A Global Pandemic and the Gospel: Diagnosis, Prognosis, & Treatment

https://www.tmj4.com/news/coronavirus/coronavirus-in-wisconsin-latest-covid-19-updates-developments-from-across-the-state

 I think it’s safe to say that this is not the paradise that we all long for. Currently, thousands are dying, and many of them without any loved ones by their beds. Elderly sit alone in rooms hoping to have another visitor soon. Jobs have been lost, leaving many to wonder how they are going to pay for rent, groceries, medical needs, and the endless bills. Those in the medical field are being overwhelmed with ever-increasing demands and an ever dwindling of means to meet those demands.  

Teachers.

Students.

Parents.

Those without homes.

Victims of abuse.

Everyone. There really isn’t anyone who hasn’t been affected in some sort of way. Even those who are still pretending that everything is okay. That’s the thing about a global pandemic – it’s a moment in history in which the globe is suffering together.

Fear. Grief. Anxiety. Anger. Confusion. Hopelessness. Loneliness. Apathy. We are all over the map with how we feel about the COVID-19 crisis. But perhaps we should face it, instead of distracting ourselves and running from it. I’d like to face it together, if you’ll join me. But, I think we should face it in stages. First, we need to acknowledge that something is wrong.

The truth that just seems so evident right now is that we live in a broken world. We don’t have to look too hard to find the brokenness: disease, suffering, death, greed, corruption, selfishness, broken relationships, and the list goes on. Things aren’t okay.

But the brokenness that we see is actually the effect of an unseen perpetrator: sin.

The word “sin” may not mean much to you – it may sound super “religious.” But hang with me for a second. When God first created the world and humankind, everything was “as it should be”. He created us to be in a perfect relationship with Himself, with each other, with the earth, and with ourselves. But Genesis 3 tells the story of the fall of humanity. Deceit was spoken, bringing forth doubt, dissatisfaction, and desire to disobey the Heavenly Father. And with a deliberate act of disobedience, sin entered the world – severing and corrupting these perfect relationships. And that’s the brokenness we see.

Think of it like an infection of the blood. We can’t see the infection with the blind eye, but the symptoms of altered body temperature, low blood pressure, fast heart rate, difficulty breathing, and confusion can help doctors to identify what’s wrong. And when they do diagnose someone with a blood infection, they don’t pretend it isn’t there - because septicemia can kill you. So they turn to the proper treatment – and fast - in hopes of saving a life.

 As a follower of Jesus, who has already come face to face with the reality of my sin, I want to invite you to look at your own sin. It doesn’t feel good - trust me, I know. It can be very uncomfortable (and offensive) to recognize that you aren’t perfect; that you can have evil, selfish, and harmful thoughts and motivations. But to find healing and hope for a future, we have to have the proper diagnosis. And “sinner” is the diagnosis we all are faced with. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

You may think, “so what?” Sure, we may have a diagnosis, but what’s our prognosis? God doesn’t take sin lightly, so we shouldn’t either. Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” We experience that death to a certain degree while we still live, and then to an eternal degree when we die. The death we experience while on earth looks a lot like the brokenness I’ve already spoken of – selfishness, greed, corruption, abuse, suffering. But also it’s what gets in the way of relating to the God who created us to be in relationship with Him. God is holy and perfect, and therefore cannot be in the presence of sin. Because of this, there’s nothing born sinners can do to lift themselves out of this condition of constant deprivation. All of our energy can be spent on covering the sin up – do your best, try to follow rules, or ignore it.  But it’s like spritzing perfume on a dead body – it may smell better for a brief time, but it’s still lifeless and will start to smell again sooner or later.

So now that we have our diagnosis and our prognosis, we can know what the proper treatment is. Romans 6:23 goes on to say, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our only hope is a sinless Someone to lift us out of this state of being.  That Someone is Jesus – He is our cure.  He was born to die – which He did – taking on the sin, the guilt, the shame, and the hurts of the world. And He then was raised to life on the third day, claiming victory over death and the devil.  When we put our faith in Christ, and accept His gift of dying in our place, we then can be reconciled.  Our relationships with God, each other, the earth, and ourselves can be restored. We can experience healing and partake in His victory. We can learn how to walk in obedience to our Heavenly Father, who wants what is best for His children. 

And one day, Jesus states He will come back and make all things right again. Revelation 21:4&5 states, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” It’s a promise that Christ’s followers can cling to. It’s a hope for eternity. And it’s available to anyone. The suffering is global – the diagnosis is global – the prognosis is global – and the cure is available for all. But the thing is, the One who longs to relate with His creation, loves us so much. And love is a choice. So He lets us choose – accept the gift or not. Choose life or death. As a sinner, saved by grace, I would love for you to experience life in Christ, but I recognize it’s your choice.  As someone who has found the cure, I just feel that it would be selfish of me to hoard it.

Friend, as we face these trials today, may we look to the One who has the cure for the most devastating diagnosis of sin. For it’s only in Him that we have true hope for whatever may come.