During this COVID-19 pandemic, there have been innumerable acts of heroism and bravery by thousands of health care workers and first responders bravely placing their own lives at risk to save others who are afflicted with the deadly virus. Many do not even go home to their own families, fearful that they may be infected and risk transmitting it to them. Fittingly, they deserve to be honored as the people of the year in spite of what other mainstream media publications proclaim by selecting politicians or other celebrities. Respectfully, none of their achievements could ever compare to these heroes who face death every moment they are on their jobs.
The desire to sacrifice oneself for another flies in the face of the atheist pundits who aver that evolution is the only explanation for man’s existence. Darwinian evolutionary theory states that competition for scarce resources leads to survival of the fittest. How then does one explain the desire to place oneself in the pathway of danger, willingly sacrificing oneself on behalf of another, often a complete stranger? Could it be that we are not simply the products of evolution, driven by instincts and behavioral algorithms to compete and survive? What if we were created by God for a greater purpose than to just survive? Are we ignoring God speaking to us through our great suffering?
Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom. Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men! For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.
Job 34:35-37 (NKJV)
The Book of Job chronicles the plight of Job, a rich and prosperous man, who loses his wealth, health, and family, in a very short period of time. Job begins to question God’s purpose for allowing this to happen. One of Job’s friends, Elihu, boldly declares to him that he needs to be tried, literally put on trial before God for his arrogance. Job justified himself before God, asking God to explain Himself for His actions, stating that he lived a good and virtuous life, and did not deserve this suffering. Job was speaking without knowledge, assuming he understood God’s ways based upon his own presumptions and observations. God soon demonstrated to Job that his faith and understanding of Him was too small. Instead of accusing God, Job needed to defend God!
How do we explain someone sacrificing oneself for another? What about sacrificing oneself for all humanity? Man’s theory of evolution falls woefully short to explain this unselfish behavior. Only God can give us the true answer.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Romans 5:7-9 (NKJV)
Jesus Christ willingly gave His life and died on the Cross for our sins. He died for all humanity, even for people who spit in His face and rejected Him until His last moment of life. He did this because He is God and desired that all would confess and repent of their sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior. His resurrection proved that only He has the power to forgive sins and grant salvation and eternal life.
God’s ways are not our ways. If we presume to know ourselves better than God, we deserve to be put on trial like Job. Whether it is using the theory of evolution to explain our existence or questioning God’s motives when we are undergoing pain and suffering, God is in control and always gives us an answer through faith and belief in Jesus Christ. We need to re-examine our attitude and defend the sovereignty of God rather than blame Him with our feeble explanations when our life and world is suffering.
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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