The Coronavirus pandemic has certainly impacted our national life in many ways. Some of the effects have been more obvious and direct than others. I believe one of the indirect effects has been to show us something about our own national religion. Of course, we don’t have a “national religion,” not officially anyway. Nevertheless, people are worshipping creatures. We were made to worship God, and in sinful rejection of the true God, we turn to false gods and false worship. Idolatry, of one form or another, marks the whole history of mankind since the fall. Every human being either serves and worships the creature or serves and worships the Creator. While there’s much that could be said about idolatry in modern America, this pandemic has exposed, more clearly, a common form of idolatry that fills the land. It is a sort of syncretistic blend of statism and something we might call “scientism”.
Idols, of course, are God-substitutes. One of the fundamental elements in the true worship of God is trust in God. To worship God rightly is to place our ultimate trust and hope in God in all circumstances. We must look to Him, not only as our ultimate good, but as our ultimate and true source of security and peace, of blessedness and hope. God, alone, is worthy of our highest trust and confidence. He, alone, has perfect wisdom and knowledge. He, alone, is sovereign over all things and unlimited in His power to save. When man worships an idol, the trust and hope that belongs only to God is transferred to this God-substitute. The idol – the creature – becomes the illegitimate object of the faith and hope that belongs to God alone. In other words, when there’s a real crisis that threatens what we most cherish, whatever we turn to, trust in and place our ultimate hope in for salvation, that’s an object of our worship. If that object of worship is not God, it’s an idol.
When the novel Coronavirus came along it presented an ominous threat to our health and our lives. Especially in the early days of this outbreak, we knew very little about the virus and its characteristics. We were suddenly facing an unknown, unseen enemy. How was the virus spread? Was it extremely contagious? How deadly was it? How could we protect ourselves? In such a situation, we tend to feel vulnerable and powerless. We are confronted with the stark reality of our creaturely finiteness. How little we really have control over! How little we really know and manage in God’s vast creation! Yet our national, cultural response, overall, was to turn to the experts and authorities. Surely, they would have answers. Surely, they would know what to do. We turned to science expecting definitive, authoritative answers to our questions and uncertainty. We, likewise, looked to government authorities to “do something.” In essence, we have turned to science as the source of nearly infallible knowledge and wisdom and to the government as the ultimate source of power to use that knowledge for our salvation – that is, for the salvation of our earthly lives and existence.
Such a response is not out of character for a society that has become increasingly secular and humanistic in outlook. Having rejected God, the Creator, and His revelation, we turn to the finite creature. In the secular worldview that seems to dominate our culture today, human inquiry, in the form of scientific research and theory, is viewed as the ultimate source of knowledge. What we can “know” as “fact” is the knowledge that we can gain from scientific studies and the interpretations of such studies given by those who are deemed to be “the experts.” The essence of wisdom is to “follow the data” – “follow the facts.” On the other hand, the highest level of power and authority to effect change and make positive use of our scientific knowledge is viewed as government authority. In a humanistic worldview that sets aside the truth of God and the Creator-creature distinction, science embodies the ultimate source of knowledge and wisdom. Government embodies the collective power of humanity to effect our own salvation. In essence, we’ve substituted science for God’s omniscience and government for God’s sovereignty and omnipotence.
This does not mean we should be opposed to either science or government. Both are good and useful within their own sphere of operation, but with limitations. God, Himself, ordained human government as a minister for good, to serve His good and merciful purpose in the world. God has also provided us with a wealth of useful knowledge through the progress of science. By means of common grace, humanity has amassed a wealth of knowledge that has led to lengthened life, greater quality of life and many other beneficial uses. The institution of government provides for a greater degree of justice, peace and order in the world. However, neither are sovereign or absolute in and of themselves. They are limited by human frailty and by God’s ordained purposes. Man’s knowledge is always finite and secondary. The rightful authority of government is just that which God has assigned it. The power of governmental authority is limited to its God-ordained sphere and purpose. It is not a power to save. As the object of man’s hope for salvation, from Coronavirus or a multitude of other tragedies, it will prove a huge disappointment.
To have a right view and expectation of the power of government or the scientific community or any other human institution, we must confess, readily, our own finiteness and limitation as human beings. We must understand that the work of science and governance take place in a world that is ruled by a sovereign God. He, alone, possesses perfect knowledge. He, alone, is the source of all authority. He, alone, has infinite and supreme power and authority. He, alone, is the source of life and salvation. All human activity is designed to function under the sovereignty of God, and we are ultimately dependent upon God for knowledge, for law and order, for life itself.
But, in refusal to acknowledge our own weakness and dependence upon God, our secular society has turned to mere human authority, power and wisdom in the hope of being saved from that which appears to be threatening and uncontrollable. So, we’ve experienced a situation in which millions have sacrificed (willingly or unwillingly) personal freedom, livelihoods, interaction with families and friends and more. We are expected to accept, without question or doubt, whatever dictates come from our governing authorities, based on “the latest data,” on the assumption that this is our best, collective hope to avoid catastrophe and save our life as we know it.
As is always the case with idolatry, however, the gods of the western world have proven themselves weak and pathetic substitutes for the Living God. The advice given by experts (who, no doubt are doing their best) has changed as the available data has changed. Studies provide inconclusive and often conflicting information. Officials have used their authority in ways that have often appeared arbitrary and selective. In some cases, decisions made early on proved to be tragic mistakes. The national economy has been damaged, possibly beyond repair. For all this, we have not really been “saved” from Coronavirus, although, admittedly, some of the effects may have been avoided, at least temporarily.
In such a time of crisis, when much of the world looks to its idols for salvation and help, there is great opportunity for our testimony to the truth of the gospel. In such a time the antithesis between the Christian worldview and that of the unbelieving world should stand out in stark relief. First of all, we see this antithesis with regard to what is most valued. For the unbeliever, and particularly in today’s secularized culture, life in this world is of ultimate value. To be “saved” is to be preserved from physical death – to have life extended for a longer time. COVID-19 presents such a terrifying threat, because it threatens death.
The Christian has a different outlook on death. Indeed, death is the great enemy, but not because it is merely the destruction of life in this world. Death is the great threat and enemy because death is the curse and punishment of sin. Sin stands behind the specter of death. Sin is the ultimate evil, the ultimate tragedy and the ultimate threat to life, peace, joy and happiness. For the Christian, with a biblical worldview, life in this earth is not our highest and greatest good. God is our greatest good. Life in the presence of God, with His favor and blessing, is our greatest treasure.
Salvation, then, for the believer, is salvation from sin. It is not just an extension of life in this world. It is the removal of sin – the disarming of death, in its true power, to separate us from God, who is our ultimate joy and good. This, God, alone, has accomplished in the Lord Jesus Christ. COVID-19, while it should concern us, especially in the interests of our fellow-man, cannot present the ultimate threat for us. Nor can any human effort or institution provide us with real security. After all, everyone who does not contract this Coronavirus will still, some day, die. Our security and hope of salvation is found in Christ, alone.
As Christians, we can, and should, acknowledge and benefit from the legitimate use of science and medical research. We acknowledge the goodness and usefulness of human government as the ordination of God for His purpose. However, we also recognize both these human institutions, like all of creation, as functioning in a world where God, alone, reigns supreme. We should be ready to face COVID-19 and every other form of danger in this world with a calm, settled and sanctified confidence in the Lord God who, alone, is salvation.
By His Grace, For His Glory 