While attempting to mitigate the total collapse of the US financial infrastructure in 2007, Chair of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernake, said, “There are no atheists in foxholes or ideologues in a financial crisis.”
In this current 2020 COVID-19 crisis, Craig Melvin (Today show host on MSNBC Live) confessed that he has never asked anybody before to pray live during the broadcast and then he asked Bishop T. D. Jakes to pray.
President Trump declared a National Day of Prayer this past March 14.
Governor of Ohio, John Kasich, has revisited his faith. In an April 6 USA Today editorial, he opines, “Like many of you, I have been in and out of a funk these past weeks, …Right now, I’m out of that funk, and I’d like to tell you why … I walked for over six miles, keeping a safe social distance from other walkers and joggers, the whole time thinking about where we were as a society and where I was with God.”
The entire world has suddenly mobilized. Many are praying. Humanity corporately is attempting to heroically protect and preserve one of God’s highest values—life.
A Curious Response to COVID-19
In this time of distress, why is mankind not collectively acting based upon their professed evolutionary worldview (philosophical naturalism)?
Human evolution would dictate that we all simply let the COVID-19 virus run through humanity. Natural selection would then leave society with only the strongest. Either adapt or perish. Let the weak die. Let the strong survive.
In an age of unbelief, there are those who say there is no God, we came from nothing, there is nothing after we die, and as carbon-based entities we have no more meaning than a piece of coal.
Famed atheist Richard Dawkins had the courage to admit this when he said,
In a universe of blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won’t find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe we observe has precisely the properties we expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference….DNA neither knows nor cares. DNA just is. And we dance to its music. (River Out of Eden, pp. 132-33)
If philosophical naturalism is true, then we are required to end the quarantine now. Let the hospital workers endure the consequences of the profession they chose. Start digging the mass graves and the sooner the better so we can simply get on with enjoying today.
A Teachable Moment
For those who tend to believe godless evolutionary naturalism, how do you explain the current collective response of humanity to preserve nothing more than pieces of coal?
Pastor Tim Keller challenges, “If your origin is insignificant, and your destiny is insignificant, then have the guts to admit that your life and all lives are insignificant.” If we came from nothing, we are going into nothing, and there is no meaning in our present existence, then humanity’s collective response is inexplicable.
The Meaning of Humanity’s Response to COVID-19
From the beginning of creation, God desired that mankind be “fruitful and multiply.” Mankind was born to live. The spiritual advice that Governor John Kasich received that helped him out of his “funk” was, “We’re born to live, not to die, so our focus should be on living, not dying.”
God desired His creation to be teeming with life. Death is the enemy. Death was the unwelcomed invader in the original creation. We do not desire the weak to die or mass graves to be dug. And we are willing to give up economic security in the present for the preservation of life.
Currently humanity is exalting God’s value system of life! The whole earth is full of God’s glory.
In rare moments like this one, mankind cannot help itself from ceasing its suppression of God’s truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18) to demonstrate something related to our original created purpose. We are more than pieces of coal. Life was our original destiny and is filled with meaning. Therefore, we are all acting collectively to preserve life now.
Praise God that philosophical naturalism and its horrible implications are NOT TRUE. And praise God that mankind cannot consistently live as if there is no God.
So, praise God for this moment.
But let this moment lead you to one more consideration—the ultimate life.
COVID-19 and Easter
Those we save now will die—eventually.
So, then, does valuing what God values – life, result in any discernable different outcome than the philosophical naturalist? Should we just start digging the mass graves? What is existence without the hope of life? What is existence without the hope of life after death?
Despair.
For we were born to live not to die as John Kasich’s spiritual advisor said.
If God intended for us as humans to value and be filled with life then in a world of death, how can we not despair and resign ourselves to the same bleak outlook as the philosophical naturalist?
Consider the current overlap of two events—the predicted peak of the death-count resulting from COVID-19 coming at the same time as Easter. Is this timing a mere meaningless coincidence? Or, is the timing a world-wide, purposed-filled, divine instruction to consider the source of ultimate and eternal meaningful life?
There was only One born of man whose specific destiny was death. He was born to die–unlike us. He entered this world to die for us so that, get this, we might live–having the life God originally intended. Furthermore, God the Father, granted Him resurrected life promising that same resurrection to all who put their faith in Him. They will experience life eternally!
The historically established fact of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead provides humanity with its only path to fullness of life. This Easter, go online and hear how God has valued life to the degree that He overcame death. Hear the proclamation that “He is Risen” and its transforming implications on your life!
Join Faith Church LIVE! this Easter Sunday at 8am on our Facebook page or at faithlafayette.org/sermons (and then available on-demand in both places).
