The coronavirus has brought along with it an ocean of opinions. We have opinions about the severity of the virus. We have opinions about the quarantine. We have opinions about politics. We have opinions about when church should resume.
With our opinions comes the sinful danger of how we post on social media. Our tendency is to believe that people must know what we think about an issue. That our opinion carries significance. And yes, our opinion could be helpful at times, but often are unhelpful and even sinful in words and motive.
How do wisely navigate when to share our opinion and when to hold it back? God gives us instruction about this.
“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” –Proverbs 29:11
When it comes to posting on social media platforms, we should guard our lips (or our thumbs) and be slow to post our opinion.
Words are powerful. Proverbs tells us that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). That means that when we post we are always pushing people in one of two directions: either towards Christ or away from Christ.
David Platt said, “The people you text and tweet are going to spend the next quadrillion years either in heaven or hell.”
What direction are your posts pushing people?
6 Questions to Guide Us
As believers, social media is a platform that God has given us to advance the gospel. Let us steward social media to help people see that Jesus is better to us anything else. May God use us to help our friends and followers find Jesus as their greatest joy!
So, before we hit post, let us stop and consider the following questions:
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Will this ultimately glorify God or myself? “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Cor. 10:31
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Will this display the mercy of Jesus or present a distorted picture of the mercy of Jesus? “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10
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Will this create unity or stir up unnecessary division? “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called … eager to maintain the unity of the bond of peace.” –Ephesians 4:1–3
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Will this reveal me to be harsh and impatient or humble and kind? “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” –Colossians 3:12
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Will this post build up or tear down? “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” –Ephesians 4:29
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Will this post heap shame or give hope to broken people? “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. … Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” –Romans 5:6-8, 20
Jesus bled and died for our sinful social media usage. Let us not use our platform to fall back into sin. Look to Jesus for grace and help. May our presence on social media show others that we belong to Jesus.
Resource on this topic: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke