While many are following stay-at-home orders for coronavirus and cautions to be sanitary, some are willfully disobeying—and even willfully spreading the disease.

On Saturday, April 4, 2020, a 65-year-old man in Kingston, Massachusetts was tackled and arrested for coughing and spitting on the produce in a Stop & Shop.¹ A woman in Wisconsin was banned from a Festival Foods for licking a handle in the freezer aisle to “protest” the coronavirus.² A 14-year-old in Houston was charged with “tampering with consumer product” after coughing on produce in a Food City as a prank.³ At a Safeway in South Lake Tahoe, a woman was arrested for felony vandalism after she ruined nearly $1,800 worth of groceries.⁴ A Texas woman has been charged with making terroristic threats after she posted on social media that she was positive for COVID-19 and was willfully spreading it.⁵ What could possibly possess these people to willfully and aggressively act so uncaringly toward their fellow human beings? Has the world gone mad?

The answer, of course, is yes, but it didn’t start with the coronavirus pandemic. It started several thousand years ago, with a man named Adam.

When Adam and Eve first ignored God’s instructions⁶ in the Garden in Eden, sin entered the world. Unfortunately, it has wreaked havoc ever since. Brother first acted out against brother when Cain slew Abel out of jealousy⁷ and mankind has since continued the pattern. It would take volumes of written text to even briefly mention the long catalogue of pain and suffering humanity has inflicted on itself over the course of history—wars, slavery, oppression, and more. Humans are, at their core, sinful beings. Without Christ, only darkness dwells within. In Romans, Paul admits that although the desire to do good exists within himself, apart from God the how of doing good escapes him.⁸

But there is good news, timeless news that should be remembered during this particularly odd Easter season. Sin, man’s rebellion, and the resulting death have been defeated! Paul tells us, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”⁹ Rebellion often seems foolish, especially the above antics of those who are no doubt acting out of fear during this pandemic. How much more foolish is rebellion against the Creator of the universe? Christians across the world should be ecstatic at the fact that we are no longer rebels, but “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”¹⁰

References
1. Hollan, M. Grocery Store Customer Tackled for Coughing, Spitting on Produce Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Could Face Charges. Fox News. Posted on foxnews.com April 8, 2020, accessed April 10, 2020.
2. Koop, C. Woman Licks Freezer Door Handle at Grocery to ‘Protest’ Coronavirus, Wisconsin Cops Say. The Kansas City Star. Posted on kansascity.com March 20, 2020, accessed April 10, 2020.
3. 14-year-old Boy Charged After Coughing on Produce As Prank, Sheriff Says. ABC 7 News. Posted on abc7news.com March 29, 2020, accessed April 10, 2020.
4. Li, D. California Woman Accused of Licking, Ruining $1,800 in Groceries. NBC News. Posted on nbcnews.com April 8, 2020, accessed April 10, 2020.
5. Rambaran, V. Texas Woman Who Allegedly Claimed She Was Spreading Coronavirus on Purpose is Arrested. Fox News. Posted on foxnews.com April 8, 2020, accessed April 10, 2020.
6. Genesis 3:6-7.
7. Genesis 4:8.
8. Romans 7:18.
9. Romans 5:18-19.
10. Romans 5:1.

*Trey Bowling is Customer Service Manager at the Institute for Creation Research.