The Origin of Coronavirus

Where did the Coronavirus originate? We have been obsessed with that question since the pandemic fanned to a flame. Was it rotten bat meat from a Wuhan wet market? Was it bio-engineered by a lab in the same city? The answer to that question is important because it may be a matter of justice. Certain people, agencies, or governments may need accountability for their actions.

But there is something more important than understanding how and why the virus originated. You must understand that the virus is not the act of nature, multiplying and mutating by the whims of chance. The virus is the work of God. It proceeds from his hand and is directed by his divine providence.

No, I am not suggesting that God is punishing a specific sin in a specific nation. Poor theologians chose to go out on that limb right after the twin towers fell and found it couldn’t support their weight. God could be judging certain sins but hasn’t chosen to reveal that to you or me.

What he has revealed to us, however, is that he providentially governs all the actions of mankind. Give careful attention to Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:11: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his own will.” Scripture does not teach God merely knows everything that will or can happen. What Scripture teaches is that God has sovereignly determined whatsoever comes to pass. He “works all things according to the counsel of his own will.”

Did you stub your toe this morning? God decreed that event from before the foundation of the world. Did you purchase a new house this year? God decreed that event before the moon and stars existed.

The cosmos is a system over which God presides. He is not fighting with the devil for control of his universe. Can you imagine such a thought? Instead, Scripture teaches he is intimately involved with this cosmos. He directs and governs all the affairs of men toward one, single, solitary goal: his own glory!

Dear Christian, your responsibility is to apply this truth to yourself in every situation. When God commanded you not to neglect “to meet together, as is the habit of some,” do you think he was ignorant of pandemics or persecution? Do you think God wants you to stop doing all the “one-anothers” of Scripture because of your circumstance? Is he unable to foresee those circumstances?

When Christians begin to think in these terms, we realize that even pandemics are from God. What this means is that although you may convince yourself you are subject to a virus and life feels out of control, it isn’t. God has sovereignty determined the limits of the virus.

The ocean can seem like a tumultuous body of water, but it has a shore. Those waters have a limit that is set by God. This is also true of every tribulation and affliction of life. You are never subject to your trials. You are subject to God alone. Therefore, your duty during your trials is to stay focused on what is true. Although your heart is ready to give in to fear and forsake God, you must resist this temptation! Sometimes, you even have to command your heart to believe the truth.