Christian Response to Dealing with Coronavirus
I believe that the fear that is spread in the world today because of the coronavirus is much worse than the virus itself. If the peace of God’s children is lost among all the disturbing news of the spread of this virus throughout the world, then what would be the state of the world’s children? Therefore, let us calmly and without the hostility of social media, seek an understanding of the situation and how to confront it in light of God’s word. With God’s grace, I would like to mention some spiritual concepts and principles to take into consideration:
First: The current coronavirus is
not the first, nor will it be the last epidemics or disaster we face in this
world. Our Lord Jesus Christ has informed us of this when He said: “And there
will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences;
and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11). As
if the Lord is telling us today, “See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew
24:25), “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Second: The spread of evil and
disease in the world is one of the ways by which the evil kingdom attacks
humanity, for the world is still under the control of the Devil. The Lord Jesus
said that Satan is “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30), and Saint Paul the
Apostle says that he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
According to Saint John, “the whole world lies under the sway of the
wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Also, Saint Paul the Apostle describes the current
world as “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).
The redemption that the heavenly
Father completed in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ on the holy Cross is
redemption for our souls from sin and its authority, and from judgment.
However, we await the Second Coming of Christ to redeem our bodies and renew
the creation. Concerning this, St. Paul the Apostle says: “For we know that the
whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until
now. Not
only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for
the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). We still “wait
for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body
that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the
working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself”
(Philippians 3:20-21).
Let us hope for the day in which
Satan, evil (i.e. sin), and the evil nature (i.e. the sinful nature) will end,
and thereafter we will live in the Kingdom of God without disease. This is
preached to us in the Book of Revelation: “The Devil, who deceived them, was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast (evil) and the false
prophet (the sinful nature) are. And they will be tormented day and
night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Third: God’s children who live
under the protection of the heavenly Father do not fear nor be terrified of any
dangers or epidemics. The Scripture is full of divine promises that express
this, some of which is included in Psalm 91: “He who dwells in the secret
place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I
will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in
Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the
fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His
feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be
your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by
night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks
in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who
is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil
shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall
give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your
foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young
lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love
upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; will set him on high, because he
has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With
long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
Fourth: It is wise to follow all
the necessary health precautions to limit the spread of the disease; one aspect
of the Law that God has established is the commandments in place to care for
the health of His people and to avoid spreading infection, such as the
commandments concerning leprosy and touching of blood.
However, we must always recognize
and believe that only God is the Savior, and nothing is meaningful without His
direct intervention. The Lord says in the book of Isaiah:
“I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no
savior” (Isaiah 43:11). Also, “‘Behold, God is my salvation, I will
trust and not be afraid; “For Yah, the Lord, is my strength
and song; He also has become my salvation.”’ Therefore with joy you will
draw water From the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:2-3).
Our faith in God’s promises and
salvation is the way to be victorious over this world’s evils and dangers,
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory
that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).
If we view epidemics and dangers
as an enemy God’s children face, we should believe that it was God who fought
for His people in the story of the exodus of God’s people out of the land of
slavery. Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand still,
and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for
you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today ….
The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your
peace” (Exodus 14:13-14). He also said on his deathbed: “The eternal
God is your refuge [O His people], And underneath are the
everlasting arms [carrying His people]; He will thrust out the enemy from
before you…. Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The
shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall
submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places”
(Deuteronomy 33:27-29).
In the time of our tribulations,
we cry out with Isaiah the Prophet, saying, “Awake, awake, put on
strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the
generations of old.… Are You not the One who dried up the
sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For
the redeemed to cross over?” (Isaiah 51:9-10).
In the Book of Judges, the Lord
has established a savior for His people whenever they cried out to Him. In more
than one incident, it is written: “When the children of Israel cried out to the
Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered
them” (Judges 3:9 & 15). In the Book of Psalms, David the Prophet says,
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble”
(Psalm 46:1).
If we view epidemics and dangers
as a result of the fall and sinning, then the heavenly Father has offered us
salvation in the person of His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. The angel spoke to
Joseph, and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary
your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His
name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew
1:20-21).
Our fathers the Apostles
testified to this: St. John says, “And we have seen and testify
that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John
4:14). St. Peter says, “Nor is there salvation in any other [i.e. other than
Jesus Christ the Nazarene], for there is no other name [i.e. other than the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene] under heaven given among men by which we
must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “But thanks be to God, who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
The salvation that was
offered by God, the heavenly Father, in the person of our Lord Jesus is
salvation from sin and from the consequences of sin, including sicknesses. For
this reason, St. Matthew the Evangelist testifies to our Lord Jesus Christ that:
“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And
He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself
took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses’” (Matthew 6:16-17).
Just as we believe that the Lord
Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior, let us also believe that He stands
before the heavenly Father to intercede on our behalf to be saved from our
sins, the consequences of our sins, and the evil of others, and also be saved
from the this world’s tribulations, disasters, and diseases.
Saint Paul the Apostle says: “But
He, [Jesus Christ], because He continues forever, has an unchangeable
priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those
[i.e. save from evil and the wicked deeds] who come to God through Him,
since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25).
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens [who is] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
fast our confession [with trust]. For we do not have a High
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”
(Hebrews 4:14-15).
Thus, “Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16), “rejoicing in hope, patient in
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12). “Be anxious
for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians
4:6), “ praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to
this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
(Ephesians 6:18).
Fifth: The message of
tribulations, disasters and epidemics that we face, including the spread of the
Coronavirus, is primarily a message of repentance as it is a renewed call to
hear the voice of the Lord Jesus, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). The Lord God says to His people Israel in the Old
Testament: “‘Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity
will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have
committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should
you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who
dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezekiel
18:30-32).
The Lord Jesus taught that
repentance is the first message to us whenever we hear of disasters or
tribulations. It happened that some people came to tell Him about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus answered and said to
them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than
all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you,
no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen
on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were
worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you,
no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).
Saint Peter the Apostle calls on
everyone to repent so that the times of relief may come from the Lord, and He
Himself may come again from heaven to be with Him in the world of peace and
joy: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that
He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must
receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has
spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts
3:19-21).
Repentance opens the doors of heaven
and heals nations after disasters. The Lord promised Solomon: “When I shut up
heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send
pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name
will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and
heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). Therefore, if we truly desire for our
land to be healed from the attacks of wickedness and the evil one, let each of
us turn away from evil and not “give place to the Devil” (Ephesians 4:27).
Repentance is a call from the
heart to return to God. It is also the washing of grace through the Blood of
Christ. One of the presbyters (elders) in the Book of Revelation said to St.
John, “‘[those] arrayed in white robes’ ... ‘are the ones who come out of
the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him
day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell
among them’” (Revelation 7:13-15).
Sixth: Recent tribulations are a
divine call to live according to the Bible. In facing these tribulations and
such, the Lord asks that we be honest in faith and abide by the commandments
until death. He says to the angel of the Church of Smyrna: “‘These things
says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: “I know
your works, tribulation…. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the
crown of life”’” (Revelation 2:8-10).
The weapon by which we face
tribulations in all their forms is the word of God. While Satan wages his war
against God's people, God's children are armed with the word. Saint Paul the
Apostle says to the Ephesians: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of
God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done
all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth [i.e.
the truth is God’s commandments], having put on the breastplate of
righteousness [i.e. the fulfillment of God’s commandments], and having shod
your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace [i.e. the word of God];
above all, taking the shield of faith [i.e. faith in fulfillment of God’s
promises and commandments] with which you will be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation [i.e. salvation
according to God’s promises], and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17).
God’s children trust in God’s promises;
therefore, tribulations and disasters are not a cause for fear not panic. The
Lord Jesus teaches us to “not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them
falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows” (Matthew 10:28-31).
In crises, God’s children appear
as true servants by their patience, their hope, and their life according to the
Gospel; “But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of
God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge,
by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word
of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the
right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good
report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown,
and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened,
and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet
making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all
things” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10).
Tribulations and Crises are a
chance to act on Christian love towards our brethren who are suffering. St.
Paul the Apostles says: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those
who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another” (Romans 12:15-16). “Remember
the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you
yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrews 13:3).
In conclusion: Nothing can
separate us from the love of God, the heavenly Father that is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord. St. Paul the Apostles expresses beautifully this when he says: “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is
written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through
Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).
“May the God of all
grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To
Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter
5:10-11).
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