No One is Exempt
“My little children, these things write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 Joh 2:1-2
I was listening to Christian radio the other day, and the preacher that was speaking made an interesting analogy concerning coronavirus or, as we now call, COVID. He said that COVID and sin were alike in that both affects every person on earth. While not everyone may contract COVID, everyone is a sinner. Those who are blessed to escape this awful virus are still affected by it in that it has disrupted just about every facet of life. Sin disrupts lives as well because it, too, is a sickness, and each person ever born is born with a sin nature.
We have heard that, as of now, there are two vaccines that have been approved to protect folks from COVID. There is some controversy, though, about these vaccines as to just what is in them, what sort of side effects they may produce, and if they will work for everyone. There is also a vaccine for sin, but it is not in a vial administered with a hypodermic needle. That would give people a false confidence. If folks thought they were protected from the guilt of sin just by getting a shot, they would continue to sin, thinking that there would be no consequences to their behavior.
As Christians know, the only vaccine against sin is through the blood of Christ. He was the One who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that folks could be free from the sting and guilt of sin. His vaccine came by way of nails hammered into His hands, or as some believe, His wrists, also into His feet, and a huge gash was made in His side. That makes the test and the vaccination for COVID seem like nothing.
We have a lot of gratitude to all the medical professionals who are caring for those with COVID. They are certainly dedicated servants trying to help the sick in whatever way that they can. However, none have been able to cure the virus. My fear is that even after this pandemic abates, who’s to say that there isn’t another one out there on the horizon just waiting to attack. I certainly hope not, but who saw this one coming? We are living in an age of unexpected realities. That’s why it is best to stay in prayer for ourselves, our families, and our nation. We are living in an age of fear. Even so, we are not to place our faith in man for we have seen that man is limited in his abilities to fight off an invisible enemy, and neither is he sufficient to fight off enemies that can be seen without God’s help.
John wrote to those he considered his children because he cared so much for them. He urged them not to sin, but if they did (none of us are sinless for we all sin unintentionally and sometimes intentionally), Christ stands ready to forgive those who repent. He is the “propitiation” for our sins. That means that God accepted Christ’s atoning death on the cross, and that He was satisfied in Christ’s sacrifice to cover the sins of the world, which opened the door for God to forgive any person who repents of sin and trusts in Christ. While the vaccine for COVID may or may not give long term protection against the virus, the blood of Christ will cover the sins of repentant men, women, boys, and girls forever.