Last Updated on November 2, 2020
(In April 2020, I was asked to write a brief summary of the Christian view of COVID-19 for a Comparative Religions course at a public university. I am sharing what I wrote here.)
I am pleased that I have the opportunity to discuss the coronavirus from the Christian worldview, mainly because what I have to say will not be what is heard in the majority of professing Christian churches in the 21st century, but I am convinced it is the Biblical viewpoint. Indeed, what follows has been the historic belief of orthodox Christianity since the time of Jesus Himself, as I will illustrate by His own words. Sadly, we live in a time where even church-goers think that life centers on mankind and where God is treated as if He were a genie to be called on to grant our wishes, and not as the Supreme Being who alone is worthy of adoration and worship.
Simply put, the coronavirus is happening because there is sin in the world. Most Christians would tell you that mankind is fallen, and how can anyone argue against that? There is evil everywhere and even the best among us are full of flaws. But what many fail to grasp is that the world itself is fallen, because mankind was given stewardship over the earth. Diseases, earthquakes, storms, and especially death of all life (human, animal, and plant) is the result of sin from God’s image bearers, human beings.
That isn’t to say that a specific sin led to the COVID-19 virus; rather, viruses exist because of the presence of sin. Why this particular coronavirus is happening is something only God knows at the moment. It could be that the Lord is trying to grab our attention and is sending a warning shot of what awaits if we don’t amend our ways, or it simply could be the natural consequences of disease on earth, which again follows there being sin on earth.
In theology we speak of the secret or hidden counsel of God. There are things that are none of our business. Why COVID-19 is happening is something only God knows now, and He may or may not reveal it to us later. It would be wise to always assume that God is trying to get our attention until shown otherwise, because if we miss His message greater trouble will always await. That said, I believe that only Christianity has a consistent view of situations like a widespread coronavirus. I frankly find it amusing to watch evolutionists, for example, get up in arms over COVID-19. After all, what does the coronavirus do? It preys on and eliminates the weakest among us. Isn’t that “survival of the fittest” in action? And those secular humanists who think mankind is just the highest of all animals but essentially no different, what is their concern? If we are all destined for a meaningless death, why are we taking such drastic measures to protect human life? But those topics are outside the scope of the question posed.
So while no one can say for sure why COVID-19 is happening, there are a few things we can be certain of. First, God is sovereign. He knew this was coming and He could have stopped it but chose not to. Secondly, God is holy, perfect, and always good. Therefore we must conclude that the presence of the coronavirus, including its devastating effects, is ultimately a good thing.
So while no one can say for sure why COVID-19 is happening, there are a few things we can be certain of. First, God is sovereign. He knew this was coming and He could have stopped it but chose not to. Secondly, God is holy, perfect, and always good. Therefore we must conclude that the presence of the coronavirus, including its devastating effects, is ultimately a good thing.
That doesn’t mean we will see the good while on this earth, which is why all of us should ground our thoughts in eternity. Nor does it mean that COVID will be good for everyone involved. The Bible teaches that all things work for the ultimate good of those who love God. For everyone else, all things work ultimately for their bad. It is quite the contrast—even the bad is ultimately good for a Christian, while even the good is ultimately bad for the unrepentant person.
Humanity lives in rebellion against God. Perhaps the biggest issue faced by mankind today is our failure to understand how holy God is, and our pride fueled obstinance against accepting how wicked we are in comparison to the transcendent One. The Bible teaches that even our best, most righteous deeds fall way, way short of God’s standards. One of the most often asked questions is “In the light of God, why do bad things happen to good people?” The question is based on an erroneous premise from a Christian worldview. Bad things don’t happen to good people, because biblically speaking there are no good people! None of us deserve a single good thing in our lives, which is why we should always be grateful for each and every blessing and never take even the smallest thing for granted.
This is a point made many times in Scripture, including by Jesus Himself. When the disciples were wondering whether people were being judged harshly for sin when Pilate slaughtered some who were worshipping in the temple or when a tower fell and killed passersby (Luke 13:1-5), Jesus answered with an emphatic “no” before explaining that a worse fate awaited those who do not repent. In other words, those murdered in the temple or upon whom the tower fell were not being punished for some especially heinous sin, or even a specific or besetting sin. But as sinful creatures before a holy God, they were not deserving of being spared the worst fate the earth has to offer. And for those who die apart from Christ, what awaits is beyond anything anyone has the capacity to imagine.
That is why we cannot save ourselves, and since perfect holiness requires that all wrongs be made right and all transgressions be punished, God cannot simply ignore our sins. Thus the God-man becomes necessary. Just as the world was plunged into upheaval by the sin of Adam, the head of mankind, so can man be made right with God through Jesus, who not only takes the sins of those who are in Him upon Himself, but in the same process places His perfection on their account. It is what we call double imputation—for those whom the Father gives to the Son (John 6:37, 65), Jesus takes all of their bad and they get all of His good. Both are necessary for a person to be made right with God.
Instead of wondering why bad things happen to good people, Christianity asks, “Why do good things happen to bad people?” So while we cannot yet know why the coronavirus is wrecking havoc all around the world, what we can be sure of is that it is not unexpected—or undeserved.
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