Do you have the right to refuse the vaccine on religious grounds? Within the next week, millions of Americans will either be vaccinated against COVID or be relieved from their employment. Many have already complied, but others have resisted this mandate and applied for a religious exemption. I’m not here to discuss whether or not you should get the vaccine (that was discussed in a previous blog). But I have been bombarded with requests asking for guidance and support in gaining a religious exemption lately, so I thought it would be good to unpack some of the biblical and logical arguments that can be made in this area.

It's a tall order to find a verse in the Bible that speaks to our right to refuse a vaccine mandate. However, there are some right and righteous reasons that you can claim as a Christian if that is truly where your convictions lie. Let’s discuss some of the common reasons that people are using for their right to refuse the vaccine.

1. “I just don’t want it” – I hear this a lot. There are a variety of reasons why people feel this way, but it often boils down to basic stubbornness. The logic works this way: Simply because the government told me I must do something, I am going to stand against it. When this becomes our way of thinking, it is simply NOT Biblical (see Romans 13:1-2).


2. “My body, my choice” – This is another common argument which is also a clever turning of the phrase embraced by abortion advocates to use it against them. It basically says that each individual should have the right to choose what goes into and out of their own body. There is potentially some legal basis for this view as our courts continue to uphold Roe v. Wade as rule of law in this land. However, while there may be a legal or even moral case to make on this point, I don’t see any direct Biblical evidence to support it. It usually boils back down to the same argument used in #1 above.


3. “I’m afraid it will harm me” – Some people have legitimate concerns for their safety. This vaccine was developed and released in record time and has not been studied or tested nearly as thoroughly as any other vaccine in human history. The Bibles states clearly, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). This sounds like a Biblical case, but for this to become a religious argument, the individual must hold several convictions in their personal life. First, you must believe that this passage is teaching that to “defile the temple of God” is referring any food or medicine that you might put into your body that could bring you physical harm. (BTW – I think this is a stretch of the text’s meaning). And secondly, you must be regularly practicing this truth in other areas as well. In other words, do you refuse other medicines or vaccines which you believe to be harmful? Do you refrain from alcohol, smoking, trans fats, processed foods, or a host of other known unhealthy habits on this basis? If both of these things are true, then you have a conviction that can be supported on Biblical grounds.


4. “It was tested and/or produced from aborted babies” – For most, this is probably the best Biblical argument that can be made. There are currently no approved vaccines that have not been tested and/or produced from fetal stem cell lines. We can all agree that the Bible clearly teaches that taking a life is murder and that life begins in the womb. If you have a true conviction that taking a drug developed in this manner makes you complicit with abortion, then you have a sure Biblical basis for refusing it. I think each Christian has the right to their own conscience about this question AND that we should respect each other’s convictions in this regard. However, you should know that the research and development of many other drugs is done this way as well. The list includes: Tylenol, Motrin, aspirin, Benadryl, Sudafed, Claritin, Pepto Bismol and others.

So, yes there are biblical grounds for a refusal. I’ve written several letters of support for some in our church who have wished to claim this exemption. However, be sure that your reason for refusal is a truly Biblical conviction that you are striving to live out in every area of your life and not just a result of basic stubbornness. This divisive issue has already cost people their friendships and many may find it costs them their jobs as well. As I always say, let’s be on guard to keep the divisiveness out of our churches. We need to give grace, support, and acceptance to those who have embraced the vaccine as well as those who wish to refuse it – because unity amongst believers is a clearly defined Biblical issue that we ALL need to obey.