By 
“Dear Loyal Customer,
In light of these uncertain times we have made the decision to temporarily close our doors/require masks or face coverings to enter/adjust our hours of operations/switch from live meetings to a virtual platform….” And on and on it goes.
Whether you’ve received waves of information regarding adjustments to different organization and business protocols, followed the news hourly watching for new “case counts” to come out, or been swept up in the endless cycle of social media wisdom, the pattern of life over the past six months has been, at best, uncertain. Will businesses reopen? Will we return to work? Will kids return to school? Will I get sick? Will I lose someone close to me? Will my Bible study or community group meet in person again soon? Can we finally ditch zoom meetings and live-streamed church services and get back to the real, in person community that helps fill that need we were all divinely created for—interpersonal connection with other humans?
Maybe you’ve found yourself in the camp that is asking whether this whole pandemic is even legitimate. Actually, the fact that you just read the word “pandemic” may even cause the hairs on some necks to reflexively prickle. Can we trust the information we’re receiving from the designated experts? Do masks really do anything to protect us? Is this all politically motivated?
Regardless of which side of the struggle you’ve found yourself on, the truth is—we are all struggling. One of the most disheartening effects of the coronavirus and its fallout has been watching our country become so divided . Almost everywhere you look, especially on social media platforms, there are arguments breaking out over what is true, what protocols are correct, who is the right authority to listen to, and what is the appropriate way to proceed. We are desperate to find clarity, to be provided with the truth about the situation—not someone’s opinions or perspective-biased observations, but absolute truth and fact about what’s going on and how we can navigate it effectively.
In the absence of clear and absolute truth the human race is prone to fall into chaos. We cling to things we’ve known to be true in the past, whether relevant or not. We hastily form opinions that get designated as truth in our minds. Otherwise we don’t know how we should respond or move forward. We start to turn inward, prideful in our viewpoints and opinions as the “correct” ones. But in these uncertain times there is no greater truth or comfort that we can cling to than the Scriptures. How are we instructed to live when the world is in chaos around us? How are we to engage with each other, with the non-believing world ?
Psalm 19 gives us a foundation for a biblical definition of truth worth fighting for:
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
—Psalm 19:7-11, ESV
God’s law is perfect, and the truth revealed in Scripture is our ultimate authority. Psalm 19 goes on to say:
Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
—Psalm19:12-14, ESV
As followers of Christ we must be vigilant in assuring that when we go on the defensive, we are defending the truths of Scripture. The psalmist outlines the motivation of some to use God’s law presumptuously, possibly with hidden motives for self-preservation or self-assurance. Rather, we are called and commanded to adopt a spirit of humility so that the words we speak and the thoughts we meditate on would be pleasing to the Lord .
Equally dangerous to the pursuit of erroneous truth, the determination to defend personal freedoms at all costs is also in play—our rights as Americans to defend the constitution and live under certain guaranteed freedoms, our rights as individuals, parents, or spouses to determine how to best protect ourselves and our families. I have found myself in this mental cycle frequently trying to assert my personal rights and viewpoints and casting those who disagree with me into a category of reckless, irresponsible, or uninformed.
As American Christians, our concept of personal freedom and rights is also shaped by patriotic values that have been part of our identity as a country since its inception. While Webster’s Dictionary defines freedom as “the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another”, Mounce’s Bible dictionary explains that the primary use of the word freedom in the New Testament describes the state of a person who is free from the bondage of sin . In other words, the secular world would define personal freedom as the right to do whatever you choose, to answer to no one, and submit to no authority other than yourself. However, according to a Biblical viewpoint, true freedom looks very different from the unrestricted autonomy the world values.
So, what does the Bible teach us regarding our rights as followers of Christ? For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:21, ESV).
Peter explains in 2 Peter 2 that people are slaves to whatever has mastered them. While before we trust in Christ we are slaves to sin, after our salvation our true freedom lies in becoming slaves to Christ and His word. We are made free through the surrendering of our own will which is bent towards sin, and by then submitting to the power and authority we find under Christ. We are not, as Webster’s says, “living in the absence of constraint” or “being liberated from the power of another”. Instead we are exchanging the power of sin to live under the authority of Christ and His perfect law. It is only by surrendering our own “freedom” and sinful will that we can experience the fullness of freedom that comes with becoming servants of Christ.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14, NIV).
While the church universal may have various opinions about the actual virus and politics, what the Bible clearly directs us toward as believers is to live under the authority of Christ and the Scriptures above anything else, to live freely under the laws of God, and to serve one another humbly in love. While we’re navigating the rough waters of what we keep hearing described as uncertain times, may we put our full confidence in the fact that our God is a God of certainty. His sovereignty is not limited or usurped by any pandemic. Our calling as believers is not to seek personal validation or fight for our rights, but to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Tami Spencer
Tami is a freelance writer, marketer, blogger, Womenary board member, and member of the children’s ministry and women’s Bible study teams at Bethel Bible Church in Tyler, Texas. Tami and her husband, William, have been married for 15 years and have 5 children, Becton (12), Addie Leigh (9), Norah (7), and twins Slone and Sophie (2.5). 
