Have you taken a “PCR” test lately?

Wait…this blog isn’t about Covid-19, so don’t hit the “delete” button yet!

Well, sort of.

If the news outlets are right, the whole world has been affected by a pandemic caused by a coronavirus. As a result, we constantly hear about “cases” and “test results,” which are determined by what is called a PCR test. I recently had to take one to get on an airplane as well as to be admitted to the country to which we were flying. Thankfully, my test came back with good news: NEGATIVE.

The whole world knows about PCR tests. And I hope yours comes back negative, too, if (and when) you have to be tested. But have you passed your spiritual PCR test?

P.C.R. = Personal Cleansing Report

While we have only been dealing with the “SARS-Cov-2” version of coronavirus for a couple of years, the world was exposed to a much more deadly virus around 6,000 years ago. It’s the virus of sin. It didn’t escape from a lab…it escaped from the Garden of Eden. Funny thing, Covid came about because of something called “gain of function” research. Well, I suppose we could say Adam and Eve did their own research on “gain of function,” believing the lie that Satan told … Did God really say?? They thought they knew better, that they had something to gain by disobeying the Creator who had lovingly made them, perfect people in a perfect world. Their experiment turned out quite badly, and like our current virus, it infected everyone it touched, bringing destruction, pain, suffering, violence, hatred, and every evil thing into the world God had made.

Thankfully, there is a solution. The pandemic of sin can be defeated, and it starts with a simple test – the P.C. R. No Q-tips up your nose required, but it will cost you a sincere and honest willingness to let God examine your heart. When the virus is exposed, as we are ALL infected, we must repent of our sin, and ask God’s forgiveness, which He promises to all who believe. Believe what? We place our faith in the sinless Son of God, Jesus, who gave His life on the cross to pay for our sin debt. He defeated sin and its resulting spiritual and physical death, and God raised Him up. In Him, we have eternal life – we are now immune from the effects of sin!

You must have a P.C.R. test to go to heaven. Your personal cleansing report must show that the blood of Jesus has been applied to your sin account. The virus is removed, and you are clean!

Unlike man-made vaccines and medicines and social protocols, the blood of Jesus is 100% effective against the penalty and power of sin. Unfortunately, we still live in the “contaminated” world of our flesh – where the virus is still circulating. We are affected by sin’s presence, and we must take regular P.C.R. tests for healthy spiritual growth and preventing sin’s physical effects on our lives. We consistently practice daily repentance. That’s called a relationship with Jesus, and it happens as we spend time in His Word to hear His voice, talk to Him often in prayer and personal confession, and conversely, we avoid social distancing by making sure we are in regular and close fellowship with other believers (called your local church).

There you have it…God’s prescription is free and available to all who are willing to accept it. Don’t be fooled. God’s test is infallible because He is a perfect God. There are no “false positives” or “negatives.” Simply put, no other salvation will fix your problem – not church attendance, good works, or other religions. Salvation is by faith alone, in Jesus alone.

Let’s end the pandemic. Tell everyone you know the good news about Jesus. It’s the only way to cure sin. Have you taken your P.C.R. test?

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Acts 4:11-12 – He [Jesus] is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.