Is Coronovirus an "Act of God"?
In the insurance industry they call many natural disasters “Acts of God”. But is the current coronavirus an “Act of God” or is there an alternative explanation?
The Amateur Christian asks whether a God of love could have sent the coronavirus to planet earth?
Many would be shocked at the suggestion that a God, who is love might send a virus plague to affect the whole earth in modern times. Surely not!
God uses Natural Disasters
Of course, we remember that God used natural disasters, including plagues in Old Testament times, but surely God is different now, isn’t he? From memory, the Amateur Christian notes a number of natural occurrences in Old Testament times:
- Noah’s flood – killed all on earth except Noah’s immediate family
- Ten plagues - afflicted Egypt as their Pharaoh refused to let Israel leave
- Korah and his family - swallowed up as the ground opened following his sin Num 16:31
- Snakes - attacked Israel in the wilderness Num 21
- Job – a victim of terrorism, volcano, hurricane and sickness
There were also a number of occurrence of plagues being sent directly by God, including:
- After Israel sinned by worshipping a Golden Calf Exod 32
- When Israel complained in the wilderness Num 11:33
- When Israel complained about God’s treatment of Korah Num16:46
- After David sinned by counting the fighting men 2 Sam 24:15
There is no doubt that God used natural catastrophes to punish Israel, and also in some cases to defeat Israel’s enemies, in Old Testament times. Many Christians I know seem to think that God would never do that sort of thing today!
Bitter providence
John Piper in his book “Coronavirus and Christ,” 2020, uses the phrase “bitter providence” to describe some of God’s less well understood works. He gives the example of Naomi who suffered the loss of her husband and two sons in law through famine and one daughter in law through desertion.
She explained to old friends that “the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty….. The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” Ruth 1:20. I guess there will be families of coronavirus victims who might say a similar thing.
Piper goes on to explain, at length, how that it is “the same sovereignty that could stop the coronavirus, yet doesn’t, is the very sovereignty that sustains the soul in it.” Knowing this makes all the difference.
God’s Sovereignty
Isaiah teaches that it is an essential characteristic of God that he is sovereign:
“I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’” Isaiah 46:9-10
Our natural inclination is to limit God, placing a boundary around him such that he is only permitted to do things that we find good, pleasurable or judge to be acceptable. Sometimes however God does the inexplicable, the painful and the tragic.
Job, the victim of multiple tragedy, understood that “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” Job 42:2 or as Psalm 135 puts it: “Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” Psalm 135:6
Later, the apostle Paul sums up, saying he “works all things according to the counsel of his will” Eph 1:11. There is nothing that God does not hold sway over.
This leaves us in total dependence upon our God who holds all things under his control and requires us to have a right attitude towards him. James tells us how to think and speak: “you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15.
Good News
The fact that our good and holy God is in control is of course wonderfully good news. No longer do we need fear chance, accident, sabotage, fate or even Satan himself. Our God is in control.
And this God who sent his son to die for us while we were sinners and separated from him, now embraces us into his love. As Paul asks: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Rom 8:35. I presume the list of difficulties also includes coronavirus. Nothing can separate us from the love of God expressed to us in Christ Jesus.
Many, but far from all, of life’s difficulties may be considered the work of our enemy Satan, who seeks to destroy the works of God and divert the attention of his followers. However, as we see from the story of Job, Satan needs God’s permission before afflicting one of his servants.
The work of Satan is from time to time used by God for his greater purposes. One thinks of the widow Naomi, suffering bereavement and desertion. However, all this was necessary for God’s greater plan, for Ruth to marry Boaz and be an essential part of Jesus’ ancestry.
Paul testifies that: “in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:7-9. God used Satan’s assault to develop Pauls awareness of God’s grace in difficult times. May we also be so much more aware of God’s grace during this season of virus.
I am comforted by Jesus words to Peter, just before his arrest and of course Peter’s failure. Jesus tells him that: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31.
Jesus explained that Peter would deny him, but in explaining this he reassures him that he is praying for him and that later, he would be a source of strength for others.
God is with us
At this time, when we see many suffering from the virus and indeed many will have suffered loss as loved ones depart earlier than expected, we know that we have a God who is in control, who deals with us out of a heart of infinite love and who will thwart any plan of Satan that threatens his sovereign will.
We know that our God knows each of us intimately, even to the hairs of our head, and will watch over us, even as he watches over each sparrow that falls from the sky. This provides us with an enormous security at this time.
Henry Martyn was a 19th century missionary in India and Persia. When he was aged 31, he wrote the following in his journal at the start of the year:
“To all appearance, the present year will be more perilous than any I have seen: but if I live to complete the Persian New Testament, my life after that will be of less importance. But whether life or death be mine, may Christ be magnified in me! If he has work for me to do, I cannot die.”
One might sum this up as “I am immortal till Christ’s work for me is done”, and this is true indeed. Henry Martyn died from the plague ten months later, after, not before, his work had been completed.
How God speaks through plague
John Piper suggests six alternative things God might be saying to the world through the virus of which I am taking just three.
1. Some people will be infected with coronavirus as a specific judgement from God because of their sinful attitudes and behaviour.
- We recognise that all misery on earth is as a result of the Fall, when sin entered the earth damaging all that had been created good and perfect. Both Godly and sinful people experience the consequences of sin in their daily living.
- For the believer, any punishment received by God is purifying, a form of training in Godliness, whilst for the ungodly it may be God’s judgement on them.
- We might like to remember the story of King Herod who received adulation from people, as if he were a god. In Acts 12 we read that “an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last”. Acts 12:23.
- We also remember the sad story of church members, Ananias and his wife Sapphira. These believers sold land and presented part of the proceeds to the church as a gift, suggesting it was the full amount. Due to the sin of deception, both were struck down by the Lord, dying on the spot.
- Whilst I guess such judgement from God is unusual, we do well to examine our hearts regularly to ensure that we do not incur the Lords judgement.
2. The coronavirus reminds us that we need to be ready for Christ’s return to this earth.
Before Jesus ascended to his Father, he warned his disciples that various pointers to his return would follow. In Matthew 24 he lists wars, famines, earthquakes and persecution which must come before his return. So, we should not be surprised by natural disasters, they prompt us to remember Jesus is coming!
3. The coronavirus is a call for all to repent and realign our lives with God.
- It is noticeable that the first reaction to any form of outside threat is for men to strategise and seek to form a “solution”. Occasionally however something really significant comes along and all mankind’s solutions fail to work.
- We hope that eventually there will be a solution to coronavirus, however this is unlikely before many have been adversely affected. In this time, we are being forced to recognise that there are things bigger than us, and we are in need of external help.
- Will people turn to God for help at this moment of time? He reaches out in love, willing to receive all who will turn to him in repentance, willing to join with him, on his terms.
The coronavirus crisis is a moment that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. We will remember the lockdown, the regular briefings with graphs demonstrating the multiplication of sickness and death. We will remember those who cared for the sick, those who distributed food supplies and those who showed love to those feeling abandoned.
If, however this is all we remember we really will have missed the point. God speaks and expects us to listen to what he is saying. Are you listening? What have you heard today?
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