise principle. But equating
being unvaccinated with being sick is a gross redefinition of that word. And as
we now know conclusively, the unvaccinated person’s ability to spread the virus
was pretty much on par with the vaccinated. This is why we felt so compelled to
publicly state
this principle about rejecting segregation in the Church.
This brings me to pastors who did segregate churches.
I do not think many of them are bad guys. They felt intense pressure, or
believed it was right, or believed that the authorities had the right to
overrule God’s word on this matter in a time of emergency. But I think you need
to now come to terms with how wrong this was, how much it damaged people who
felt betrayed by their churches when this occurred, and how wrong, and it turns
out, unnecessary it ended up being. It is good it never came to this in
Queensland Churches, and it is also good that in NSW it was only for a short
period. But some believers were excluded for some time in some parts of this
country, and it is time to acknowledge how wrong this was. I ask you to
consider this, because there are many wounded people in Churches who would be
very happy if this was just acknowledged.
[i]
Sin being defined as rebellion against God, or rejection of God and his
commands.
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