A Gospel-Informed Response to the Coronavirus
Those of us who follow Christ need a lot of wisdom right now. And we need it on two fronts. First, how to respond to the coronavirus? Second, how to respond to our culture’s response to the coronavirus? There’s a lot I could say, but my hope is to encourage you with a few simple thoughts.
1. God is sovereign
This means God is in control. He’s in charge. Wayne Grudem, author of Bible Doctrine, defines God’s sovereignty as “God’s exercise of power over all of His creation.” So what have I to fear?
But what is the scope of His sovereignty?
His creation
Consider the following Scriptures.
“He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth…He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'…The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them. He brings the clouds to punish people, or to water his earth and show his love.”
(Job 37:3, 6, 10-13)“When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” (Jer. 10:13)
“I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.”
(Amos 4:7)
Note how these verses attribute all expressions of the weather, whether good or bad, to the directing hand of God. And as you read the Bible, you will find that you can apply it to all of nature.
His Church
Look at the confidence and certainty with which Jesus speaks about the growth and victory of His church.
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
(Matthew 16:18)“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.”
(Isaiah 9:7)
Through all things, He is forming His kingdom. And He is leading, building, sanctifying, and directing His Church.
Over evil
Peter and John, when released from prison, lifted their voices in prayer, and uttered these words:
“Truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place”
(Acts 4:27-28)
Look at how sovereign God was even over the evil choices of wicked men. God didn’t perform the evil, but allowed it and arranged it for His glorious purposes. We’ve pointed out many times at GraceLife—God causes good, allows evil, but ordains all things.
So fear not.
Founder of Voice of the Martyrs Richard Wurmbrand, who suffered for 14 years in Romanian prison for his faith, once recounted, “I knew that I faced questioning, ill-treatment, possibly years of imprisonment and death, and I wondered if my faith was strong enough. I remembered then that in the Bible it is written 366 times—once for every day of the year—‘Don’t be afraid!’: 366 times, not merely 365, to account for leap year. And this was February 29—a coincidence that told me I need not fear!”
When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he conquered sin, death, and hell. And then He said in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That means He’s in charge. He reigns as King over creation, over His church, over you. Fear not.
2. Love your neighbor
Jesus taught us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” This could be our finest hour! Don’t turn inward and hide. Go public with your faith. Go public with acts of love. People are scared right now and they are turning to God. Let’s be ready vessels.
But there’s another angle on this.
Some of us might react too personally to the inconveniences, privileges, and restrictions that are now upon us. Some of the sacrifices people have had to make are painful, most visibly in the sports world. The dreams & hearts of many youth, high school & college athletes were broken when, within 48 hours, almost all major postseason events were cancelled. Even the NBA, MLB, European Premier League, and professional golf have cancelled or postponed major events, costing millions of dollars.
A quick look at my Roth IRA today tells me the story of an economic storm in the world.
It would be easy to roll our eyes and balk at the threat of COVID-19, and that may be true—for you. But Jesus always asks us to remember the poor, the weak, the vulnerable, and what He calls “the least.” It helps my heart to remember these things. If, by putting up with some inconveniences, sacrifices, and even financial losses, we can love our neighbors who are vulnerable to this disease, I’m all in. And you should be too.
I’m not here to make comments about political conspiracies and cultural overreactions. I’m sure there are wicked people in Albany and Washington trying to exploit this. I’m sure the media has contributed to the frenzy, but the plain fact is, people are dying from this disease. If we can, through restraint and caution, get this monster off our planet, I’m all in.
Remember Christ, who gave up His comfort, and made Himself a servant. Let us, like our Savior, love and serve others as He did. And let’s trust God stubbornly, patiently, until the storm passes.