“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV)

“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?”

1 Corinthians 6:7 (NIV)

Someone once made the comment to me that “Christianity is the systematic surrender of your rights to the will of God.” That stuck with me. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Initially we surrender our right to “be right” or to rationalize the sinful choices we make. Repentance involves surrendering the “right” to continue to choose what we know is wrong.

I’m no theologian. I’ve studied the Bible, but no more than I feel a responsible Christian ought to. I can’t seem to escape the conclusion that my friend reached — we are indeed called to give up certain rights here on earth in order to gain eternal gifts. But this conclusion seems to be at odds with the behavior I’ve observed by a large section of “Evangelical” Christians — people who ostensibly claim to be followers of the teachings of Christ.

According to a New York Times article, nearly half of white Evangelicals say they won’t get the vaccine. Pastors are hesitant to require masks. Some preachers even openly denounce preventive measures from the pulpit in the name of political alignment.

A discussion of the benefits and science behind masks and vaccines are beyond the scope of this single post. But let’s just assume (as a mental exercise) that all current preventive measures are bunk. Why not get the vaccine anyway? Why not wear a mask anyway? “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” If the world is asking us to walk a mile in a mask, how can we reconcile refusal with the very words of Jesus Himself? And if getting the vaccine could help prevent even one person getting sick and risking death — a person bearing the image of God and for whom Christ died — how is it that we are not the first in line to get the injection? For a group that claims the sanctity of human life, the refusal to take measures to protect others can only be seen as hypocrisy by the world.

There are some objections that come up often that should be noted and addressed.

But what about my rights?

I’ve heard this a lot (or seen it on social media, at any rate). There are two issues at hand.

1. The right to reject the vaccine as a matter of bodily autonomy
2. The right to refuse to wear a mask

But at the heart of both is an insistence that the person’s legal rights (as granted by the U.S. Constitution, state and local laws, as well as legal precedent) takes precedence over the concern for the well-being of others. This does not seem like a very Christian posture to me.

If the vaccine works, you should already be protected and shouldn’t worry about me.

The concern isn’t that the unvaccinated will infect those who are vaccinated, it’s that they can spread the virus more readily to those who cannot be vaccinated, either due to underlying health issues or allergies to specific components of the vaccine. Studies show that, although vaccinated people can be infected with COVID, they are less likely to spread it. Again, this is about putting the well-being of others ahead of our own rights.

For any objection we come across to the vaccine we must ask ourselves, what would Jesus want us to do? Would He be in favor of putting our rights, opinions, and political allegiances over the well-being of others?

For myself, it seems that never in my life has the “Christian thing to do” been at the same time so clear, so easy, so simple, and so utterly rejected by Christians.