How Christians Should React to the Covid-19 Delta Variant Pandemic?

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Many unsaved people are watching how Christians react to Covid-19 Delta variant. Do they see us having peace about this or do they see us living in fear like much of the world?

Pandemics

Many unsaved people are watching how Christians react to Covid-19 Delta variant Pandemic. Do they see us having peace about this or do they see us living in fear like much of the world? Many have asked, “Is Covid-19 a plague sent from God?” Before answering that, we are told to be “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Worry has never solved anything that I know of. It may seem like the end of the age, but we must remember, it’s been far worse than this before. Almost 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population died from flu, with over 50 million deaths in the 1918 Spanish Flue pandemic. Will Covid-19 and its variants ever end? Scientists suggest it may never go away…simply modifying or varying itself. It’s possible some strain of the Covid-19 may never go away or become immune to the vaccines we now have, so how do we as believers react?

Plagues

Pandemics are not new to human history or in Scripture. God send plagues to Egypt, saying, “For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth” (Ex 9:14), so God has and can use plagues as part of His judgment. The Black Plague killed about 25 million people in Europe, which was about a third of the population, but another plague is coming. The Apostle John wrote he “saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished” (Rev 15:1), so plagues may well be part of the end times.

God’s Sovereignty

The sovereignty of God might be one of the most reassuring doctrines. That’s because whatever happens will work out according to His purposes and for our best (Rom 8:28). Many in Jesus’ earthly ministry had diseases of all kinds, but notice what Jesus does: “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight” (7:21). So despite what you are seeing, God is still on His throne. We must simply obey God and put our trust in Him through all this. I, for one, am glad humans are not really in charge and that “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

Conspiracy Theories

I’ve heard one Christian arguing with another Christian over getting the vaccine, saying, “You’re getting the mark of the best if you take that shot. The government wants to kill us all.” Clearly, God’s Word says we should “avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9), so it is best to “avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2 Tim 2:16). God admonishes the church leadership to “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers” (2 Tim 2:14). Did you catch that? These kind of debates or useless and they do lead to the ruin of the hearers. In fact, these things make matters worse by destroying, or at least straining relationships because of differences of opinions.

I think it’s best to “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels” (2 Tim 2:23), and have “nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). These admonitions should cover all the conspiracy theory debates out there. Scripture tells us “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).  Does that “nothing” include our disagreements over those who receive the vaccine and those who don’t?  In short, yes!

On His Throne

God is not up in heaven wringing His hands over this like many are…and yes, even Christians. We should we be anxious over something we have no control over? We can do our best to prevent its spread, but there is nothing created that can ever separate us from God again (Rom 8:38-39), so we shouldn’t live in fear over Covid. God is not like man, thinking, “What’ll I do now?” No, He already knows the end from the beginning and it is all part of His sovereign plan. God is not the author of evil, but He does allow evil, but it is always for His best (Gen 50:20) and our best too (John 3:16; Rom 8:28). Remember that Satan needed God’s permission to inflict suffering on Job, but Satan was limited by God. For example, he could not take Job’s life (Job 1:12). God was still on His throne when Satan was allowed to cause Job to suffer and take away just about everything he had except for his life (Job 1:12), so even here, God had Satan on a leash, showing our Lord’s still in control of this world.

Conclusion

The Bible commands us to speak the truth in love, and true, godly love warns sinners of the coming wrath of God. Unless the wrath of God is revealed, the mercy of God is not relevant. The lost person wouldn’t think they needed rescue (salvation) without the wrath of God revealed, so we can’t use our garden hose and dampen the flames of hell. It must be the whole counsel of God. If there’s a mist in the message, the sinner’s in a fog. Jesus introduces the gospel by saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2), for our Lord may return at any moment…and then that day will tragically pass.

Here is some related reading for you: Should Christians be Involved in the Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Covid-19, Delta Variant, End Times, Pandemic, plagues