COVID 19 and Fallen Mankind
The following picture, indicating the happenings in the spiritual realm, came to me one morning.
Coronavirus is a physical disease and it is infectious. Sin is a spiritual disease and it is infectious!
The coronavirus infected more than two million people, yet millions of individuals have not been infected. In the case of sin, every one of us has been infected!
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23
Speaking about your relationships with others, you can find yourself in one or more of the following situations naturally and spiritually.
1) You are tested coronavirus positive and you are passing on the infection to others. You are coughing, sneezing and spitting openly without any concern for others and spreading the infection around.
Ignorant or careless of your sinful nature, you are being used as a tool of the devil to spread hatred, violence, lies, hurt and injury through your wrong attitudes, words and actions.
2) You may be one who is fearful thinking that you may be carrying the virus and so hiding from others, because you don't want to go through the process of diagnosis and treatment. You would rather isolate yourself.
Recognising your weaknesses, you are ashamed of your sins and you are isolating yourself. You are cutting off relationship with family members, and your friendships, if at all, are shallow. You are fearful of exposing yourself because of the guilt of sin inside. You are living in darkness. Your world is dark. You are living in fear of people, oppressed by the devil. You want to be careful where you go because you want to avoid people, especially those who know you. You measure your words as you are scared of exposing your mind and heart to others.
This self isolation is a sad and lonely prison to be in. The devil has put you there and desires to keep you there. You are simply existing day after day, finding ways of covering yourself with a black blanket, even when no one is looking at you!
3) You are not infected by the virus and you are carefree, walking around without taking any protective measures. On the other hand you may have recovered well from the coronavirus infection and so you believe you can never be infected again. You don't realise you are prone to be infected even the second time!
You are not conscious of your fallen nature and don't realise that you are a sinner needing a Saviour. Or else, you are a Christian and your deceptive thinking is that you can never fall away. You don't realise that the sin nature in you is still able to catch the sin of anger, hatred, pride, covetousness, carnality and selfishness you see and encounter in others. These, if not repented of, can lead you to eternal death!
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
Psalm 16:1-2
You need to abide in CHRIST to be protected and preserved!
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5
4) You are not infected by the virus and you are taking all the precautionary measures to protect yourself from the infection. It is right that you are aware of your vulnerability to get infected through those around you who may be carrying the virus in their system.
Your only goal on earth is to become holy so you can escape hell and get to Heaven! It is a good goal, but it is a selfish one. You are bound to fail the 'sin test' at Heaven's Port because selfishness is sin! GOD'S law is the law of love.
Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:37-40
You are like the priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side when they saw the man lying on the road robbed and beaten up. They only glanced at the injured man. They practised social distancing effectively! They could not think of getting themselves dirty, soiled or infected. Besides, they had to legalistically perform their temple duties to justify themselves before GOD and man!
5) You are a health worker and are committed to caring for those who are sick, including those who are afflicted by the deadly coronavirus. You are diligently taking all the precautionary measures and are putting on the protective garments, mask, gloves and so on to protect yourself from the infection. With compassion, you are doing your best for the patients in your care.
If you are not a health worker, you are praying fervently for those affected by the virus, those who have lost their dear ones and those in varying kinds of need. You are connecting with people through social media and the internet to bring hope and encouragement. You are reaching out to people with whatever practical help you are able to give.
You are like the 'Good Samaritan' the LORD JESUS commended for His compassion and practical help. Well done! Keep up the good works! GOD is pleased with you!
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46
6) You are one who were infected by the coronavirus and suffered the illness, but now you have recovered well! Your body was able to produce sufficient antibodies to fight and overcome the infection. Your blood has this precious specific antibodies for coronavirus that saved your life and can save someone else's life!
All of us were born in sin and condemned spiritually. We were all heading towards hell. But GOD so loved the people of the world that He sent His only begotten Son, JESUS, to pay the price of sin on the cruel cross and offer forgiveness to all of mankind. Now you have believed in Him, repented of your sin and received His forgiveness. You are not living in condemned anymore, since you are justified before the Almighty GOD! The blood of JESUS CHRIST cleanses you from all sin like the antibodies! You are living a victorious Christian life with the power of His resurrection!
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11
Since you have experienced this great salvation, your life is a reflection of GOD'S love. you want to take every opportunity to pass on this message of hope to all those struggling with the effects of sin.
Recognising your weaknesses, you are ashamed of your sins and you are isolating yourself. You are cutting off relationship with family members, and your friendships, if at all, are shallow. You are fearful of exposing yourself because of the guilt of sin inside. You are living in darkness. Your world is dark. You are living in fear of people, oppressed by the devil. You want to be careful where you go because you want to avoid people, especially those who know you. You measure your words as you are scared of exposing your mind and heart to others.
This self isolation is a sad and lonely prison to be in. The devil has put you there and desires to keep you there. You are simply existing day after day, finding ways of covering yourself with a black blanket, even when no one is looking at you!
3) You are not infected by the virus and you are carefree, walking around without taking any protective measures. On the other hand you may have recovered well from the coronavirus infection and so you believe you can never be infected again. You don't realise you are prone to be infected even the second time!
You are not conscious of your fallen nature and don't realise that you are a sinner needing a Saviour. Or else, you are a Christian and your deceptive thinking is that you can never fall away. You don't realise that the sin nature in you is still able to catch the sin of anger, hatred, pride, covetousness, carnality and selfishness you see and encounter in others. These, if not repented of, can lead you to eternal death!
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
Psalm 16:1-2
You need to abide in CHRIST to be protected and preserved!
John 15:5
4) You are not infected by the virus and you are taking all the precautionary measures to protect yourself from the infection. It is right that you are aware of your vulnerability to get infected through those around you who may be carrying the virus in their system.
Your only goal on earth is to become holy so you can escape hell and get to Heaven! It is a good goal, but it is a selfish one. You are bound to fail the 'sin test' at Heaven's Port because selfishness is sin! GOD'S law is the law of love.
Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:37-40
You are like the priest and the Levite who passed by on the other side when they saw the man lying on the road robbed and beaten up. They only glanced at the injured man. They practised social distancing effectively! They could not think of getting themselves dirty, soiled or infected. Besides, they had to legalistically perform their temple duties to justify themselves before GOD and man!
5) You are a health worker and are committed to caring for those who are sick, including those who are afflicted by the deadly coronavirus. You are diligently taking all the precautionary measures and are putting on the protective garments, mask, gloves and so on to protect yourself from the infection. With compassion, you are doing your best for the patients in your care.
If you are not a health worker, you are praying fervently for those affected by the virus, those who have lost their dear ones and those in varying kinds of need. You are connecting with people through social media and the internet to bring hope and encouragement. You are reaching out to people with whatever practical help you are able to give.
You are like the 'Good Samaritan' the LORD JESUS commended for His compassion and practical help. Well done! Keep up the good works! GOD is pleased with you!
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46
6) You are one who were infected by the coronavirus and suffered the illness, but now you have recovered well! Your body was able to produce sufficient antibodies to fight and overcome the infection. Your blood has this precious specific antibodies for coronavirus that saved your life and can save someone else's life!
All of us were born in sin and condemned spiritually. We were all heading towards hell. But GOD so loved the people of the world that He sent His only begotten Son, JESUS, to pay the price of sin on the cruel cross and offer forgiveness to all of mankind. Now you have believed in Him, repented of your sin and received His forgiveness. You are not living in condemned anymore, since you are justified before the Almighty GOD! The blood of JESUS CHRIST cleanses you from all sin like the antibodies! You are living a victorious Christian life with the power of His resurrection!
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11
Since you have experienced this great salvation, your life is a reflection of GOD'S love. you want to take every opportunity to pass on this message of hope to all those struggling with the effects of sin.
##########################################
