Our world has a virus that is now affecting more than 100 countries. In less than three months it has managed to travel around the world. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency. The death toll worldwide has climbed to more than 5,000. Many are living in fear of catching the virus, stocking up on essential supplies, staying out of public places, and taking every precaution they can think of. While these precautions are wise to decrease the opportunity of getting the virus, it is not the greatest threat to our lives. COVID-19 can kill the body, but it can’t kill the soul!
We are all created as eternal beings. We each have a soul that will live forever. God created us in His own image, and eternal being! In the verses preceding Genesis 1:26, we see the entire world coming into existence. From the earth, stars, sun, moon, and plants, to the animals that would inhabit the dry land, and the fish that would live in the water, God created them all by speaking them into existence. However, in verse 26 we move to the creation of man. No longer does it say God spoke creation into existence, it states, “Let us make man in our image.” The commentator Albert Barnes states this about our creation. “Let us make man. This intimates that the new being in its higher nature is associated not so much with any part of creation as with the Eternal Uncreated himself.” No other creation was made with a living eternal soul.
Genesis 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
With this truth in mind, it bothers me that so many are in a panic over COVID-19. COVID-19 can kill the body, but it cannot touch your eternal soul. I believe we should be good stewards over the body that God has given us. We should take care and precautions to avoid sickness. We should practice brotherly love and others’ wellbeing, by not exposing them to anything that would harm them. These are biblical principles that we are to live by. Jesus set the example of putting others well being ahead of His own when He died on the cross for our sins.
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;”
I Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Through this whole panic over COVID-19, I am even more concerned for the souls of man. While the virus is bad, it has no comparison with the pain and suffering that comes at the end of this life for those who don’t know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Mankind has become its’ own god and believes the minds of men can fix anything. So many in the world have never heard of Jesus, while others chose to ignore Him. Many, many have heard and at one time believed, but now feel this life is all there is. Others believe there is a god, but that he is a God who understands their mistakes and will forget them when judgment day comes.
He does understand, He understands that we are sinful, but His answer to that is not to just “sweep them under the rug.” His answer is the death of His Son. He gave His Son to pay the penalty for our sins. A gift of forgiveness that we can choose or reject. The fear and panic should drive us to God. He is a God who controls everything at His will. He has the power to change anything and everything. He and He alone has the power over life and death. For those who know Him, there is no reason to panic or live fearfully. He is not the author of fear. Fear of man is the absence of faith in God. Fear of God is wise and right. This type of fear will bring reverence, respect, and obedience. This type of fear will lead to trust and love that cannot be matched.
Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Knowing that I am in the awesome hands of an almighty God leads me to a deep-seated knowledge that no matter what happens I will be ok. It allows me to use wisdom and caution while putting my ultimate trust in God. It keeps me from wringing my hands in fear and panic while daily living to bring glory to God.
