Immunizations

There is much controversy these days about immunizations. Some think that childhood immunizations contribute to autism. There is no evidence yet, but that doesn't stop people from thinking it's true. Others are in an uproar about this whole Gardasil thing. They're quite sure that this whole human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization thing is a scam and is actually maiming or killing people. Then there is this whole smallpox thing. Medical science figured that, with immunization, smallpox was eliminated. Now they're not so sure. And if it comes back, we have almost no defenses ready to counter it. And how many of us aren't fully convinced that getting a flu shot each year doesn't actually cause the flu? So there is much controversy over the subject.

How do immunizations work? Well, generally, they take a weakened version of the virus that they want to protect you against ... and inject you with it. Sounds crazy, I know, but the idea is that your body will be able to learn the process of defending against this weakened version and, if you come across the real thing, it will then know how to fight the real thing. When I was in the Air Force, that was how we fought typhoid fever. As part of a special deployment force, we would receive special injections every 3 years. One of these was for typhoid. It was a weakened version, of course, but even with that, I would be sick for 3 days while my body figured out what to do with it. So I would miss 3 days of work with government-issued typhoid fever. Talk about controversial!

Well, there is an immunization that occurs regularly with which I have way too much familiarity. I cannot tell you the number of people I know personally who suffer from the negative affects of this immunization. And with rare exception, this immunization is horribly fatal. "Horribly fatal?" you might ask. "What can be worse than 'fatal'?" This one is eternally fatal.

The immunization of which I speak is the immunization against Christianity. It works in precisely the same way that medical immunizations work. The recipient gets a weakened version of the truth. It isn't enough to be a full-blown version. It's just a taste. They "try it", and it "fails". (I cannot tell you how many times I've heard, "Oh, I tried that 'born-again' thing; it didn't work.") These people walk away in various states of confusion. Most of them are quite sure that they're "saved". They've got their "fire escape" from hell. They're fine with God. The fact that there isn't an ounce of fruit, a hint of spiritual awareness, a single apparent effect of the Spirit in these people is irrelevant. They said the prayer, walked the aisle, did what they were told to do and they're all set now, thank you very much. Trying to reach these people for Christ is much harder than reaching the unsaved. These have built up a tolerance. They often use the right terminology, go to church, maybe even teach Sunday School. Some are even pastors. They aren't evil people ... you know, judging by human standards. They're ... religious ... no, spiritual. (Remember, in today's world, "religion" is a bad thing; "spiritual" is good.)

If you put together what the logic world calls a "truth table", you'll find four possibilities to this set of questions: 1) Are you saved? 2) Do you think you are? The possibilities are "Yes" and "Yes", "No" and "No", "Yes" and "No", and "No" and "Yes". It is possible for someone to be saved and to think they are -- "Yes" and "Yes". It is possible for someone not to be saved and think they are not -- "No" and "No". In both of these cases, what they think matches the truth of being saved or not. The other two possibilities are more interesting. I've known lots of people who are saved but just don't think they are. In fact, through Church history, many of the godly saints struggled with this. It's not surprising. The closer you get to God, the more aware you are of your own depravity. It can easily make you wonder "How could God possibly save me?" These people are saved, but the genuine view of their own sin makes them wonder. These people are actually in good stead with God, and the thing that needs to be addressed is their own sense of assurance, not their spiritual condition. That's not optimum, but it's better than the fourth possibility. The final possiblity is that these people are not saved ... but believe they are. These are the immunized ones. These are the ones that cannot be reached apart from drastic intervention on the part of God. If you tell these ones, "You need Jesus" they would tell you, "Thanks, but I already have Him." More likely, though, is that you would never question that they need Jesus. Remember, they talk the talk and may even, in some ways, imitate the walk. So it becomes nearly impossible to warn them of their eternal damnation since they think they've taken care of that problem.

I have known too many people carefully immunized against Christianity. It's a devious ploy by Satan, but we who are sharing the Gospel often are complicit. We've given a watered-down version of the truth. "Oh, come to Jesus and He'll make you whole" instead of "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." We evangelize rather than make disciples. We preach a message of wholeness rather than holiness. "You know, that whole 'Jesus is Lord' thing is too overbearing. Let's water that down a bit and just make Him ... our friend. That's so much easier to sell, so to speak." And while they like the "Jesus will make you happy" thing just fine, when it comes to "deny yourself" and "take up your cross", that's a bit over the top. "Thanks. I've got my friendly Jesus. I'm fine now. Go away."

I pray for these folks -- people about whom I care deeply -- all the time. I ask God to intervene on their behalf. I look for an opportunity to say something. But this immunization against the real Gospel is insidious. If God doesn't do something to change their hearts, it is always and permanently fatal. I pray that I am not one who is passing out this immunization version of the Gospel.