As governments try to figure out the best path forward, one of the primary tools that experts say society needs is testing. Tests for active COVID-19 cases are necessary to help with tracing so that health officials can stay on top of major outbreaks. Just as important are antibody tests, which help officials understand who has already been exposed and successfully recovered. Without having enough of these tests, it seems that there will just be a frequent need to restart quarantines.
Perhaps even more important than having enough tests, is making sure that the tests are accurate. Some of the early COVID-19 tests were shown to give a false negative (saying someone didn’t have the virus when in fact they did) around 50% of the time; thankfully the accuracy rates are improving. And a recent study found that out of all of the antibody tests that have recently flooded the market, only three out of fourteen provide consistently reliable results. It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to move forward properly without being able to rely on accurate information.
As followers of God, we rely on the Bible to provide us with accurate information on how to move forward spiritually. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that present Scripture in ways that make it unreliable. They quote verses and make it seem that what they are saying is trustworthy, but in reality, they don’t apply the texts accurately half the time. Just like it’s not enough to have a COVID-19 test, we have to make sure it’s accurate, it’s not enough to quote a verse, we have to do so accurately. This is why it is important for us to read and study the Bible for ourselves and not just take other people’s word for it. “The people in Berea… studied the Scriptures every day to make sure that what they heard was really true” (Acts 17:11). May we be like the Bereans so that we can confidently move forward in our relationships with others and with God!