A Child's Question about the Coronavirus - Part 1

One of our 7 year-olds in Church thought that I might have a good answer to his questions, so his mother passed them on to me. I’m happy to respond because I believe there are others who want answers to these same questions:

1. Why would God allow the coronavirus to spread throughout the world?
2. If God is the Creator of everything, did He also create the virus?
3. Did the devil invent or create the virus?
4. Is the devil winning if the threat, the illness, and death are spreading?
   
   ​In order to answer these questions it’s important that we lay the groundwork for some

basic Christian understanding.

The Bible tells us that all of creation has suffered the effects of evil: a) humanity is born in sin and b) the land on which we live can be overrun by weeds and thistles making gardening more difficult. c) Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes may also be signs of a world “groaning in labor pains,” as the Bible describes the earth in Romans 8:18-23.

Because d) the human body also is a part of God’s creation that suffers from decay over the course of years, we will see mutations that take place – a change that takes place in the wonderfully designed “machine” which is our body. We can experience disease within our bodies such as cancer, heart disease, and other unexpected sickness, including a kind of “poisoning” from a virus infection. We might say that a virus is a result of the brokenness of creation that occurred when sin entered into creation. If a virus once had a good use in the world, its original purpose was warped because of the “bondage of corruption” that came through sin. (Romans 8:21)

(Keep in mind that I am answering your question from what the Biblical testimony says. Science will also have answers for us; but not for all your questions you asked. I believe that the Bible and science are compatible or in agreement, for the most part.)

Let’s remember what God said about His creation at the beginning: “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)

But when Adam and Eve were disobedient to God, the relationship between mankind and the land which they farmed was changed; it was no longer going to be a delight to gather food, but instead a chore. In fact, God said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

So we live in a world that has been changed, or harmed, because of the presence of sin and evil. Some of the tragedies we experience in life are brought upon us by our own selfish choices and actions. But part of the tragedies and pain we experience are the result of the devil’s influence, in much the same way that Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil.
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[See Part 2 in this series tomorrow.]
Kevin Lantz, 3-31-2020; Barboursville, WV