I used to be a huge Facebook user. I loved sharing thoughts life moments, and discussing world events. But over time, I saw an uglier side of people starting to creep outward. Unfortunately, we’ve been duped into believing that being a blatant jerk on social media is good, moral, and justified. There’s a notion that bad people don’t deserve God’s love, grace, or restoration; instead, harsh, vulgar words like calling someone a “piece of s***” are seen as morally justified acts of righteousness. This mentality is false, misleading, and dangerous.
Love Your Enemies
The world tells us that it’s acceptable to repay evil with evil, but Jesus plainly states,
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, ESV).
That’s about as opposite of cultural norms as you can get. Want to be truly radical and rebellious? Show love and respect for others. When we engage in unloving behavior, even towards those we believe deserve it, we oppose Jesus’ grace and mercy.
The Anonymity of the Internet
Things that wouldn’t happen in a person-to-person interaction now occur on social media because it’s often a mob versus an invisible person. The internet’s anonymity and detachment make it easy to forget that real people are on the other end. People say and do things online they would never do face-to-face.
This topic should be paramount for every believer, as we are called to live out our faith authentically. Are we using social media to uplift and encourage or to tear down and harm? We must be eternally vigilant of our words to reflect the love and grace of Jesus. Here are a few pointers before you post:
Think Before You Post: Reflect on whether your words align with Jesus’ teachings of love and kindness.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29, NIV).
Engage in Prayer: Pray for wisdom and strength to respond with grace, even when faced with negativity. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16; Matthew 14:23). If He needed prayer, how much more do we?
Respond Constructively: If you must engage, do so in a way that builds up rather than tears down. Aim to bring God’s light and restoration to a dark and troubled world.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5, NIV).
Follow Christ’s Example
We follow Christ when we resist the temptation to engage in a cruel and unloving manner, even when it feels justified. Remember, Jesus prayed fervently and loved unconditionally a world that was at odds with Him.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35, NIV).
Our mission, our ultimate goal, is not to win arguments but to win people to Christ. As Mister Rogers aptly put it, “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”
Let’s change the online world through prayer for wisdom and strength to speak truth in love, intending to spread Christ’s message of forgiveness, grace, and restoration.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, NIV).
