Moral and Biblical Considerations Against Masks

Do other people or governments have the right to command my body? Doesn’t my body belong to God as a believer?  The Bible clearly forbids kidnapping. Exodus 21:16 says – “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” So we are not to have control over another person’s body. 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “Or 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”. When it comes to taking care of our body-the Temple of the Holy Spirit we need to make our own decisions based on Biblical convictions about what kinds of health care we believe is best for the body. 

Mask mandates violate these principles. Forcing mask mandates forces millions of people to violate their conscience-something we are not to do to others. When it comes to worship the Bible is clear that God is the authority and the government cannot mandate churches close or congregations wear masks. Luke 20:25 – He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Worship and Christian fellowship belong to God and we are told to gather, fellowship, and worship regularly. The government has no authority over God’s church. 

If the church accepts a government mask mandate, then it is unclear to me where a church would draw the line on how much they will allow the government to regulate their worship. At that point it’s no longer Jesus as Lord-but government. in the Bible if God hides his face from us it is never good. We seek God’s face and as a reflection of God’s love we show our face and the uniqueness of its ability to convey emotion to others. 

Masks are also dehumanizing-the exact opposite of how Christians are to treat people. Masks cause psychological damage to children and negatively affect their development. God takes our treatment of children very seriously and the complete disregard to how this negatively impacts children has been troubling. 

Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

We must also consider the social distancing that goes with mask mandates and if they are compatible with Biblical Christianity. Once again social distancing mandates grant the government power over the church. Christ is Lord over and head of the church-not the civil government (Matt 22:21). Self isolation is not considered wise (Proverbs 18:1). Social distancing was not applied in the ministry of Jesus. He touched (healing, foot washing, etc). He walked with others, ate with others, and taught crowds. This is despite the fact that disease outbreaks were a threat then, too. (Matt 8:3, Matt 17:7, Matt 20:34, Luke 5:13, Luke 22:51 are a few). Possibly the only example of social distancing or use of face covering is scripture applied to lepers (Leviticus)-but not to healthy people.  Social distancing discourages loving one’s neighbor. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27). The Bible seems to suggest the opposite of social distancing with the body of believers (I Thess. 5:26, 2 Cor. 13:12). Social distancing reinforces a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7 and Matt 10:28). The fear of the Lord should be emphasized. Social distancing is an admission of inconsistency. The churches don’t enforce social distancing for the flu or other such diseases. Why the sudden shift? We should be the beacons of truth and consistency. Social distancing like masks negatively impacts child development and creates socially stunted adults who operate more like machines than humans. We have many parental instructions as parents to raise our children with great care (Eph. 6:4). We are instructed to not blindly accept everything the world feeds us-but to consult God’s word. Ultimately if this leads you to believe that at some point on these matters you must resist in order to obey God rather than man-that is what you must do.