RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION
How Should Christians Respond To Testing & Vaccination Mandates?
NOTE: In light of the recent COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandates instituted by government agencies, health care facilities, and private businesses around the world, it is critical the basis for why a Christian might abstain from both vaccination and testing requirements be established. This post aims to subjectively discern from a Biblical perspective how a Christian should respond if indeed he/she feels sincerely compelled to file for “religious exemption.”
I am a “Christian.”
That title might not mean much to secular culture or the world at large, but to me, it is everything. It defines who I am (a child of God), why I exist (to glorify God), and what I believe (God’s Word—Holy Scripture).
WHO I AM — “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12–13).
WHY I EXIST — “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
WHAT I BELIEVE — “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Being a Christian means I am universally accountable in every aspect of my life to God’s ultimate standard of righteousness, outlined and defined in the 66 books of the Bible. Therefore, if I profess myself as Christian, I cannot ignore, reject or water down what Scripture says. Rather, I must surrender myself to God’s authority and obey His Word without reservation.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
The crucible of my faith can be summarized in the Gospel of John which states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1–5).
What John establishes in these verses is that Jesus IS the fulfillment of Messianic prophesy. Therefore, His Word, manifested in what we refer to as Holy Scripture (The Bible), IS non-negotiable, absolute truth.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Therefore, rejecting any verse of Scripture as relative truth because of religious persecution would essentially require me to deny altogether my Christian faith and eternal Savior (Jesus), the manifestation of Holy Scripture Himself (John 1:1).
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32–33).
SUMMARY:
Consequently, based on my religious beliefs as a born-again Christian under the the authority of Holy Scripture I adhere to as my personal faith doctrine, I cannot in good conscience comply with COVID-19 vaccination mandates nor weekly testing for the following reasons.
1. Physical Body
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
Scripture refers to a human’s physical body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, which refers to God residing in Spirit form within born-again mankind.
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
Jesus also affirmed the Holy Spirit’s deity when He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
That promise was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4, and now we know those who come to faith in Jesus Christ are indwelt by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus making our bodies a temple in which the Spirit of the living God resides.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
Therefore, just as Paul warned the church in Corinth, I must carefully consider what I put into my body, how I treat my body, and inevitably, how my positive and negative decisions impact God’s temple in totality to which I am eternally held accountable for.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
Injecting anything into the body (non-food related) requires careful consideration, and per government regulations, all pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to caution consumers on the adverse effects of vaccines which could potentially occur if injected.
Therefore, it is wise to discern whether the risk is worth the reward, especially when adverse reactions to vaccines are proven over time, which is standard operating procedure in pharmaceutical research and development.
Case in point, the speed to shelf process COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots received worldwide is an insurmountable concern no medical specialist can answer definitively, because the long term effects of injecting these vaccines and booster shots are simply unknown.
Moreover, in the United States, pharmaceutical companies are exempt from legal responsibility in the event of illness or death caused by vaccine and booster injections until 2024.
“Under the U.S. Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, companies like Pfizer and Moderna have total immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines… That means that for the next four years, these companies ‘cannot be sued for money damages in court’ over injuries related to the administration or use of products to treat or protect against Covid.” —CNBC
Bottom-line, lack of accountability is essentially like playing Russian roulette because no one other than God can predict the future. Therefore, who will protect me and my family if something goes terribly wrong as a result of vaccine or booster injections? Certainly not pharmaceutical manufacturers nor the government.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8).
2. Aborted Fetal Cell Lines
There are certain social debates in culture which Scripture takes a hard line on and abortion is one of them. God’s stance is absolutely clear as noted in the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), which includes life in the womb as referenced in Psalm 139.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:13–16).
The debate of whether a fetus is truly considered human life is ridiculous from God’s perspective for He is the Creator of human life which begins at conception. Therefore, aborted fetal cells should NOT be a supply source for scientific use because abortion is murder, and using aborted fetal cells IN ANY FORM from a deliberate and intentional murder (regardless of when that abortion occurred) does not justify the use of aborted fetal cell lines either.
“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16–19).
To be clear regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson all used aborted fetal cell lines in the development and/or testing of their products, which James Lawler, MD summarizes in an article entitled, “Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain aborted fetal cells?”
When it comes to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, fetal cell line HEK 293 was used during the research and development phase. All HEK 293 cells are descended from tissue taken from a 1973 abortion that took place in the Netherlands. Using fetal cell lines to test the effectiveness and safety of medications is common practice, because they provide a consistent and well-documented standard.
For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, fetal cell lines were used in the production and manufacturing stage. To make the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, scientists infect PER.C6 fetal cell lines to grow the adenovirus vector. (Learn more about how viral vector vaccines work.) All PER.C6 cells used to manufacture the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are descended from tissue taken from a 1985 abortion that took place in the Netherlands. This cell line is used because it is a well-studied industry standard for safe and reliable production of viral vector vaccines.
Some would argue that aborted fetal cell lines are not the same as aborted fetal cells, and thus acceptable for use in emergency situations to combat a global pandemic. However, Scripture warns that justifying sin (i.e. murder) for the greater good of mankind will incur severe judgment from God.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20–21).
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:6–11).
GOVERNMENT MANDATES:
Reconciling verses which appear to contradict requests for religious exemption is worth considering. For instance, are Christians required to submit to government mandates without reservation? Biblically, does Romans 13 disallow religious exemption?
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:1–2).
“Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing” (Romans 13:5–6).
Keep in mind, Paul encouraged the church in Rome to avoid resisting authority because God instituted government to protect innocent people from evil practices. However, when obedience to government authority endorses evil practices either directly or indirectly, such as abortion, Christians are NOT expected by God to subject themselves accordingly by justifying sin.
Rather, Christians are called to peacefully and respectfully debate, lobby and protest against all evil practices, while also understanding that disobeying governing authority may result in persecution and imprisonment (see Acts 4:19-20 and Acts 5:29).
God calls us to accept the consequences of our actions even when we are being persecuted for obeying Him, because blessing awaits those who stand unashamed by defending His Holy Word.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10–12).
TESTING vs. VACCINATION:
Why would a Christian refuse testing? Granted, there is an invasiveness of the physical body required to test an individual, which justifies religious exemption (as previously mentioned). However, does Scripture provide any other example for why Christians would refuse to test themselves for COVID-19?
There is arguably no greater example in the Bible than Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. As captive, Hebrew exiles living in Babylon, they were expected to adopt the culture of the Babylonians and conform to the king’s mandate regarding nourishment and education.
However, Daniel and his friends would not defile their bodies and essentially sought RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION from the king’s mandate by holding firm to their religious, personal doctrine, knowing full well their trust in God’s law would result in a more favorable outcome.
“Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ‘Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.’ So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food” (Daniel 1:11–15).
Daniel and his friends took full responsibility to care for their own bodies as God had instructed. They did not need to be tested repeatedly because they discerned for themselves the wisest course of action regarding their health, and their actions supported their position. They simply asked the governing authority to view their physical stature subjectively to determine their health.
The apostle Paul would define their example as not conforming to the pattern of this world, but wisely discerning why testing was even required in the first place if proper measures were taken to protect themselves. These men showed no sign of illness, so why would there be cause for concern?
Regarding COVID-19 testing, it begs the question why healthy individuals need to be tested at all. Are there not a myriad of highly contagious viruses and diseases in this world which have much higher mortality rates and cause for concern? Why are governments and private businesses not testing for more than just COVID-related strands (such as influenza, etc.) if health, safety and reducing mortality rates are our primary concerns?
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1–2).
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY:
Bottom-line, religious exemption means submitting to God’s sovereignty that, come what may, my health and life are completely entrusted to the omniscient Creator of the universe who personally knows what is best for me.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5–8).
Granted, I accept that secular culture considers me foolish for accepting unnecessary risk to myself and others by declining vaccination and testing, but I would never expect others who do not share my convictions to truly comprehend the Biblical truth which I wholeheartedly trust as my absolute truth.
Some may argue that vaccinations and testing are necessary to not only protect myself, but the safety of others as well. However, if I do not believe these vaccinations are safe or morally manufactured and tested, is it unloving toward my neighbor to refrain from participating?
Or perhaps if testing is inaccurate or creates a false positive, who am I truly hurting by missing work and quarantining myself for no reason other than worldly, cultural fear? In that instance, accountability and personal responsibility are out of my control despite being 100% healthy.
Keep in mind, Jesus warned His disciples, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16), and I believe the same wisdom holds true regarding how Christians should respond toward vaccination and testing mandates instituted by government agencies, health care facilities, and private businesses. Therefore, I have a choice to accept or reject any given mandate, come what may.
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
In the end, my reasoning for exemption may not mean anything to those who disagree with my religious convictions. However, I am far more concerned about having a clear conscience before my Lord and eternal judge than yielding to evil practices and conforming my personal, faith doctrine to the pattern of this world.
Therefore, I will respectfully abstain from COVID-19 vaccination and testing mandates and rather, accept the consequences of my actions. For “the LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:1-6).
