9781433573606-epdf

Creating Good Works in Danger
God glorified in everything. Christ magnified in life and
death. This is the great, God-given goal of human life.
Therefore, one of God’s purposes in the corona virus
is that his people put to death self-pity and fear, and give
themselves to good deeds in the presence of danger. Christians
lean toward need, not comfort. Toward love, not safety.
That’s what our Savior is like. That is what he died for.
EXAMPLE OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Rodney Stark, in his book The Triumph of Chris tian ity,
points out that in the first centuries of the Christian church
the “truly revolutionary principle was that Christian love
and charity must extend beyond the boundaries of family
and even those of faith, to all in need.” 6
Two great plagues struck the Roman Empire in AD 165
and 251. Outside of the Christian church, there was no
cultural or religious foundation for mercy and sacrifice.
“There was no belief that the gods cared about human affairs.”
7 And “mercy was regarded as a character defect and
pity as a pathological emotion: because mercy involves
providing unearned help or relief, it is contrary to justice.” 8
Therefore, while a third of the empire was perishing
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