Obeying Biblical commands may not always be comfortable for us. As humans, we get scared when we encounter something we cannot see, and even more frightened when we hear about something we cannot see and that we cannot control. However, this does not excuse our duty to obey certain Biblical mandates. We don't get to cherry pick the Bible based upon our comfort level.
Jesus says in John 14-15 that, if we love him, we should keep his commandments. He is God in the flesh, so his commandments extend beyond the passage that these words are in. One of the commandments of the Bible is to not forsake the gathering of the saints. If one is well and able to come church, they should, for this is a command of God. There was no caveat to ensure "comfort" of those who are well and healthy, and able to attend church.
Sure, we are called to "love one another." This does not mean we are to sacrifice obedience in favor of love. Christ did not sacrifice himself because he was comfortable doing it. He was not afflicted with the curse of sin; therefore, he did not have to do anything. However, he went to the cross out of obedience, not out of what was comfortable to him.
Some will point to the Romans 14 Principle, stating that we should not put a stumbling block in our brother or sister's way. However, this is an incorrect reading of this passage. The context of this passage is Paul speaking about matters of food and drink and celebration of feasts and holy days. Thus, the Romans 14 principle only applies to those gray areas where opinions differ, not to matters of Scriptural command, like Hebrews 10:25.
Others might point to Matthew 22:34-40, where Jesus outlines the two greatest commands in the Bible and says that all the other laws and prophets hinge upon these two. They are that we should love God and love others. Loving God means obeying his commands. As we see in John (and the Synoptics as well), loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, requires that we obey the commands of Scripture. Treating others as we would have them to treat us is not in question by this either. Of course we wouldn't want someone who is sick breathing in our face! I know I would not want that for sure! However, it does not mean that we get to choose to disobey another command in Scripture just because we are trying to "love others." That idea leads us down the slippery slope of progressivism and relativism.
Some would say, "You are sacrificing your personal views for the sake of the saints of the whole body when you don't attend church because of sickness!" The problem is that obedience is better than sacrifice. Again, obedience to God's commands trumps whatever sacrifice we think we are making for the cause of Christ.
Now, when I say these things, recklessness should not be an option for the Christian either. We are called to be sober and vigilant, keeping an eye for the attacks of Satan. Sometimes those attacks may come in the form of physical ailment. Other times, and hear me out, God may allow or even...*gasp*...cause certain things. Why? Because he may know that in his sovereignty, it will work out for the better and strengthen the saints if they obey his commands even through their fear. Recklessness is not Biblical either, as we can see. So, if you happen to be sick, or have been around one or more persons who is sick, stay home for a few days and make sure you aren't having any problems yourself.
Now, there is a stark contrast between lack of trust in God and simply having common sense. Common sense is, if you already know you've been around a sick person or you are sick yourself, get well before you interact with too many folks. Not trusting God is where otherwise healthy people are staying home from church because they are sore afraid they might catch or pass some kind of disease. Well, I've not news, disease has been around longer than COVID-19 and you are susceptible to catching or passing things regardless of where you go, what you do, or what kinds of diseases are going around. Christians have no excuse to be paralyzed by fear because we understand that our concern is not what diseases plague this world but that God will protect us if we are obeying his commands. Hebrews 10:25 is a command in the Bible and we are not given exceptions to this command. Therefore, we must obey it, regardless of how comfortable we are in our circumstances. Remember, Peter got too focused on his circumstances and started to sink in his fear.
The bottom line is that we are to "trust and obey." I'm sure it was not comfortable for Christians under the many periods of Roman persecution where they were told that they could meet openly. They went underground and didn't worry about their fears of being persecuted or breaking man's law because obedience to God's law is of utmost importance. They also did not worry about the "comfort" of themselves either. I'm sure it was not comfortable to hear about Christians being burned to death in the streets or torn apart in the gladiatorial arenas. Yet, those Christians persisted. Why? Because obedience to God's commands is paramount. Sure, no one is perfect and we all fall short. The Bible says that if we fail in one area, we fail in all. I, just like every other person in the world, am guilty of such an offense before God. However, we are to strive to obey these commands, even if we know we will never be perfect in any sense of the word.
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