Are Masks Biblical?

This question is a hard one that divides many. I'll attempt to tackle it below in part because at times I will be one of the few people wearing masks and people may wonder. Also it's not an easy answer because I developed a potentially life-long condition as a result of prolonged mask use. There are a lot more important issues than this one today, but I feel that it's important that others know why I do things they see.

Importance of Acting According to Our Conscience

It's ultimately best to do what we feel is most scriptural & that which we feel conviction about most strongly, regardless of what others around us are saying or doing. We see that clearly in Romans 14, where we are to not pass judgement on one another on questionable matters & not cause others to stumble.

I share the below not because I feel I have all the answers here, but because I feel that I should still share, especially for those who wonder about this issue biblically, not sure which way to go. I don't condemn anyone who doesn't feel the way that I do on this complex issue.

What About the Law?

When there's a legal mandate to wear a mask, it adds a significant biblical reason to wear a mask.

Romans 13 1

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

That said, if wearing a mask could cause substantive harm to someone due to medical complications, we should absolutely advocate for them (or ourselves, if we are that person) with the powers that be if no provision has been made for those with medical complications.

My Personal Policy

I have a great immune system, and when I get an illness, it typically doesn't have a severe impact for very long. My body tends to respond well to medication as well.

That said, during certain times of certain years, primarily for the sake of my family, I will wear masks when with people outside of my home and avoid meals with others. I seek to limit mask-wearing, however, due to the negative impact of it, including a potentially lifelong condition I developed (blepharitis) primarily as a result of wearing masks without taking more precautions since I was unaware that such a condition was possible as a result of mask use when not exercising eye-centric best practices.

I do that not because I'm scared that I'll die due to Covid-19 or another condition. I think that the statistical probability of me dying due to contagious illness anytime in the next 5 years is lower than the general population due to my health and immune system, & is far too low for the inconvenience of mask wearing or the stigma that comes with mask wearing when within a context of mostly those not wearing masks.

I wear a mask because I have an immune-deficient wife who I love & a young son. I don't want my wife to be hurt and I don't want my boy to be hurt or killed. One of the top potential sources of my wife or my son have of contracting an illness is me.

Love of Others

If you don't have a compromised immune system or pre-existing conditions that make you more susceptible to contagious diseases like COVID-19 in scenarios where it's at substantively elevated levels, the top reason why you might consider wearing a mask at times is love of others. Even if my wife hadn't had the immune deficiency she did, I remember needing to make the call to an elderly man who I was with, who I was not wearing a mask with during a time when COVID-19 was prevalent. I needed to tell him that I contracted COVID-19, and that I was sorry that I didn't wear a mask when I was with him. He didn't wear one either, but that was no excuse for me. It would have been better for someone to think less of me for wearing a mask than it would have been for me to make that important call after I contracted COVID-19.

Faith vs Prudence

There are those that believe that one should never use medicine or go to the hospital, no matter how life threatening a condition, but instead pray for conditions when they occur for healing. I am not a cessationist, and believe strongly in the power of healing. My wife wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for the miraculous healing power that is here for today. That said, I also believe strongly that if I have the ability to prevent conditions from occurring, especially by a simple, low cost solution, that will be beneficial both for my ability to work and for those around me who I could get sick, especially my wife, I should be prudent.

Proverbs 22:3 & 27:12 are the same. They state, "The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it."

Evangelism & Discipleship's Relation to Mask Wearing

If the world and others who love the Lord care about things that we are completely apathetic about, it will cost us in our witness to them.

Paul states the following regarding his rights & his sacrifices for the sake of evangelism & discipleship in 1 Corinthians 9:

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Regarding discipleship, Paul states in 1 Corinthians 8 that to avoid being a stumbling block to brothers in Christ, he is willing to do things not required of Christianity. He closes the passage by stating in verse 13, "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."

What About Rights?

The Bible has some strong words about those who seek to oppress others physically in many locations, especially in books like Exodus & the Prophets of the Old Testament. For instance, Isaiah 58 , one of my favorite passages of Scripture, states in verse 6 regarding true fasting going beyond the physical abstinence of food:

"“Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

That said, for most without a medical reason to avoid a mask, & for those who can afford a mask &/or are given a mask(s), a mask mandate isn't a very oppressive request. It's a minor inconvenience. When it comes to actual oppression, we are absolutely called to fight it and stand in the gap for others, even at our own peril or need to give of what we have for others. We see that even more clearly in the next verse (7) :

"Is it not to break your bread with the hungry

And bring the homeless poor into the house;

When you see the naked, to cover him;

And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

We see it again in verse 10:

"And if you offer yourself to the hungry

And satisfy the need of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness,

And your gloom will become like midday."

When it comes to a minor inconvenience, I'm reminded of Matthew 5:41 (& the context of 38-42), where Jesus was speaking of Roman soldiers being allowed to force others to carry their belongings, but only for a mile. Jesus said, "And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." If a mask is required somewhere, and especially if you believe that there is legitimate reason to wear one, rather than the mask with the lowest impact on you that's allowed for convenience, as long as you have no medical or financial reasons not to, you may want to consider an N95.

Christianity isn't as focused on claiming our rights as much as it is focused on sacrifice for the Lord & for others when we have the opportunity to do so & when it matters. Matthew 16:24-26 states the following:

"24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

See also 1 Corinthians 9, which the ESV titles, "Paul Surrenders His Rights".

Matthew 5:38-41 states the following:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

It is possible to go too far here in attempting to take too literally that which Jesus said. While Jesus literally resurrected, Jesus words weren't always meant to be completely literal. Jesus' words about taking your eye out in Matthew 18:9 if it causes you to stumble clearly weren't literal, as affirmed by Paul in Col. 2:23 who condemned "asceticism & severity to the body". If you take what Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-41 literally (while ignoring passages like Col. 2:23) about giving a lot to those who ask for it, without any qualifying circumstances or leading of the Holy Spirit, it can lead to doormat & sloppy Christianity rather than controlled but calculated sacrificial giving of time and resources to others in need. For more on that, read Henry Cloud's "Boundaries".

What About Those With Legitimate Medical Reasons Not to Wear Masks?

Someone at my work had a legitimate medical reason why she couldn't wear a mask due to a documented condition that made mask-wearing in her context unbearable without a severe physical reaction. For that person, when a location was unwilling to allow her entry without her wearing a mask, I reached out to them myself to advocate for her receiving an exception. I was disappointed when they denied that request even after my appeal.

Regarding N95 masks, the CDC states, "Wearing an N95 can make it harder to breathe. If you have heart or lung problems, talk to your doctor before using an N95."

What About The Negative Impact of Mask-Wearing on the General Population? Limit Mask Wearing When Readily Available for a Safe Effective Alternative to Avoid Negative Impact & Use Best Practices

Before Covid-19 ever came around, if I was in the office at Garrett Realty Partners while cleaners were doing their thing after 5 PM, and I smelled chemicals at my desk, I'd don an N-95 style mask. I was the only one in the office who did it that I am aware of out of over 100 agents. Not even the cleaners wore masks, and me talking to them about it, warning them of the dangers, didn't change that. Despite how strange it may have seemed to others, I try to not be bound by cultural conformity when it doesn't make sense to me. When you're risking your health and the health of those you love, I would encourage you to take the precautions necessary to be a good steward of your health. That said, now that I know more about the negative impact of wearing a mask, it would have been better for me to simply choose another environment rather than prolonged mask-wearing when choosing a different environment was a readily available alternative.

There are some negative effects of wearing a mask that shouldn't be ignored (especially with prolonged mask use). Despite how one-sided many are on the subject, it's important to take a balanced approach, and not demonize the other side. For instance, in a study of 261 subjects, "There were significantly higher CO2 concentrations behind the mask (3176 ppm) compared to the front (843 ppm) with an average of 49 minutes of continuous mask use." That's over 3.75x the amount. In the same study, "12.2% had a CO2 concentration of at least 5000 ppm (occupational health exposure limit)... Clinical symptoms of toxicity might occur when CO2 levels are above 2000 ppm, and 5000 ppm is the CO2 work exposure limit.5,6" While I favored N-95 masks during COVID-19's peak, it's important to note that "The CO2 level behind the N-95 masks was highest (especially after exertion) and was lowest behind cloth masks."

In addition to the possibility of CO2 toxicity, there are numerous documented negative impacts of long-term high CO2 exposure, though there are some positive benefits (EPA, Science Direct). Per USDA, "Symptoms of mild CO2 exposure may include headache and drowsiness. At higher levels,rapid breathing, confusion, increased cardiac output, elevated blood pressure and increased arrhythmias may occur." Before Covid-19 came around the US, with the 1st laboratory-confirmed case in the US on January 18, 2020, a study was published in December 2018 that sated, "Groups exposed for a couple of hours to levels higher than 1500 ppm CO2 showed an increase in their blood pressure and heart rate compared with that of the 600 ppm exposure group. Autonomic dysfunction impacts a wide array of human functions including cognitive, urinary, sexual, and digestive systems. The activation of the autonomic system through stress reduces strategic ability and working memory (Starcke and Brand, 2012), which supports a recent finding that showed a decrease in decision-making performance between 600 and 2500 ppm CO2."

I also developed blepharitis for the 1st time after prolonged mask use & at least a few styes for the 1st time, & haven't been able to eliminate my blepharitis. For many it is a lifelong condition despite treatment like I've received from doctors. I highly suspected that my mask use was the main culprit. Per a study published in National Library of Medicine, "In the COVID-19 period, face masks increased exponentially. Several studies suggest that the rise in ocular discomfort symptoms during the pandemic is mostly part of dry eye disease and that these are due to the effect of face masks, resulting in the newly described term MADE, for “mask-associated dry eye”. The most commonly proposed mechanism states that wearing a face mask creates an unnatural upward airflow towards the ocular surface during expiration, although the increased temperature, humidity and levels of carbon dioxide of the exhaled air, stress, increased use of video display terminals, as well as changes in the ocular microbiota may contribute. Evidence supports that the use of face masks causes an increase in dry eye disease symptoms, a decreased tear break-up time, corneal epithelial trauma, periocular temperature changes and inflammatory markers secretion." I was completely unaware prior to developing issues that developing a potentially lifelong eye condition as a result of my mask-wearing was even possible even though I noticed beforehand how my breathing went directly to my eyes. If I had been more careful to use best practices & more cognizant of the potential threat, like a higher frequency of mask rotation, regular eye cleansing, & more sleep, my eyes today could have been completely different.

What About the Science?

Masks & mask mandates make the most sense when there is a significant life-threatening illness that is currently impacting a significant % of the population in a given area that could be prevented or at least curtailed by masks. The masks that make the most sense are the ones that are both the most effective (i.e. N95s per CDC) and at the same time not ones that would hurt those wearing them who have legitimate medical problems that could be exacerbated by those masks more than other masks.

Beyond a mask, hand sanitizer is also highly beneficial for preventing illness. I'll go to lengths like using it on my hands and using it on other surfaces like my phone or laptop if they become contaminated. Something like Covid-19 can last on a hard surface for days (WebMD).