Coronavirus - a Providence of God

How can a plague be a providence?

The conventional wisdom is that Coronavirus, like other plagues and - to use archaic English - pestilences are essentially an inexplicable evil that randomly afflicts the world. In reaction we, perhaps with God’s help if you are religious, must react and battle that evil.

This is mistaken.

In Revelation of Jesus Christ, He says:

I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Re 1:8–9). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

This is one of many verses that tell us the triune God is omniscient, that He knows all across time and space. Many Christians err is believing that events like plagues and wars come as a surprise to the Lord - they don’t since He already knows not only the end of the story, but everything that has, will, or is occurring in between.

Implications of God’s Omniscience

Firstly, God is never surprised. To listen to some preachers, the death of Christ on the cross came as a complete shock to God, even though He had proclaimed the event through Old Testament prophets.

So if God is never surprised, how are we to understand cataclysmic events like Coronavirus. Again, the Old Testament provides us insight in a number of places. Take a look at Genesis:

English Standard Version Chapter 6

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.

God found the sin in the world to be utterly repulsive and determined to cleanse the Earth, so he instructed Noah to build an ark and save a remnant of humanity. The inhabitants of Earth were ungodly people, and so when the rains and the torrents began, I’m sure they were utterly bewildered by this disaster (from their standpoint). Now lest you think that God sprung this on them by surprise, the Bible tells us that Moses preached the coming destruction to anyone who would listen (which was essentially no one except his family).

God’s purpose in Coronavirus

Let’s use this example to put the Coronavirus in context. The world today is very much similar to the world in the days of Noah:

Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Who can argue that the world today is an affront to God and His word? We have prohibited instruction about the Bible in our schools, prohibited public testimony of our Christian faith; we have horribly corrupted the institutions of family and marriage by allowing them to be defined by the biblical sins of homosexuality, adultery and fornication. Our supposedly Christian churches have stopped faithfully and truthfully preaching the Bible, and many hold God’s word in contempt. Millions of children in the west grow up without even the most rudimentary understanding of God’s word, taught by teachers who hate the Word of God and His people, because they love their sin.

Coronavirus - another wake-up call

So now we find the entire world afflicted by Coronavirus - we need to wake up and hear the message - God speaks to us through His word and our circumstances:

English Standard Version Chapter 33

11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

God is loving, but He is also just and this verse from Ezekiel 33:11 explains God’s perspective to us. He has given us His word and revelation, and many of us persist in engaging in self-destructive, sinful beliefs and behaviour. He wants us all to stop our repulsive behaviour.

The point of Coronavirus

Coronavirus is a direct result of our sin as a nation and as a world and our refusal to repent. From that perspective, its a punishment, but it is also designed to get us to humble ourselves and repent. All of us are suffering because of the sin and wickedness and corruption in the world.

The Result

People are going to get sick and some will die, both non-Christians and Christians alike, but for different reasons:

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 3:18–19). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Those who haven’t trusted in Christ may be getting a warning or eternal punishment. The alternatives: turn to Christ or suffer the wrath of God eternally. While they still breathe, they still have an opportunity to turn from their sin and follow Christ.

The blessing for Christians

Christians, through their sickness and suffering gain an opportunity to witness and testify the Gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3,4):

English Standard Version Chapter 15

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Christians , through this virus, have the opportunity to share in the sufferings of their Saviour, who not only suffered, but died for their sins. This is a testimony that truly glorifies God, and offers hope to unbelievers.