The Betrayal of Our Faith

By Elder Arnie Suntag

As the children of Israel stood paralyzed with fear from the fiery serpents that had entered the camp killing many with their venomous bite, Moses was instructed by the Lord to make a serpent of brass on a pole and to encourage those who had been bitten to gaze upon it and be healed. However, many refused to believe that looking up at a metallic object would heal them from the apparently deadly wound they had sustained, and so they perished. But it was quite a different story for the faithful. “It came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:9).

Most of us realize that there was no power in the serpent of brass, but that the healing experienced by those who believed came from God alone. It is a metaphor for the assurance that if we obey God’s counsels and trust exclusively in Him, we have no reason to fear because He will preserve us through any danger that may threaten our lives, and will deliver us from any harm that may have incidentally befallen us. But when we fail to trust in divine providence and sow seeds of doubt in others as a result of our own shortcomings, we have failed miserably in the Great Commission the Lord has entrusted to us. This concept is aptly expressed in Christ Triumphant, referring to the brass serpent:

“Only look and live. We dishonor God when we do not go forth from the dark cellar of doubts into the upper chamber of hope and faith. When the Light shineth in all its brightness, let us take hold on Jesus Christ by the mighty hand of faith. No longer cultivate your doubts by expressing them and pouring them into other minds, and thus becoming an agent of Satan to sow the seeds of doubt. Talk faith, live faith, cultivate love to God; evidence to the world all that Jesus is to you. Magnify His holy name. Tell of His goodness; talk of His mercy; and tell of His power.” {CTr 127.5}

Today we are facing a serpent that has entered our daily lives in the form of a novel coronavirus. I can certainly expound on the relative danger of this virus from a purely scientific standpoint, but I have already done so in another article. Thus, that academic dissertation is not necessary here. I do want to state, however, that I am not in any way discounting the risk that COVID-19 poses for those who are elderly or those with comorbidities. Any severe acute respiratory illness would constitute a threat to this vulnerable population. But, despite the overwhelming documentary evidence that this virus does not possess the lethality of those causing other diseases such as Ebola, with its often more than 80 percent mortality rate, millions are nonetheless cowering in fear and running for cover.

Unfortunately, this includes many, if not most, in our own church. As illustrative of just how readily even those in church leadership roles have succumbed to the fearmongering for which the mainstream media has become notorious, I recently observed a pastor on a YouTube livestream wearing a mask while preaching a rather muffled sermon. Putting aside for a moment the established fact that a mask protects others from the wearer and not the other way around, this pastor was speaking from a platform in the front of a church that was completely empty, with the video production person at least 100 feet away in the back of the sanctuary. The stark example this pastor perhaps inadvertently exhibited for others would not be so concerning, were it not for the fact that it is becoming more commonplace.

There are those who wear a mask all day long, whether alone or outdoors, even while vigorously exercising. These poor souls are running the risk of developing respiratory acidosis and actually increasing their likelihood of contracting COVID-19, along with other illnesses for that matter. Worse than this, however, is the fact that they are serving as poor examples to others – proliferating the fear that has already gripped the majority of the populace. This phenomenon begs the question, where is God in all of this? Just as those in ancient Israel who refused to look up at the brass serpent perished, those who are leaning on the arm of flesh today instead of looking to Christ — the author and finisher of our faith, may likewise meet their demise despite their most diligent efforts to avoid it. They are in a class with Job who said, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me” (Job 3:25).

We as Seventh-day Adventists often consider ourselves to be purveyors of the truth, possessing an in-depth knowledge of Bible prophecy designed to prepare us to face the persecution and the denial of freedom that will inevitably evolve — much of which is already beginning to unfold around us today. Yet, most are literally terrified of a virus. And instead of looking to Christ, they are looking to Anthony Fauci and his ilk. Few seem willing to stand their ground when faced with the paradoxical challenges that directly threaten their freedom of conscience and indeed their very way of life. It is interesting to note that while others in the Christian world are challenging the status quo by holding revivals and conducting baptisms on the streets of major cities in violation of government policies and mandates, Seventh-day Adventists are dispensing with the practices and emblems of worship even to the extent of closing churches and schools. In those instances where these facilities remain open, measures are dutifully being implemented that derail the purpose of gathering together as social beings in need of fellowship and closeness. Instead, the practices established by unbelievers who do not understand the nature of our faith are being followed religiously, effectively dehumanizing our interaction with others. The alternative, conscientiously followed by many in our church, is to hold virtual worship services and classroom education in place of on-site, hands-on interaction.

While some may argue that internet-based platforms will suffice for the purpose of fulfilling the commission Christ gave us, the Bible is very clear about the need to be physically involved with other human beings beyond the scope of a keyboard and LED screen. The concept is quite understandable as scripture depicts it: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). The highest form of the Gospel work we can do is personal ministry. And this requires personal contact. Preaching during a Zoom meeting will simply not do it. Yet, those impressed by the need to conform to the world’s standards will obediently parrot the health concerns of purported experts while compliantly engaging in practices that have little to do with faith in God. They have joined the crowd who rejected the brass serpent as a mere object that could not solve their problem by gazing upon it, even though the Lord had said otherwise. Instead, they will go to great lengths to protect themselves from a disease whose characteristics have been politicized and grossly distorted, resulting in unnecessary and eccentric behavior — like the pastor who wore a mask while speaking in an empty church. I must stress the fact that I am not berating those who legitimately need to protect themselves because they are part of a high-risk group. As I mentioned earlier, such individuals are vulnerable to any serious respiratory illness and should act accordingly. But to carry this to the extreme that we are witnessing in our world today is an aberration that has insidiously usurped our freedoms, trampled upon the rights of millions, and ultimately caused far more harm than the virus itself.

It seems that the fear of dying from a purportedly deadly disease has proven to be the ultimate sifting mechanism for those in our church. Indeed, it is separating the wheat from the chaff. Faced with the prospect of dying from a disease or with the potential legal or financial consequences associated with disobeying the rules, many would sooner acquiesce rather than to say, “enough is enough.” And would any of us dare have the audacity to believe that we are prepared to face religious persecution with the same resolve as the three Hebrews when they were challenged by Nebuchadnezzar for failing to obey? These three faithful souls boldly declared that even if the Lord did not rescue them from the fiery furnace, they would still not comply with Nebuchadnezzar’s demands. Now, let’s put this in perspective. We are afraid to hold on-site worship services, conduct classes at school, perform baptisms or communion, or reach out to others in the community with the Gospel because of a virus that has not proven to be lethal to anyone other than a limited and specific high-risk group. It’s really that simple. We as a church have refused to take a stand against draconian constraints that public health and government agencies have imposed upon us both personally and corporately, for fear of reprisal.

This essentially renders the example established in the third chapter of Daniel moot. The early Christians and later the Protestant reformers fearlessly stood their ground, faced with the clout of an invincible Roman government, and subsequently with the papacy and the inquisitions. They defied the authorities of their time by standing for the principles of the Gospel despite the imminent and overwhelming threat to life and limb. It seems that we do not trust in God enough these days to know with certainty that if we are obedient and incorporating the counsels He gave us into our lives, we will not succumb to a virus when we carry on the same practices that we have kept for centuries in order to disseminate the Gospel. Instead, we are all- too-ready to trade those in for ‘the new normal’ and the social practices that are dehumanizing us, especially our children, merely in order to avoid conflict and to fancy ourselves as being safe and secure. We rationalize the use of depersonalizing electronic media to satisfy our consciences, believing that we have delivered the Gospel message in a manner for which God would approve. We cannot be more misguided.

After the fall of the twin towers on September 11, 2001, the prevailing mindset was one of fear and distrust. This tragic event led to the hastily passed Patriot Act a mere 45 days later, fueled by the willingness of millions of Americans to relinquish rights guaranteed under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in order to protect themselves from the threat of domestic terrorism. It was an unprecedented turn of events in American history. Now, we are witnessing an incursion into these rights for which the aftermath of 911 pales in comparison. In the name of safety and protection from a virus, Americans are willingly surrendering their freedoms to an extent that leaves the door wide open for socialism. It has happened this way in other civilizations throughout history. And those in our church, who should know better from a prophetic and historical standpoint, are compliantly going along with the crowd – despite the fact that it effectively unravels our ability to accomplish what the Lord has specifically asked us to do as the remnant.

The fear created by COVID-19 has, much to the chagrin of many, brought about changes that have for all intents and purposes turned our society upside down. If one were to step back and objectively view a timeline of the radical alterations in everyday life that COVID-19 has wrought, it should serve as a wake-up call and a warning to take action before it is too late. The most precious commodity we have as a people is liberty. Millions gave their lives for it. Yet, in the wake of COVID-19, and the enormous fear surrounding it, we have surrendered some of our most cherished freedoms including how, when, and where to worship. It is truly the death knell for an apostolic faith that has withstood storm and tempest through centuries of bloody confrontations and the forfeiture of millions of lives for the sake of their posterity.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we have allowed fear to take the place of reason and, as a result, have kowtowed to the forces that be rather than to take a stand to defend our profession of faith. From social distancing and the elimination of age-old practices like baptism and communion, to the removal of Bibles and hymnals from church pews for fear of contamination, we have plunged into conformity with the mainstream. And we have done this despite the fact that some of the key health decisions mandated “for our own good” can arguably be relegated to junk science. If we allow the government to decide what is best for us rather than following the counsels the Lord has provided, we will wind up losing virtually all of our freedoms – permanently. It is foregone conclusion.

As I watched a recorded musical performance by Fountainview Academy recently, tears welled up in my eyes – not because the song was necessarily emotionally moving, but because it represented one of the most precious aspects of worship that is now no longer recommended or even permitted in many of our churches. The voices of our youth harmoniously lifted up in song to praise the Lord may perhaps never be heard again in our churches. They have been silenced. The most beautiful gift that God bestowed upon us to praise Him has been summarily extinguished. And we did it without a whimper.

What a sad day it is when we willingly allow the state to dictate how we worship, merely for fear of a virus. We are openly acknowledging that the Lord cannot deliver us from this plague if we trust in Him and follow His counsels rather than worldly wisdom. This failure on our part to challenge the status quo, as others are now doing, is not only a breach of the commission we have as Seventh-day Adventists, but an illustration that we have not come much further in our walk with God than the children of Israel who refused to look upon the brass serpent. We have truly betrayed our faith.

About the author: Elder Arnie Suntag is the founder and president of Walk of Faith, an organization that conducts seminars and educational series on health and disease prevention and provides outreach services to the community.

Arnie Suntag
Walk of Faith Media
PO Box 4124
Bisbee, Arizona 85603
(866) 359-2640
arniesuntag@walkoffaithmedia.org