Christianity and Coronavirus | Faith

Posted

The vision of this column was the hope that I could address the current questions facing Christianity and the Christian’s life. We are currently in a series on who Jesus is and what His identity means. Though that is the single most important question a person will ever ask themselves, I feel now is an appropriate time to break from this series for a moment and address another important question: What should Christians do in light of the COVID-19 outbreak? My answer is simple.

Firstly, be wise. If you are at risk of contracting the virus, stay safe and sanitary. If not, make sure you do not aid the spread of the virus by either ignorance or negligence. Loving your neighbor is not a conditional command. Stay healthy for yourself and others.

Secondly, listen to your government officials. Romans 13 states that government is a gift from God to protect society. Do your best to follow their orders and recommendations.

Thirdly, do not let a sickness hinder you from ministry. Be wise, but do not allow the spread of a virus stop the spread of the Gospel. Do not let such a thing impede your calling as a divinely chosen minister of the great commission. In moments of such anxiety, we must not forfeit the confession of our hope nor allow our eyes set on eternity to be distracted by the hype of here and now. These matters are important, do not get me wrong, but let’s remember our Christ-centered perspective.

And lastly, trust in the Lord. Be patient and wait on Him.

I will leave you with a passage of Scripture that has been a bastion for me in the past week:

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Your lives may be different for a while, and you may feel helpless. Do not waste those feelings of sobriety. Turn to our peace-giving Lord. Approach the throne of grace and taste new again the sweetness of serenity found in personal communion with God through Jesus Christ — a tranquility foreign to this world, especially in such a time as this.

We who are weak, woven together in this earthly frailty, must seek refuge somewhere. And I know no better fortress than that of Christ Jesus, for He is an everlasting rock.

We will continue our series next week. The topic: who Jesus is through a historical lens. Until next week, God bless.

(Jeremy Breland is a farmer in Ruffin and a M.Div. student at Southern Seminary. He can be reached at jbreland572@gmail.com.)