In the past few days and weeks, the news media has given us the impression the world will end soon because of the coronavirus. Every day we have another news report telling us how many are now infected with the virus, experts telling us to avoid human contact, and fear mongers telling us to prepare for the worst. How do we as Christians respond to this? Do we allow ourselves to get caught up in all the fear and anxiety? How does the world around us expect us to react in such a situation?
Contrary to what mainstream Christianity would tell you, the Bible does not promise us protection against viruses and infectious diseases for all Christians.
To understand why we first have to understand who is a Chrisitan, according to the Bible. The Bible says in Acts 15:20-21, Rev 12, 14, John 3, 1. John 2-5, a Christian, is someone who believes Jesus died for their sins and has decided to obey righteousness. According to the Bible, in 1. John and John 14, righteousness is the status we obtain when we follow the written law of Moses.
In Deut 28:1-13, Psalm 23, 91, Yehovah promises to protect all those who are Christians. So why then would some Christians be protected, but not all?
In the book of Leviticus, Yehovah says that even though we as Christians have no desire to sin, we can become guilty by association. If we are guilty by association, we lose our protection but not our status. So as long as we do not sin and live in righteous obedience, we will not lose our salvation, but we can still have guilt by association.
How do we avoid having guilt by association?
Most of us live in countries that want nothing to do with God. They have no desire to obey Him, and so many of those around us who profess to be Christians dont believe in the need for righteousness any more, so they have chosen a life of evil and sin all the while professing His name. Because of what surrounds us, we have guilt by association.
When Yehovah sees churches professing to be Christians but rejecting righteousness, it angers Him. When He sees nations rejecting His law and making it legal and even encouraging what Yehovah sees as an abomination, it really angers Him. Because we are citizens in our countries, members of our local churches, we have guilt by association.
If we have guilt by association, we will not lose our salvation, but we will be swept up by the coming judgment. This is why some Christians are protected, but not all, because not all have guilt by association.
So, is there a way to avoid this?
In the Bible, we read the story of Lot, who went to live in Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible describes Lot as a righteous man, and he was grieved when he saw the evil and wickedness going on in his city. Lot and his family did not partake in the sins of his neighbors, but they did not protest or preach against it. Lots status as righteous never changed, but because he never preached against his neighbors’ wickedness, he had guilt by association.
Because he had guilt by association, he was not 100% protected against the judgment Yehovah rained upon Sodom.
The Bible says Yehovah sees our hearts and what is in them. When the Bible speaks of heart, it is always a Hebrew idiom for the mind, so what it is saying is this, Yehovah sees our minds and what it is in them. This we see again in Matt 5 where Yehoshua (Yeshua/Jesus) judges the sins of the mind as if we actually did them.
It would be fair to say Lots heart was not in it. Yes, he was grieved by the wickedness he saw, but his mind was not so devoted to Yehovah. Because he was not entirely devoted to Yehovah in his mind, he did not preach against or protest the wickedness. This gave him guilt by association.
Yehoshua (Yeshua/Jesus) speaks of this in Matt 5 when He says believers are the salt of the earth. We who are Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth; we are supposed to protest, preach against wickedness. When “Christians” around us reject Moses and approve of what Yehovah says in an abomination, we are supposed to raise our voices and speak up for righteousness.
So is there a way to avoid association by guilt?
Yes, by allowing ourselves to be what Yehoshua called us to be, the salt of the earth.
But it will cost us; people will ridicule us, laugh at us, and we might even lose our lives, our jobs, our family, friends because of it. Will we lose our salvation? No, we can only lose our salvation if we deliberately sin (1.John, 1 and 2 Peter, the book of Hebrews). But even though we will not lose our salvation, we will be called the least in the Kingdom of God. (Matt 5:19)
Do you want to be the least in the Kingdom of God? Just barely making it by the skin of your teeth? Or do you want to be great in the Kingdom of God? Do you want to have guilt by association and lose your protection? Or do you want to be guilt-free and keep your protection?
If you are a Christian, I urge you not to do what Lot did. Do not be grieved in your spirit when you see wickedness and evil. Speak up against it, protest against it, and stand for righteousness. When you hear other “Christians” reject Moses, do not be grieved in your spirit. Be the salt of the earth, speak up for righteousness, show them what the Bible says about Moses.
If you do, you will also see Yehovah as a strong tower protecting you against all evil and infectious diseases and viruses (Deut 28:1-13, Matt 6:25-34)