The Ongoing Coronavirus Outbreak, God's Sovereignty, and Christian Responsibility
Is the Coronavirus outbreak within the sovereignty of God? Right now, it's no joke that the Coronavirus outbreak is now pandemic or a disease that spreads across a large region. I was wondering, "Why does God allow so much suffering?" When something happens to be agreeable then it's easy to say "God is good!" However, the problem arises when something bad happens and it's difficult to believe that it's God's will. I remembered getting into an argument with a former enemy of mine who kept telling me that it's God's will. What was shameful to think about that he wasn't saved yet at that time - though he later got saved eventually. I really had a hard time adjusting to God's sovereignty especially when I'm told stuff like it's God's will that I failed or I currently suffer, that I should just shut up, trust God, and do my part. It felt so hard for my immature self to accept that sometimes it's God's will that Christians are made to fail or suffer for a good reason.
It's time to think of the Book of Job. Many times, I forget that God allows Satan to do mischief for a reason. Reading through the first chapter reveals that Satan needs God's permission before he can do anything. Remember that God who allowed Satan to afflict Job also said, "You can do what you want with him but don't take his life." You can imagine how mind-baffling that is. The first time I studied the Book of Job nearly made me an atheist. I thought, "How can a God so good allow suffering to His own?" Yet, the more I studied the Book of Job, the more I saw God's beautiful purpose in suffering. The suffering revealed to Job that he had some self-righteousness to deal with. Job himself needed a good beating as God intended. All the trials of life in the believer happen for a reason. One of them happens to be so the believer can bear more fruit. If a Christian bears fruit then God knows He will trim that person. Affliction is necessary to keep the Christian away from worldliness. Don't buy the lie that faithfulness to God means exemption from life's woes. Instead, the more faithful you are, the more you may face painful affliction.
God is aware of what's happening. God doesn't hold a meeting and ask His angels why something went past His radar. Nothing gets past God's radar! God is omniscient so He knows what He's allowing to happen. It's very easy to think God must have erred when He hasn't. God isn't very much like the father gods of the pagans. Take for example many highest gods from various countries. You may consider Vishnu from Hinduism has human flaws. The Jade Emperor from Taoism isn't omniscient either yet some syncretic Taoists dare to call him "God the Father". I remembered some scenes in fantasy movies where the king of the gods holds a meeting, furious that something got past his radar. However, God the Father with the Son and Holy Spirit are allowing certain things to happen for a certain reason. There's a balance between God's sovereignty and human responsibility. People are expected to be in God's will if they are to benefit from it. But walking in God's will doesn't mean all fun and games. Having a personal relationship with Jesus as one's Lord and Savior is one of the most dangerous things you can get into. Get into a personal relationship with Jesus and you can expect persecution and rejection from a world gone mad (John 15:18-19, James 4:4). Yet, the high risk of doing so has infinite rewards in Heaven.
There was an interesting event (and lessons) revealed from The Spurgeon Center in the article "Spurgeon and the Cholera Outbreak of 1854". The great Charles H. Spurgeon admired the Puritan preachers who handled the black plague by taking care of the sick. Now, it was his turn when cholera broke out. In the fall of 1854 - he was a young preacher facing a big problem. It's so hard for me to look down at myself because Spurgeon is considered a spiritual giant. Yet, do I forget that God Himself and not Spurgeon is the real power behind that pulpit? Who gave Spurgeon his power? Who gave Moses the words to speak? I would have probably whined if I were a young preacher facing a big problem. Spurgeon handed over his troubles to God. Spurgeon entrusted his life to God when he did his local ministry, visitation of the sick (with proper protection, of course), seeing it as a new evangelistic opportunity to win souls, and made adjustments whenever possible. His community was fortunate not to be quarantined so services went on. Sadly, some Christians may not be so happy with the unfortunate news that they can't group together due to the Coronavirus quarantining. There will be no mass gatherings until further notice.
Not being able to gather together on Sundays can be painful and it's for a practical reason. There's such great joy in Sunday fellowship with other believers and to worship as a community. The reason behind government quarantine or even lockdowns during the Coronavirus outbreak is simple. There's a principle in biology that a virus without a host is a dead virus. The world may have been cursed by disease and death due to Adam's sin but God still provides. Remember that the same God that banished Adam and Eve out of Eden began taking care of them again. We can still see God's intelligent design in this fallen world. The Christian has the responsibility to obey Romans 13 - that is as long as the government isn't telling them not to evangelize. The temporary ban on mass gatherings is because the Coronavirus is highly contagious. But it's not just obeying government when it's applicable. It's also about exercising discernment that it would be better to temporarily suspend worship services. However, if the government discourages the pastor from sending messages then that's another story.
However, Christians can still support the ministry by continuing to evangelize. Just because the Sunday services are temporarily suspended doesn't mean evangelism has to be. Christians today should continue giving their offerings to their church accounts if they can or give it later after the quarantine is over. Take the account of the Christian believers in Wuhan who are still preaching. It's also very nice to know that Heartcry Missionary revealed that Pastor Paul David Washer sees the Coronavirus as an opportunity to win the lost Chinese in Wuhan. Christians can help in every way that Spurgeon did during his ministry. There are many people dying for various reasons. How many of these people are going to Hell? Matthew 7:13-14 warn that so few make it to Heaven. The recent incident is no different. It's best to trust God and do His will in this current crisis!
God bless!
See also:
It's time to think of the Book of Job. Many times, I forget that God allows Satan to do mischief for a reason. Reading through the first chapter reveals that Satan needs God's permission before he can do anything. Remember that God who allowed Satan to afflict Job also said, "You can do what you want with him but don't take his life." You can imagine how mind-baffling that is. The first time I studied the Book of Job nearly made me an atheist. I thought, "How can a God so good allow suffering to His own?" Yet, the more I studied the Book of Job, the more I saw God's beautiful purpose in suffering. The suffering revealed to Job that he had some self-righteousness to deal with. Job himself needed a good beating as God intended. All the trials of life in the believer happen for a reason. One of them happens to be so the believer can bear more fruit. If a Christian bears fruit then God knows He will trim that person. Affliction is necessary to keep the Christian away from worldliness. Don't buy the lie that faithfulness to God means exemption from life's woes. Instead, the more faithful you are, the more you may face painful affliction.
God is aware of what's happening. God doesn't hold a meeting and ask His angels why something went past His radar. Nothing gets past God's radar! God is omniscient so He knows what He's allowing to happen. It's very easy to think God must have erred when He hasn't. God isn't very much like the father gods of the pagans. Take for example many highest gods from various countries. You may consider Vishnu from Hinduism has human flaws. The Jade Emperor from Taoism isn't omniscient either yet some syncretic Taoists dare to call him "God the Father". I remembered some scenes in fantasy movies where the king of the gods holds a meeting, furious that something got past his radar. However, God the Father with the Son and Holy Spirit are allowing certain things to happen for a certain reason. There's a balance between God's sovereignty and human responsibility. People are expected to be in God's will if they are to benefit from it. But walking in God's will doesn't mean all fun and games. Having a personal relationship with Jesus as one's Lord and Savior is one of the most dangerous things you can get into. Get into a personal relationship with Jesus and you can expect persecution and rejection from a world gone mad (John 15:18-19, James 4:4). Yet, the high risk of doing so has infinite rewards in Heaven.
There was an interesting event (and lessons) revealed from The Spurgeon Center in the article "Spurgeon and the Cholera Outbreak of 1854". The great Charles H. Spurgeon admired the Puritan preachers who handled the black plague by taking care of the sick. Now, it was his turn when cholera broke out. In the fall of 1854 - he was a young preacher facing a big problem. It's so hard for me to look down at myself because Spurgeon is considered a spiritual giant. Yet, do I forget that God Himself and not Spurgeon is the real power behind that pulpit? Who gave Spurgeon his power? Who gave Moses the words to speak? I would have probably whined if I were a young preacher facing a big problem. Spurgeon handed over his troubles to God. Spurgeon entrusted his life to God when he did his local ministry, visitation of the sick (with proper protection, of course), seeing it as a new evangelistic opportunity to win souls, and made adjustments whenever possible. His community was fortunate not to be quarantined so services went on. Sadly, some Christians may not be so happy with the unfortunate news that they can't group together due to the Coronavirus quarantining. There will be no mass gatherings until further notice.
Not being able to gather together on Sundays can be painful and it's for a practical reason. There's such great joy in Sunday fellowship with other believers and to worship as a community. The reason behind government quarantine or even lockdowns during the Coronavirus outbreak is simple. There's a principle in biology that a virus without a host is a dead virus. The world may have been cursed by disease and death due to Adam's sin but God still provides. Remember that the same God that banished Adam and Eve out of Eden began taking care of them again. We can still see God's intelligent design in this fallen world. The Christian has the responsibility to obey Romans 13 - that is as long as the government isn't telling them not to evangelize. The temporary ban on mass gatherings is because the Coronavirus is highly contagious. But it's not just obeying government when it's applicable. It's also about exercising discernment that it would be better to temporarily suspend worship services. However, if the government discourages the pastor from sending messages then that's another story.
However, Christians can still support the ministry by continuing to evangelize. Just because the Sunday services are temporarily suspended doesn't mean evangelism has to be. Christians today should continue giving their offerings to their church accounts if they can or give it later after the quarantine is over. Take the account of the Christian believers in Wuhan who are still preaching. It's also very nice to know that Heartcry Missionary revealed that Pastor Paul David Washer sees the Coronavirus as an opportunity to win the lost Chinese in Wuhan. Christians can help in every way that Spurgeon did during his ministry. There are many people dying for various reasons. How many of these people are going to Hell? Matthew 7:13-14 warn that so few make it to Heaven. The recent incident is no different. It's best to trust God and do His will in this current crisis!
God bless!
See also: