A lot of people are getting worried about the spread of the coronavirus. The Government is looking at the worst-case scenario in which some two million people in Britain may catch it. All kinds of measures are being suggested to reduce social contact including not travelling on public transport, minimising contact with strangers, not shaking hands, washing our hands regularly and many other precautions.

Newspaper editors are being urged to be careful in reporting so that they don’t spread panic. But what about Christians? What should Christians do? There is a lovely passage in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus deals with worry: “Then Jesus said to his disciples; ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes’” (Luke 12:22-23). The advice Jesus gave to his disciples was to get the focus of their lives upon the Kingdom of God and Kingdom values.

The Fear of the Lord

Isaiah had a similar message; he said that the Lord God “will be a sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge.” Then he added, “The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure” (Isa 33:6). There is a rightful place for ‘fear’. It is a sense of awe and trembling in the presence of Almighty God – a recognition of his majesty and might, in contrast to our own lowly humanity.

When we get God into the right place in our lives, then all other things fall into place too. This is the same rule for nations as for individuals. When a nation is in a right relationship with God, the solutions to the problems affecting all our lives are revealed. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov 14:34).

God of Love and Justice

As we said in last week’s editorial, the reason why God allows plagues and pestilences to come upon the nations is not so much a direct punishment for sin, but as a strong warning sign that something is gravely wrong and the nations need to change course if disaster is to be avoided.

If we are to understand the times in which we are living we have to get the love and justice of God into balance. This is where Christians can go seriously wrong if they don’t hold firmly to biblical truth.

There is a rightful place for ‘fear’: it is a sense of awe and trembling in the presence of Almighty God

The Methodist Church in Britain is in grave danger of coming under the judgment of God for overemphasising the love of God and neglecting his judgment. This is well illustrated in the message we are publishing this week from a member of a Methodist church near Bristol, who sees the danger of the direction being taken by the national leaders of that denomination, who are recommending accepting same-sex marriage because they believe that God loves all people.

Of course, God loves all people! And he wants all to be saved and to enter the Kingdom through being in a right relationship with him. But that can only happen through Jesus!! That is what the gospel is all about. Jesus himself says “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Human Nature is Sinful

Paul outlines the problem in Romans 7; it is a problem that faces us all, that our human nature has a propensity to sin. We are self-centred individuals who put our own self and our personal desires first and foremost. But Paul himself found that Jesus “set him free from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2).

Methodist Church leaders are in grave danger of being led by the father of lies who puts into our minds doubts about the truth of God’s word. Paul is perfectly right in warning against such deception. He says, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10).

In God’s eyes the heterosexual adulterer is as guilty as the homosexual offender, which is a warning that everyone should heed, from ordinary citizens like you and me to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Paul also includes the greedy, slanderers and swindlers, which is a warning that all those involved in business and finance should heed. As we have said in Prophecy Today for the past 35 years – God is shaking everything! He is exposing greed and corruption wherever it is found - from the obscenity of footballers’ and celebrities’ wages, CEOs’ bonuses and MPs’ expenses to the injustice that causes homelessness and poverty among the poor and powerless. God hates injustice and oppression because he is a God of both love and justice.

God hates injustice and oppression because he is a God of both love and justice

Confidence in Jesus

When we get the simple truths of the gospel firmly into place in our minds and in our lives, it takes away fear and worry. When we know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our lives are in his hands; and even if we catch the coronavirus, we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. If he wants us to survive, he will give us the strength to fight off the virus and to be a witness to others. Which is good news for elderly believers like me!

Obviously, we should not put our lives into unnecessary danger, but neither should we be living in fear! We should be living in the glorious freedom of knowing that we are already part of the Kingdom. The moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives we are under his loving protection, which is the cure for worry – our lives are in his hands and we can also place the lives of our loved ones into his hands – particularly those who are dependent upon us.

If, of course, it is the right time for us to join the great company of believers who have fought the good fight, we will go rejoicing! Our confidence is in knowing Jesus who loves us with an unending love. As Paul says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38).

We also have an obligation to share the gospel with others. We are not saved just for our own sake. Jesus is still saying to his disciples, “You are my witnesses”. We will all one day be called to account. As the coronavirus crisis increases, believers have a God-given opportunity of sharing their faith with others. It’s time to put fear out of our lives and tell people what God is doing in his world today, speaking the truth with loving boldness - that many may be saved.