Several weeks ago, a man attending a political rally in the state of Michigan was asked why—like the vast majority of others at the same event—he wasn’t wearing a mask, thus defying health safety guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control. He replied: “I’m not afraid. The good Lord takes care of me. If I die, I die!” [1].
This week, a woman in Florida at yet another rally—also maskless, like the great majority of fellow attendees—made a similar statement. Asked by a reporter why she wasn’t wearing a mask, she replied: “Do you see me wearing a mask? No way. I have faith in God” [2].
More than a month earlier, a Florida Baptist pastor insisted in a fiery indoor sermon that “God, not government,” would control the pandemic, and claimed the wearing of masks was like “keeping a mosquito out of a chain-link fence” [3].
One stands truly aghast at the thoughtlessness of those so obviously unaware that infection with COVID-19 isn’t merely about one’s own safety, but rather, affects the safety of family, friends, and strangers also. But more importantly, is such thinking truly a matter of faith in God? Or is it rather presumption?
The Second Temptation
We know the story of the second temptation experienced by our Lord as described in Matthew chapter 4:
Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (verses 5-7).
Ellen White, commenting on this experience, writes:
When Satan quoted the promise, “He shall give His angels charge over Thee,” he omitted the words, “to keep Thee in all Thy ways,” that is, in all the ways of God’s choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. While manifesting perfect trust in His Father, He would not place Himself, unbidden, in a position that would necessitate the interposition of His Father to save Him from death [4].
Presumption
To deliberately, unnecessarily place oneself in harm’s way, and to then claim that “the good Lord takes care of me” or that “I have faith in God,” is most assuredly an act of what can rightly be called presumption. To eschew the counsel of those who best understand the peril of not protecting oneself and others nearby from a potentially lethal virus, declaring simultaneously that God will protect them regardless, is exactly what Satan tempted Jesus to do. No one presuming upon the Lord of heaven and earth in this manner can rightly expect to be preserved from physical mishap.
The spirit of presumption not only leads men and women to take needless chances in their daily lives, thinking God will protect them while so doing. Worse still, presumption leads people to claim God’s promises as a means of excusing their favorite sins. Ellen White continues as follows in her commentary on the second temptation of Jesus:
But faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression [5].
To claim God’s protection while blindly ignoring plain facts relative to one’s physical safety is not the behavior of a genuine Christian, nor does such conduct make believers anything but the laughingstock of sensible worldlings. The Word of God offers no such assurance or guardianship for those professing to follow Christ.
Conclusion
America has lately witnessed, at the highest levels of government, the consequences of the presumption here described. Those making these choices have endangered those closest to them, thus exposing both loved ones and strangers to sickness and death by their reckless acts. Such behavior is wrong in the extreme when anyone indulges it, but doubly so when the name of God is invoked to justify it. The God of Scripture is not the enabler of arrogant risk-taking, nor the ally of self-focused daredevils who thoughtlessly jeopardize their own health and that of others.
REFERENCES
1. Joe Lapointe, “Lapointe: Trump’s Selfish Mask Resisters in Michigan Reflect An Abnormal Election,” Deadline Detroit, Sept. 12, 2020 https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/26181/lapointe_trump_s_selfish_mask_resisters_in_michigan_reflect_an_abnormal_election_year
2. Nicole Sganga, Kathryn Wilson, “Trump holds first rally after his COVID-19 diagnosis,” CBS News, Oct. 13, 2020 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-returns-campaign-trail-florida-covid-19-diagnosis/
3. Nick Schroeder, “Sanford preacher linked to outbreak tells followers to put faith in God, not government,” WGME, Sept. 2, 2020 https://wgme.com/news/coronavirus/sanford-preacher-linked-to-outbreak-tells-followers-to-put-faith-in-god-not-government
4. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 125.
5. Ibid, p. 126.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan