Flip over to the book of Romans and read chapter 13. This might be the first time you’ve ever read it. It’s not usually a popular passage for sermons because it sort of contradicts all the stuff in the Bible about submitting to Christ. Recently, however, Romans 13 is enjoying special status in Christian conversations.

Maybe your church canceled services and cited “submission to authority” as the reason. That sentiment comes from Romans 13 so you can rest secure in the knowledge that canceling church services is justified by scripture. That should ease your conscience for the remainder of the pandemic crisis.

When the global crisis is over and church services resume as normal, Romans 13 will return to obscurity and you won’t need to think about it ever again.

Unless…

…you’re listening to a sermon based on another passage in the New Testament and you learn that virtually all the apostles, Paul, and Jesus himself were arrested because they refused to submit to authority. The sermon will emphasize the importance of honoring God over men. When that happens you will have the urge to ask a question. I suggest you stifle that urge.

Unless…

…you’re willing to admit that scripture isn’t often black and white. Theology requires nuanced thinking. You won’t find chapter and verse that gives “Plague Protocol”.

I know more than one preacher-type person who claims it is irresponsible to have services at the church when the authorities are suggesting social distancing and self quarantine. Maybe you agree with them. You agree that meeting together creates unnecessary risk and endangers the health of those with compromised immune systems. You feel confident that staying home is the responsible, Christian thing to do.

Unless…

…you’re willing to admit that leaving your house for any reason is incredibly risky. The world is a dangerous place. You’ve got no guarantees you’ll live to see tomorrow (that’s in the Bible too.) Every single week you’ve endangered the health of people with compromised immune systems. Who knows how many people have died of infections they got from shaking hands with you at church.

And to make your crisis of faith a bit worse, your church supports missionary efforts in countries where missionary efforts are illegal. You are actively defying the authorities. That same Romans 13 that comforted you during quarantine, convicts you of the sin I committed when I ignored the quarantine.

Look, the proper interpretation of Romans 13 is more complex than simply saying, “Submit to authorities.” If that did the trick, there wouldn’t be 14 verses in the chapter. I won’t suggest that MY interpretation is correct and everyone else is “irresponsible” for seeing it differently.

When I read verse 4 of Romans 13, I get the idea that worldly authorities are an instrument that God uses to punish evil. So I need to ask myself, “Is it an act of evil for believers to gather privately of their own free will?”

You might answer that question differently than I do. The authorities might answer that question differently than I do. When that happens, I could end up in prison! Then, according to scripture – you’re supposed to visit me.

To you preacher type people who are telling me that Sunday morning service isn’t necessary during this crisis: Beware. You’re going to need to rebuild the case for Sunday morning gatherings from scratch. Why should I put my health at risk attending crowded worship services? I can watch the live-stream from the safety of my home. I can listen to your sermon during my commute to work on Monday, or Tuesday, or never.

You’ve convinced me that social distancing doesn’t mean spiritual distancing. You’ve assured me that I can “stay connected” through social media. It’s going to be tricky convincing me of my need to observe the Sunday morning show in person. But give it your best shot!

And before you bother quoting Hebrews 10:25, I’ll offer Matthew 18:20. Gosh…this theology thing is really, really, really hard.

(…and eventually you’re going have justify smuggling Bibles into foreign countries and defying God’s appointed authorities.)