In the midst of this pandemic, many are asking, “Can someone have the virus again once they have recovered?”
This is a good question, but in my very first blog I said that I would not offer medical information. So, I'll answer that question by saying, "check with the medical experts to see what they say..."
Yet, with that question in mind, I was considering the question at the top of the page...
What if someone is cured but they aren’t really healed?
What brought this to mind was a study our church family just did through John 9.
The theme of this chapter is that a man born blind is healed by Jesus.
During the first 37 verses of the chapter the man is only cured physically.
Then, in verse 38 he acknowledges his belief in Jesus which leads him to eternal healing.
John 9 gives us a case study in the work of Jesus who sees a man sitting by the side of a road begging. From that point, the man moves from calling Jesus a man (v. 11) to a prophet (v. 17) to ‘one from God’ (v. 33). Finally, he acknowledges that Jesus the One Who is Lord and worthy of worship—and he puts his trust in Him.
In our study of John 9 I said, “How sad it would be if he had been physically healed yet stayed spiritually blind...”
Imagine only gaining sight for his time on earth, yet being lost for all eternity!
Jesus offered this very sentiment in Matthew 16:26 when He said:
“What does it profit a person if they gain the whole world yet lose their soul?”
There will be many who will be cured from the virus, but they won’t really be healed. Sadly, death may be put off, but it will still come. What is avoided now will one day come to pass.
For those who are followers of Christ—this is a time to pray for God’s Spirit to move in a great way. As a church, we have prayed for revival and for that revival to start with us.
PLEASE NOTE—the word revival comes from a Latin word meaning “to live again.”
Unbelievers are still dead in their sins, so they cannot be ‘revived.’ However, my hope at this time is that God’s Spirit would work in the hearts of His children. My hope is that we will move away from spiritual complacency or apathy. My prayer is that this virus and all it brings will remind the church that we have the eternal cure.
And then…as those who are spiritually blind seek physical cures—pray that they will ultimately find spiritual healing that will last for all eternity.