What has the pandemic done?
This pandemic has caused a cultural moment for forcing everyone to break through the denial of mortality. It has pulled back the rug and openly displayed how ill-equipped the world is at dealing with this type of an event. It has proven that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.
Christians have even asked themselves, "should I feel wrong about fearing this pandemic?" Well, yes. However, we all have had fear of the pandemic if we are honest. After all, Christians are not perfect (1 John 1:8). Let me say it another way. Martin Luther said (paraphrasing), you never break commandments two through ten without first breaking commandment one. You would never lie unless you are making a god out of the thing about which you are lying. If you make a million dollars by lying, then the love of money is your god. The real reason we break the first commandment is that the love of God is not as real to our hearts as the love of [insert your besetting sin here] (Hebrews 12:1 KJV). Yet, God continues to work with broken people, the same people who need grace every day, hour, minute, and second of the day. All of us.
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NKJV)
So, what about the future?
If Jesus Christ was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:15 ), if He got up, was seen by hundreds of people (1 Corinthians 15:5-7), and talked with those people, then everything is going to be alright. As Christians, we know these events happened. Everything you are worrying about, what you are afraid of, is going to be okay.
Let’s remember that we are not just talking about a resurrected people; we are talking about a resurrected world (Luke 21:33; Romans 8:22; Mark 13:31; Revelation 21:5).
All other religions talk about an afterlife in a non-material world where you get some type of consolation prize for a world lost. Christianity not only says our bodies are being resurrected, but the world is going to be a material world that is cleansed of all suffering and sin (Isaiah 65:17-19; Psalm 102:25-27; 2 Peter 3:12-13).
We don’t know how it will all be ‘okay’, but it will be (Philippians 4:6-7). The fact remains while still on this Earth, we still cry. Sometimes the reality of the shortness of this life now just overwhelms us and we cry. That is ok. Then, by faith, you remind yourself that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and because of that, everything is going to be okay. You can then wipe your tears. You don’t stop crying now, but you are under the shelter of his wings (Psalm 36:7; 91:4). It is like salt in a cut. It hurts, but it keeps the cut from going bad. But it doesn’t mean we don’t suffer different injuries in this life. Until we see Jesus (1 John 3:2), we have our cuts and brushes. However, His nail-scarred hands have ultimately taken ours away; His cuts have effectively healed ours.
