Coronavirus and Difficult Decisions

Richard Hollerman

I’m sure that you will agree that we are living in unusual times, with the Coronavirus much in the news. Have we really faced the truth about this pandemic and are we responding as God would want? How about you?

You may be living in Europe, in Asia, in North or South America, in Africa, in Australia, or on one of the earth’s many islands, but surely you have had to face the present crisis of the virus epidemic. But the question is: How are you facing this and what is it teaching us?

If you are not a true Christian, what is this world crisis teaching you? Whether you are a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Taoist, a Catholic, or a follower of another world religion, you can see that our lives are easily disrupted and, for many people, our life can abruptly end. Thousands of people and even more have had to face the fact of life’s fragility. We just don’t know what the future may hold. As God’s written Word says: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

Now is the time to face the undeniable fact of God! He says that even unbelievers (atheists, those in world religions, those worshiping and following false ways) know that there is a God who is to be worshiped, served, loved, and obeyed (Romans 1:18-32). During this time of crisis and trial, I encourage you to read your Bible (blow the dust off the Bible if you must!). Read through the books of Mark, John, Romans, and Colossians. You will be able to see the truthfulness of the contents. Then I encourage you to consult with this website for there are some 2,200 different articles, many of which will help you in your quest for truth and understanding!

On the other hand, suppose that you are a professing Christian, one who claims to be in a Christian religion of some kind that believes in and serves the true and living God! It has been said that there are 30,000 different groups that make this claim—but we know instinctively that many (actually most) of them are false!

Let’s remember the sobering but truthful words of the Lord Jesus at this time of crisis: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Please read over these words of truth again and notice that FEW people will be saved whereas MANY people will be lost. Our Lord’s words say much more than this but the bottom line would be that few are on the narrow way that leads to eternal life and many (most) are on the broad way that leads to destruction. We can’t get away from these sobering words!

Today, there are some 3,000,000 people who have been touched by this pandemic, with some 860,000 in the United States. Over 200,000 people have died in the world. (These figures, of course, will change.) Of course, part of this has to do with the fact that many more in America are tested for the virus, thus the numbers are much higher than other countries. These are facts that we must deal with. Yes, the rank unbeliever must come to faith in a personal God and in the Lord Jesus Christ (as we have seen above), but the professing Christian must also face the facts of Scripture himself or herself.

What do we mean by this? The over 30,000 different sects with hundreds of millions of souls cannot all be right. They believe different things and do different things. They have different views and lifestyles. Quite frankly, most are lost. Most claim to be Christians and believe that they are Christians, but—sadly—they simply do not know God through Christ. They have never been born again!

And we know that our Lord has said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This is the shocking truth! Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born or water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (v. 5). Do you want to enter God’s Kingdom? Do you want to spend eternity with God? If so, it is vitally important that you be born again—just as Jesus declared. You must be born of water and the Spirit!

If you are truly born again and living a faithful life in Christ (Revelation 2:10b), you can face this Coronavirus with confidence. We know that many people will not contract this mysterious disease. We also know that of those who do become infected, most will have mild cases and may not even know that they have the disease.  Yet, for some (especially the old and infirm, the diseased and those with compromised health conditions), they may face serious effects or even death.

If some 3,000,000 people have contracted the disease thus far, and some of these (perhaps something over 200,000 people) have died, you may be one of these (see worldometers.info). If it is true that Coronavirus may continue for the coming months, the numbers will rise. It may not be as deadly as the Spanish Flu of 1918 in which some 50 million people died, but still this is a serious condition that should not be dismissed.

Even if we follow all of the guidelines and directions, still we may face infection and some of us may die. Are you prepared to face God? Whether you are a professed (but deceived) unbeliever or whether you are a professed (but deceived or false) “Christian,” we urge you to recognize the danger of this disease. And face the fact that we do need to enter into a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ if we hope to be saved from our sin, delivered from the wrath to come, receive eternal life, and inherit the Kingdom of God. Now is the time to come! Now is the time to decide. Now is the time to escape both the virus as well as the condemnation that is on those who are on earth. Now is the time.