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I No Longer Live

There have been a lot of reactions to the coronavirus situation that is currently plaguing the whole world. This is normal. After all, we are all different people with different experiences and life situations so it is only natural that we would all react in different ways. Some people believe that everyone should remain shuttered in their homes for safety while some see government mandated lock-downs as dangerous overreach. Still others worry about the very real and costly economic effects as millions have now lost their jobs. As with any situation the factors are numerous and complicated.

There is one particular set of responses that I find disturbing, however. That would be the inordinate amount of Christians who are against the current measures because it infringes on their rights. 

I am an American who loves the rights and freedoms this great country offers. It is nothing short of a blessing to be able to live in such a nation. However, as great a blessing these things can be there is one thing we as Christians must keep in mind at all times. The rights and freedoms of America are not Christian.

The Bible never talks about our rights. In fact, if there is one thing promised to those who follow Christ about life on this earth it is that we can expect to face persecution and loss of freedom. It makes no promises that we will have the right to speak what we want, meet where we want, or do what we want.

This doesn't mean that constitutional rights are a bad thing. The very fact that I can freely publish a blog for twelve people to read and post it online shows that I embrace these rights. They are, in many respects, a good thing. But like any good thing we must be careful of that oldest of all sins, idolatry.

The problem isn't our rights, but rather our tendency to worship radical individualism that is only possible because of said rights. A big part of American culture is the idea that you create yourself. You are a true success story if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, break societal molds, and follow your dreams no matter the cost. 

Like it or not this narrative has burrowed itself deeply in the psyche of even Christians. This leads into direct conflict with one of the central tenets of the Christian faith; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

This core teaching is presented throughout Scripture in different forms. We see it in Jesus' call for his followers to "pick up your cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23) We see it in Jesus' radical proclamation that "there is no greater love than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) We see it again and again throughout the Bible. 

It only by dying to self, by crucifying ourselves and being united in death with Christ, that we are able to truly live out the greatest command, love. To truly love God and love your neighbor, any sense of self importance needs to be removed from the equation. This is the mission to which we are called, to love God and our neighbor as Jesus does.

How then can a Christian be both obsessed with their own rights while at the same time proclaiming themselves dead in order to lovingly serve their neighbor? It's a contradiction that can only be resolved with one side prevailing over the other. Either we are alive and demanding of our rights, or we are dead and concerned with the well being of our neighbors.

As Christians we need to stop obsessing over our rights and start being a people who love again. This coronavirus mess brings this issue to the fore very clearly. In a time when people are suffering and dying what the world sees is not the people of Jesus doing everything they can to help out of love, what they see are Christians selfishly endangering others for their own, paltry freedom. The only name being slandered by all this is the name of Jesus.

I am not saying that there isn't a discussion to be had about how the various levels of government have handled this issue. I'm in Illinois and I can tell you there is plenty to be dissatisfied with in terms of how this has been handled. You can either support the lock-downs or oppose them for a variety of reasons that are still consistent with the Christian mission. This is a complicated issue, but what is not complicated is the clear directive of Christ to love our neighbors and die to self. If our positions, regardless of what side of the political aisle they may be, are not motivated by the laying down of ourselves for the sake of love then they are wrong.

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