“Plague”  (A Christian Reflection)

March 8, 2020

Is the coronavirus (Covid-19) a plague?  One definition of “a plague” is “a contagious disease that kills many people.” (Wikipedia)  So by this definition influenza A or B could also qualify.  Last year more than 250,000 persons died across the globe of influenza and its complications.  Out of 1 billion persons infected, some estimates from 650,000 to 900,000 persons on this planet died of influenza and its complications.

So what does this make the coronavirus?  Shall we call it “a little plague?”  This virus which originated in a bat in China in the Wuhan province is certainly causing a lot of consternation.  Medical providers are being asked to glove up, gown up and wear respiratory and contact protection.  The gown is for “splash” and bodily fluids.  How effective are these measures?  Properly used they work well.  Can medical workers also get infected while caring for the patients with Covid-19 viral infection?  Yes, apparently so.  It is important, then, that medical professionals take every reasonable precaution not to spread the virus to others.

How will we protect our patients?  We will isolate those persons who have come in contact with those who are infected or have traveled from a region already which has the virus.  At last count, more than 75 countries has at least one proven case of the virus.  This will be a daunting task!  Do we have enough Personal Protection devices?  For a while, perhaps 2-3 weeks.  What happens after that?  We hope and pray we are provided with masks, gloves and other protective equipment to do our job.

What does the Bible say about Covid-19?  It does not speak particularly about this virus, but it does reflect a lot on human suffering.  Why does God allow the human family to suffer and even to die?  Paul reflects that his suffering brought him closer to Jesus Christ and “God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness” (I Corinthians 12:9-10, I Corinthians 13:4).  As Christians, we know this is true.  When we are at our most vulnerable and most weakened state, we are closest to our God.

What about repentance from our sin?  Is this helpful?  I have found personally that every day is an appropriate day for me to repent from sin.  I can repent from my own personal sin.  I can also intercede for my neighbors and friends who have also sinned against God and neighbor and ask God to be merciful on all of us.  So, yes, during a viral outbreak (‘a plague’) this is a good time to repent from our sin.   Is a virus like Covid-19 caused by our current state of sin?  No more than any other virus is caused by our sin.  We know that death and things producing death in the human family were unleashed upon us with the sin of Adam and Eve, the original sin.  Adam and Eve (as representing the whole human family) were banished from the Garden of God (Eden) and sin began to have its full consequence upon us all.  One of the consequences of sin is death and things like viruses which cause death among all humanity.

What is the good news of God in this situation?  Jesus Christ, God who became man is the good news (Isaiah 53)!  As our Savior, Jesus Christ took sin and death into his own body upon the tree (‘the cross of Calvary’ at Golgotha) and in his death brought sin into death, so that sin died in him in his dying.  So being raised from death by God the Father, death lost its sting.  Sin is completely vanquished no longer to reign in the human family.  By our union with Christ through faith in his blessed name, when Jesus Christ died, we also died.  When Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, we also are raised with him to live in the newness of the resurrected life! (Romans 6:23, 6:3-10, Galatians 3:25-29)   “Oh death, where is thy sting?  O Grave where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin, the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”  (I Corinthians 15:54-58)

Does Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death mean that the Christian believer will not suffer physical death?  No.  But the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave does mean that for us, death, our death, is not the last word.  The Last Word is the Word of God, the living and breathing Jesus Christ our Lord!  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending!  He is the first and the last word from God!  He is the summation of all the promises and prophecies from God! And Jesus declares that all who believe, who trust in His name, to all who call on the name of Jesus Christ, they shall be saved not only from sin, but from death, from hell, and from the grave!  We who believe in Christ and the efficacious nature of his death and resurrection shall be saved!  Not only are we saved today, but we are saved tomorrow.  Not only are we saved tomorrow, but we are saved in every day which is ever called today.  In Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior and our God, we are saved and reborn in Him, in Christ, into eternal life!

So, yes, plagues on this earth come and go, and some Christians as well as non-Christians die and are buried.  But for Christians, we have hope.  We have hope, because in Christ our end is only our new beginning!  We also rise from death with Christ and with all our brothers and sisters who have placed their faith in Jesus’ holy and blessed name!  In Christ we are forgiven!  In Christ we are healed!  In Christ Jesus we are reborn into eternal life with our God. (The Revelation 21:1-7)

To our blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all praise, glory, honor and blessing both now and forevermore!  Amen!

Let all of God’s people say, “Amen!”

“Amen!  We praise you Lord Jesus Christ!”   “One God, our God and Savior, world without end.  Amen”

Bill Wilson, MD