What does the Bible say about this dreaded Coronavirus? How should we react to this epidemic? Does the Bible give us any direct teaching as to what our attitude should be toward these events that have recently transpired? Here are a few scripture I believe may apply. No particular order except the first one.
#1, James 4:8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Well it goes without saying: Wash your hand! I thought that was pretty funny. Anyhow, I hope that kinda puts a smile on your face, because the rest of this road may be a little rough.
#2, 1 Corinthians 15:55
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
This whole mess is predicated on the fear of death. Whether you fear your death or the death of a loved one, it’s still the fear of death. Should we allow the fear of death to dictate our response, our attitude, our decisions? Paul mocked death. Paul was never dictated by the fear of his circumstances. Labours, stripes, prisons, beatings, perils, weariness, painfulness, hunger, thirst, cold and nakedness he endured. But above all that in deaths oft!
#3, Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
It doesn’t matter what the reasons are, we’re still doing it. And this is not to criticize the thousands of pastors that have decided to cancel services; they’re doing what they feel they must do. It’s simply to say, that this Coronavirus has indeed caused us to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Time will tell if it was the right decision or not. But let us not be foolish as to think that we’ve done what the bible tells us to do. If this epidemic is a sign of the last days and the coming of our Lord, the King James Bible says our actions regarding assemblying should be so much more! We’re doing the opposite. Now don’t get mad at me. I’m not criticizing. I’m simply letting the Bible speak.
#4, Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Washing your hands, sheltering in place, social distancing? If you are truly concerned and worried about getting the Coronavirus or spreading it to a loved one, I suppose all that has it’s place and there’s nothing wrong with doing all that. But if you are worried, as far as the Bible is concerned, God has prescribed these things: Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. Does it keep you from getting sick? Does it keep your loved one from getting sick? Not necessarily. But it does promise that (vs 7) the peace of God shall keep your hearts and minds. And in times like these, peace of heart and mind is what you really need to make good, sober, rational decisions.
#5, Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
If it’s not Coronavirus, it’ll be cancer. And if it’s not cancer, it will be heart failure. And if it’s not heart failure, it will be a stroke. And if it’s not a stroke, it will be a wreck. And if it’s not a wreck, it will be any number of ailments or calamities. None of us are guaranteed that the sun will rise for us tomorrow morning. Jesus asked, Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Has this Coronavirus caused an inordinate, unnecessary concern and thought about tomorrow? Then why have we so drastically changed our way of life. How many cubits do we hope to add to our stature by the response we’ve given it? Why are we treating this so different from all the other evils that come day by day?
#6, Psalm 103:2-3
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Let me remind you that nobody has been able to cure anyone from the Coronavirus. There’s only one way it gets healed and that is when, by the LORD’s will, your God-given immunity does what he made it to do. Otherwise, prepare to meet your maker. Donald Trump is not going to bail you out. Nancy and Mitch are not going to help you. Neither is Dr. Fauci. Who we trust is who we will listen to and look to for help and peace. If you trust in politicians, doctors, and so-called experts then that is where you will look for help, peace, and advice. But none of them can heal diseases.
#7, Romans 13:3
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
I’m including this because of the unprecedented actions of legislators and governors across this nation have taken. They have essentially banned the church from assembling. But I guess that’s no big deal because they’ve only banned what we’ve forsaken. Now, in many states it is now technically illegal to assemble. And everybody is okay with it. We’ve got Christians saying, Doesn’t the Bible say to obey the government? Listen carefully now: Let every soul be subject to the higher powers (Romans 13:1) does not not pertain to God’s people when the higher powers violate Romans 13:3 and become a terror to good works. Since when in our great nation’s history has it ever been evil to assemble and worship God?
#8, Psalms 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Don’t fret. Don’t worry. Instead rejoice and be glad. It’s often easier said than done. I’ll be honest. I’m not afraid of the Coronavirus. I am afraid of this sheeple mentality where everybody goes along to get along, we lose our republic, we lose our freedoms, rational thinking Christians are ostracized and vilified, and on and on and on. For me, it’s very easy to dejoice and be mad in it. So if all that happens, I’m going to choose to just rejoice in the day and be glad in it and praise God he has allowed me to live in this day. It may be nauseating for some to have read this far because what I have written so rubs against the grain. For that I’m sorry. But for some, this may be an inspiration to trust God, trust your Bible, be not conformed to this world, and to come out from among them and be ye separate.
#9, Psalms 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
As President Trump said, We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself! This Coronavirus is not going to hurt our country. It’s the fear of death that is going cripple this land and will hurt us far more than any virus. This indeed is the valley of the shadow of death; the threat and fear of death looms over this land and has caused much turmoil. Yet the Christian should be able to say, I will fear no evil. Do our actions boldly state that? They say that America is coming together. Well maybe so. But if we keep up all this fear-driven response, we’ll definitely fall together. Oh but if God’s people would walk on through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil, we may do more good for this nation than any could have ever imagined.
#10, Luke 21:11,28
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Yet another prescription for Coronavirus: Look up, and lift up your heads! I know. I know. This is like tribulation time scripture and we’re gonna be out of here. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But if it works then, it’ll work now! Amen! They’re looking for a cure, looking for a vaccine, looking for a roll of toilet paper! We are Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! While everyone has their head hung down low, we ought to stand head and shoulders above the rest; not in pride, but in confidence and hope and faith. There ought to be a difference between us and them. We’re not hiding in the corner from some germ with a crown. We should be on the rooftop looking for the King of Kings!
#11, 2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
I’ll just use this as my concluding remarks. The people that founded this great land were God-fearing people that exercised the spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind. They lived by faith and not by fear. They were in the minority and they knew full well that death would be the cost of liberty. They weren’t perfect and neither are we. But for what it’s worth, I believe that we as Christians, in some degree in these days, have the same choices to make they made back then.
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” ~ Patrick Henry
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” ~Benjamin Franklin
Or maybe the words of Jesus would be more appropriate: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. We consult Presidential briefings, the CDC reports, the NIH doctors, disease trackers, and every manner of information source, but what does the Bible say about this dreaded Coronavirus? How does the Word of God dictate our reactions to this epidemic?