Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories, Coronavirus

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there, including ones about the Covid-19 virus, so should Christians try to solve or enter into these controversies?

Sins of Omission

The Bible teaches us that if we see something wrong or evil we should try to stop it, or if we see a person in need of help, we should help them. If we don’t, that is sin to us. James asks every child of God, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food” (James 2:15), would we say, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that” (James 2:16)? That’s like having the ability to help but just saying, “I’m so sorry…I will pray for you.” That doesn’t help anyone very much. The Apostle John writes that “if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him” (1 John 3:17)? John is asking, “How is it possible that God’s love abides in us and yet we do absolutely nothing to help a brother or sister?”

The truth is, God’s love is not in us if we don’t lift a finger to help others. Not helping others is a sin of omission, and the sins of omission may be worse than the sins of commission. This same principle of God is nothing new as we read about it in the Old Testament. God told the Israelites, “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother” (Deut 15:7).

The Christian Watchman

The watchman on the tower, mentioned in the Old Testament, is often used as justification for some people to warn everyone about all the ills in society; how the government is lying to us or deceiving us, or any other number of conspiracy theories. Many Christians take it upon themselves to warn the world about all the different conspiracies going on out there, but what was the watchman’s primary job? Was it to uncover governmental corruption in order to change it for a better government? That was not the watchman’s job, so does it seem logical that Christians are here to save or improve the world?

The watchman on the tower was told to warn the people about God’s coming judgment on Israel, and it wasn’t exactly about bad governmental or bad kings or corruption among city officials and businesses. There’s nothing wrong with exposing corruption in government, but we are not called to enter into all the different conspiracy theories portending gloom and doom in order to figure them out or expose them. Wicked practices that are evil conspiracies should be uncovered, but when there is little more that we can do but expose it, we must leave it up to the government, but ultimately, we must leave it up to God.

The Watchman’s Purpose

The watchman had a very specific purpose. He didn’t come up with his own agenda, nor did he start a support group or seek signatures on a petition to change his society, but rather, the watchman’s job was precisely meant to warn “the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul” (Ezk 33:9). The watchman saves his soul (meaning, his life) by warning others of impending danger. Christians are called to serve, to give, to pray, and to be the hands and feet of Christ, but we are not called to fan out all the ills of this world, nor are we called to expose all the different controversies, cover-ups, and conspiracy theories floating around out there. We are Christ’s watchman; called to warn the lost of God’s coming judgment on all who reject Christ.

Conspiracy Theories

The Bible has a lot to save about entering into controversies, most of it bad. The Apostle Paul said that we should “avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless” (Titus 3:9), and to also avoid “avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness” (2 Tim 2:16). Several times in the New Testament, God admonishes 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 useless debates lead to the ruin of the hearers. In other words, it doesn’t really help anything at all, and leads nowhere good, but in fact, these things make matters worse by destroying or at least, straining relationships because of differences of opinions. Paul’s best advice is to “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels” (2 Tim 2:23), and that includes having “nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). These admonitions covers all the conspiracy theories out there which are mostly things we can neither prove or do anything about anyway.

Conclusion

God is not up in heaven wringing His hands (if He had hands), thinking, “What will I do now?!” 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). He was allowed to cause Job to suffer and take away just about everything he had, but God had a leash on Satan, just as God is under complete control of this world. And you know what? I don’t believe God needs our help in exposing all these conspiracies and theories going on out there. Job trusted in God’s sovereignty, even though he never really knew it was Satan attacking his life. Job could say, “Though he slay me, I will hope in him” (Job 13:15).

Here is some related reading for you: What is the Illuminati Conspiracy Theory? Is it in the Bible?

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: Coronavirus, Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories