Should I Be Vaccinated?

This is a question that I am hearing people ask a lot these days. As you know, there are passionate voices on both sides. Let me start by articulating, to the best of my ability, both sides of the argument:

Pro Vaccine Argument:

1. This is a dangerous and, at times, deadly virus that is extremely contagious. We should all do our part, in the name of safety, to end this pandemic.
2. We should all want the lock downs to end and get back to some semblance of normal in our lives, for this reason everyone should be vaccinated.

Con Vaccine Argument:

1. This vaccine has been rushed and we have no idea what the long term consequences could be in 10 or 20 years.

Full transparency: I’m not answering the question, “Should I be vaccinated?” Why?

I honestly believe that this would fit in the category of what the Bible calls “disputable matters.” Disputable matters are matters where two, Jesus’ loving, Bible believing, Christians can examine the same topic and arrive at different opinions. The Bible actually has a lot to say about how we treat one another when it comes to disputable matters. In Romans 14, Paul is trying to sort out the “disputable matters” of whether a Christian should eat meat sacrificed to an idol and whether a Christian should celebrate certain festivals. Here is what Paul wrote:

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? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14.

First, enjoy your freedom. Read and research. Pray and seek advice from trusted medical professionals. Decide for you and your family. Live with the benefits and with the consequences of that decision.

Second, do not treat with contempt or judge your neighbor. This has been a difficult year for everyone involved and, just like you, they are trying to make the best decision possible. Their decision on this issue shouldn’t impact the way you love and care for them at all. Paul was more concerned with how people treated each other than he was answering their question. I feel the same way.

Third, make sure you have full faith in the Lord. Disputable matters are important, but the most important thing is that we know, honor, and follow Jesus. Let’s do that well in 2021.

Fourth, enjoy the reality that, whatever you decide to do, you are probably right. 🙂