Many
believers have taken the position that they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine
because they believe God will deliver them from this pandemic. I deeply
admire that kind of faith. Jeremiah perhaps said it best in Jeremiah 17:7
: Blessed
is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. God
wants our faith and trust to be in Him no doubt. With that recognition,
please allow me to share my thoughts and faith on this topic.
God Almighty
has always used men and women, regardless of their
imperfection to accomplish His will. Remember the story of Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishaal and Azariah in the book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar called these men
Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. While there are good faith
lessons from the lives of these men, notice that God blessed these individuals
with knowledge, wisdom and understanding as we see in Daniel 1:17: As
for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and
wisdom and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Ultimately,
this led to King Nebuchadnezzar glorifying God in Daniel 4:37: Now
Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his
works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able
to humble.
Similarly, in
Exodus 35:30-35 we see that God filled workers with skill, intelligence,
knowledge and craftsmanship to accomplish his will in building His tabernacle. Then Moses said to the
people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of
Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit
of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all
craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and
bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every
skilled craft and he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of
Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort
of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and
purple, and scarlet
yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver, by any sort of workman or skilled
designer.
We know that
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure in 1 Kings
4:29-34: “And God gave
Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the
sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the
people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other
men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of
Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000
proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is
in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts,
and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to
hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard
of his wisdom. We could see many more examples in the Bible. God uses people to
accomplish His will and sometimes He gives them the knowledge, wisdom and skill
they need.
Additionally, let us recognise that one of the most remarkable systems in the human body is our
immune system, placed there by God himself to help defend us from disease.
While mankind has tried for thousands of years to understand how to fight
disease, those insights seem to come a little at a time and with each new
understanding, we gain a deeper appreciation and awe of the incredible
complexity and sophistication of our immune system. Only our God could design
us in such a marvellous way! David expressed it well in Psalm 139:14: I
praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
In March
2020, researchers were telling us that a vaccine was probably three years away.
Yet the COVID-19 vaccine was developed in months, based on research that had
been going on for years. The developers of the vaccines had hoped for
effectiveness in the range of 70 percent, yet the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
were both well over 90 percent effective. Given that, is it so difficult to
believe that God has provided insight to researchers to give them understanding
and wisdom regarding our immune system, so that they could develop a means to
end this pandemic? Should we not
be filled with praise that his method of bringing the pandemic to an end brings
glory to Him for the wonder of the immune system he created in us? Think about
Naaman, the commander of the army of Syria. His story is told in 2 Kings
5:1-14. He had leprosy and he went to Elisha for healing. Elisha sent a
messenger to Naaman to tell him to dip seven times in the Jordan River to be
healed. Naaman was angry that Elisha sent only a messenger. He was angry that
he was told to dip in the Jordan River when there were much nicer rivers back
in Syria. Why should he submit to dipping in that filthy river and pollute
himself?
Perhaps you
do not like the people or the organisations that are asking you to get the vaccine.
You may be waiting for something special, as did Naaman. Or maybe you don’t
like the vaccine, because, like
Naaman, you find the solution objectionable. Healing was waiting for Naaman,
but he had to do something to receive the healing. The Bible is filled with
examples of people of faith being required to do something. Hebrews 11, that
well-known chapter on faith, chronicles those who acted. Abel offered, Enoch
pleased God, Noah constructed, Abraham went, and on and on.
So here is my
perspective: My faith tells me that God has heard our prayers. My faith tells
me that God has shared insights with men and women who have created a solution
for the pandemic. It was developed in record time and is far more effective
than expected. I see God’s hand in all of this. I cannot pray to God, “Please
end this pandemic,” and then limit how he should answer that prayer. I cannot
ask God for his intervention and then say, “Just so long as I don’t have to get
a vaccine.” There is a part for me to complete. My faith leads me to action. My
faith in God leads me to get the vaccine. “Our faith and obedience to Jesus in
discipleship involves dying to ourselves and taking up the cross to follow him.
We are Commanded to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves.
Loving other
people can involve many things, but at minimum it involves seeking their
good. The general principle of the common good comes down to benevolence,
love, care for others and laying down personal priorities for the service
of others. Christians thinking about vaccinations must weigh this key biblical
principle in their decision-making process. My hope and prayer are that God
watches over you and that your faith moves you to action. As Paul told our
fellow Christians in Philippians 2:3-4, that you “in humility count others more
significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own
interests, but also to the interests of others. “Through faith in God, and in
love and humility toward those around us, let’s work together to end this pandemic
The question
is why is vaccination Important? SARS-CoV-2 is spread from person to person
primarily by respiratory droplets exhaled by an infected person. These droplets
vary in size from large droplets that fall out of the air within six feet of
the infected person to aerosols that can remain in the air over time and
greater distances. These aerosols are associated with singing, shouting, and
breathing heavily during exercise and can increase viral transmission in poorly
ventilated, enclosed spaces. A vaccine reduces the likelihood of a person
getting a disease. For
example, if a vaccine has 95% efficacy results, then people who are vaccinated
are 20 times less likely to get COVID-19 compared to people who are not
vaccinated.
Furthermore,
healthy people who are vaccinated reduce the likelihood of people unable to be
vaccinated, getting
COVID-19 through herd immunity, or community immunity. Herd immunity occurs
when enough people are immune to a disease through vaccination that the disease
does not spread effectively in the population. Researchers estimate that herd
immunity to COVID-19 will require 75–80% of the population to be vaccinated.
Thus, people who choose to take the COVID-19 vaccine not only protect
themselves, but they also help the community stay healthy. Such a choice is a
practical way to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Misinformation and conspiracy
theories fill social media, making people cautious. Yet all vaccines in the
world are required to go through a rigorous process of testing and
approval.
Consider some
recent statistics from the UK. In a study tracking more than 200,000 people,
nearly every single participant had developed antibodies against the virus
within two weeks of their second dose and
despite initial worries that the current vaccines may be less effective against
the Delta variant, analysis suggest
that both the AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs reduce hospitalisation
rates by 92-96%. As many health practitioners have repeated, the risks of
severe side effects from a vaccine are tiny in comparison to the risk of the
disease itself. Yet, a sizeable
number of people are still reluctant to get the shots. According to a recent
report by the International Monetary Fund, that ranges from around 10-20% of
people in the UK to around 50% in Japan and 60% in France. As of
August, only 1,416,623 Nigerians among 200 million, representing 0.9 per cent of the
country’s population, have been fully vaccinated against the deadly virus.
Experts and WHO says a nation must vaccinate 70 per cent of its population to
achieve herd immunity.
It is a fact that some people will not be able to
take the vaccine at all due to other serious health conditions. When you get
the vaccine, you help build up the “community immunity” that protects others.
If large numbers of people are vaccinated, COVID won’t be able to spread to the
most vulnerable among us. Many Christians are concerned about the possible use
of fetal cells in vaccines. The good news is that no vaccines contain human
cells! Moreover, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines do not use human cells, even in the production process. The
Johnson & Johnson vaccine does use a human cell line in production; this is
an immortal cell line that came from a foetus aborted in 1985 (the abortion was
not performed for this purpose). Yet, the cells used today are descended many
generations from the original foetus and were never part of an actual human
body. While the association with abortion gives many Christians pause, there is
substantial agreement among Christian theologians and liberalists that the
connection to foetal cell lines should not make these vaccines off-limits for
Christians.
The disease
is riskier than the vaccine
No vaccine is
100% risk-free, just as no medical procedure is risk free. Christians need to
weigh the risks on both sides. COVID-19 is a serious disease, much worse than
the flu. By now, many of
us know or have heard of
people who have had it. Some people have mild cases, but others have serious
symptoms, hospitalisation, and long-term complications. The risks of the
vaccine are less than the risks of the disease. Let’s keep praying for those
who have been hit hardest by the pandemic. Let’s keep caring for our neighbours
through this crisis.
Many Christians are known as most wise in
discerning science, most courageous in fighting for justice, and most
compassionate in caring for the sick. We should be the ones most willing to
make sacrifices for the sake of others, following in the footsteps of Jesus
Christ. Vaccination is a concrete way you can care for your family, your
church, and your community.
Olufemi Aduwo
