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A Biblical View on Vaccination – Church of God Webcast

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A Biblical View on Vaccination – Church of God Webcast (1)

Vaccination was a concept introduced into Western medical history in the 1700’s in an effort to prevent lethal cases of smallpox. The application of vaccination in its many forms created numerous stories, both of success and disaster. The resulting debate over the safety and efficacy of vaccination has continued for 300 years.
But the history of smallpox goes back thousands of years.

“Smallpox plagued human populations for thousands of years. Researchers who examined the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses V (died 1157 BCE) observed scarring similar to that from smallpox on his remains.”

To gain a biblical perspective we can go back to an even earlier time period in biblical history to examine what the scriptures have to say on this topic of virulent communicable disease. The scriptures do not give us a definitive statement on “Thou shalt not vaccinate!” But they do provide us with the knowledge we need to make an informed decision based on sound biblical precepts. It is these precepts that will keep us safe, and help us maintain physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Knowing that the Egyptians suffered from these communicable disease plagues we can appreciate God’s instructions to Moses:
“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

How had God brought the diseases on the Egyptians, but could spare the Israelites? Was it a miracle? No, rather God had set up a natural system of cause and effect. God’s basic principle of living is that ‘what you sow is what you reap.’ God was not a respecter of persons, but rather he allowed people to make choices and reap the consequences. The key element to health was in whether or not a people was willing to keep “all the commandments and statutes.” And the reality was that the Egyptians had many health practices that were contrary to God’s teachings — his commandments and statutes that had been known from the time of Abraham if not earlier.
So which of God’s commandments relating to healthy living would have made a difference in outcome for the Israelites when they began to leave Egyptian ways behind and embrace God’s ways? What did God want them to do to eliminate communicable disease? We can read many books on health, and they may provide much valuable information. However,  the real source of foundational health wisdom is only found in God’s Word. So that is where we must begin to build our understanding.

Healthy Living Principles from the Lord’s Instructions to Israel:

1. Our life is in our blood, therefore we should prevent anything from polluting it.
2. Prohibition against eating (ingesting or injecting) blood of animals.
3. Prohibition against eating (ingesting or injecting) unclean animals.
4. Prohibition against eating (ingesting or injecting) blood, or fat of clean animals, or  clean animals that had died of unknown causes or were not properly slaughtered.
5. Prohibition against eating (ingest or inject) ‘spoiled’ meat products.
6. Cleanliness when touching a carcass of a dead animal.
7. Cleanliness when dealing with fat, blood, or meat of animals (burning remains).
8. Hygienic practices dealing with excrement to avoid polluting land and water.
9. Hygienic practices when dealing with people with bodily discharges, and their belongings to avoid contamination and spread of disease.
10. Quarantine of people who are ill  — symptomatic.
11. Cleanliness and quarantine after touching a corpse or the belongings of a dead person.

Further Instructions from Jesus and the Apostles

1. “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.”
2. Love your neighbour as yourself, so show equal care for your own body and wellbeing and your neighbours’ body and wellbeing.
3. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we must not defile our body with practices that result in disease (sexual sin, gluttony, drunkenness as examples).
4. We are to avoid ‘pharmakeia’ (sorcery) — administration of poisons, drugs, magic potions. This refers to the misuse of substances to alter a state of consciousness, to enhance our religious worship, or as a part of the ‘healing arts’ of pagan societies.
5. “Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.”
6. Avoid leaders who pose as God’s ministers of light, when in fact they are teaching lawlessness. Don’t believe their words, look at their fruits, and avoid the lawless.
7. “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil, and avoid sin, lawlessness.”
8. “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”
9. “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.”
10. Do not put God to the test, by doing unhealthful things and expecting God to save you.
11. Discern ‘the Lord’s body’ and do not knowingly make Christ a minister of sin.
12. God has given us marvelous bodies with effective immune systems, and he is our healer, through the power of his spirit and in the name of Jesus the Messiah.

Drawing Conclusions: Individual Impacts

With this background of sound biblical principles in mind we can apply the principle of a multitude of counsel, to ascertain the facts about any medical procedure and then weigh the evidence against the yardstick of scripture.
So looking at the facts, how do vaccines measure up, against God’s standards?

1. They pollute the blood supply with toxic materials (see the attached chart).
2. They often use unclean animal products in their testing, development, or manufacture.
3. They cause people to be careless about hygiene in the belief that the vaccine protects them.
4. They give people false hope and cause people to avoid the necessary quarantine of symptomatic people when they or others are ill.
5. They are at times a chief source of disease and a factor in spreading disease.
6. They have a well-documented history of causing side-effects and even death.
7. They cause people to ignore all the other health advice given in scripture.

It is up to individuals to accept their personal responsibility for their own health, and the health of their families and do the research they need to do to understand the nature of the ingredients in those things that they choose to ingest or inject into their bodies.

It is also important to address all of the other issues that relate to health: sleep, sunshine, exercise, clean water and air, pure food, hygiene, and positive emotions.

And when illness occurs follow God’s advice to quarantine the visibly ill, and only return to full participation in society once their body has been healed of communicable disease.

Drawing Conclusions: Societal Impacts

There are two other issues of concern that go beyond the interests of the health of individuals. These are issues relating to the societal impacts, and societal justice from God’s viewpoint.
Both issues relate to God’s sixth commandment, “Do not murder.” In God’s system of justice, there is no room for ‘doing evil that good may come.’ The concept of killing some for ‘the greater good’ of the majority, has no scriptural basis. We reap what we sow, and when we pursue vaccine-related research and production of vaccines that contain the products of abortion we are sowing bad seed that impacts society as a whole. God hates abortion, so he certainly hates the ‘commodification’ and use of aborted fetal body parts in both scientific research and production of medications such as vaccines. Supporting the system that merchandises this evil is something akin to the ancients’ killing their newborns to appease the gods and secure a good harvest or good health. God hates such practices that devalue human life and desecrate the sanctity of life as God intended it to be. As a result God allowed whole societies to be destroyed or taken captive due to these grave societal sins.

Vaccines are promoted and sometimes mandated by societies as being a boon for the majority (though that is up for debate), and yet the manufacturers know and publish that a certain few ‘sensitive’ individuals will die as a result of using their product. God does not agree with this policy that devalues the life of individuals in favour of some supposed ‘good’ for the group. Any planned or premeditated taking of human life is murder from the Creator’s point of view. If we buy into the societal agenda we become accomplices in this program that will assuredly kill a few. If we care about God’s perspective then we cannot assuage our conscience with the mantra that this is ‘for the greater good.’ There is blood guilt and God demands life for life. God will bring judgment on the societies and individuals who ignore his teaching and his role as their Healer and Saviour, and think it a small matter to kill a few to supposedly save the many.

Do Vaccines Demonstrate Love?

So what is love from God’s perspective, as relating to the issue of vaccination?

You will hear people say that you do not love others, if you will not be vaccinated and contribute to the supposed ‘herd immunity’ of the group. However, God defines what he means by love. Divine love, agape, is “doing what God prefers.” It is a matter of understanding God’s will in a certain circumstance and acting based on a genuine care for the welfare of others, the same kind of care that God would show them. God does not leave this up to our imagination.
As the apostle John made it clear,

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

God created his commandments for the benefit of human society and individuals. It is only in obeying his teachings and applying them with wisdom to our personal situation that we can express godly love to others. Love is not a mere emotion, but rather it is wise action taken to ensure the best outcome for ourselves and others in accordance with scripture. Just as truth must be spoken in love, so love must be grounded in truth, or it is not love. It is foolish to pretend to ‘love’ others while disobeying God’s commandments created for the welfare and good health of individuals and societies.

My son, do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

For length of days and long life

And peace they will add to you.

Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh,

And strength to your bones.

Proverbs 3

Learn More about Vaccination:

God’s principle is that in a multitude of counsel there is safety. Different groups and individuals in society will offer differing perspectives. These perspectives are often based on the lens through which they view information. They may also be coloured by experience, economic interests, political bias, and personal motivations to promote pet ideas. As a result of the inherent and unavoidable biases in the gathering and analysis of information we must both ‘watch and pray.’

In the context of medical decisions, consider these points:

1. Be alert and access information from many sources.
2. Know the biases of the sources of your information and whether they have a record of being truthful or are they ‘false prophets.’
3. Give special consideration to qualified individuals who have spoken up against popular opinion and risked their careers to do so.
4. Understand both the majority and the minority reports on an issue so you are not blinded to inconvenient truths as are many in society.
5. Understand the ‘trunk of the tree’ issues, so that you are not entangled in specious arguments, word games, or irrelevant facts.
6. Analyze information through the lens of scripture to ascertain the truth.
7. Pray for discernment in properly applying the wisdom you have gained.

But what if you have been vaccinated in the past and now feel you made a mistake.
God hears the prayers of the humble, and the repentant. He can make a difference in your life, even when you have sinned and fallen short of his standard of right living. His advice to you is to ‘go and sin no more.’ And if you are suffering from negative vaccine consequences or ill-health, you have a Saviour who can heal all your diseases.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this health blog are based upon the opinions of cogwebcast, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright. The information on this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of spiritual and scriptural knowledge and information from the research and experience of cogwebcast. You are encouraged to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional, in accordance with your constitutional rights to self-determination.