SOCIAL MEDIA
The emergence of social media web sites has given many religious people new opportunities to display their righteousness before others. Whereas, before the internet when religionists would show off their faithfulness mainly on Sunday mornings, or Saturday for Jews, it is now possible to testify about your religiosity to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people with one click. With blogs and “likes” on FaceBook, internet savvy religionists may literally tell the world about their beliefs. And they do this with prideful satisfaction that they are doing it all for the glory of God.
As we have shown in this series of pages on pride and boasting, however, all this posturing and proclaiming is actually contrary to Godliness and not at all Christlike. Rather, it is religious flesh run amok.
It is difficult to defend this opinion from Old Testament scriptures where public participation in religious activities of one kind or another appears to be the norm. Reading between the lines of the stories about heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, however, we see that each character endured seasons of relative social isolation along with public visibility. And we also see that as imperfect people, some of them sometimes crossed the line of public displays of righteousness. And yet, in his forbearance, God still regarded them as faithful.
It is in the New Testament that we find our best clues about how we should relate to social media. Consider these scriptures:
John 3:25-30: Now a discussion arose between John’s disciples and a Jew over purifying. 26 And they came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
COMMENTARY: Different people have their own professed motives for participating in social media. Whatever those reasons might be, having a social media presence that somehow advertises religious affiliations or beliefs has the effect of increasing recognition and status as a religious person. People may argue that gaining recognition is not their motive, but even if it is not a conscious motive, the effect is still there.
This does not mean, however, that it is impossible to use social media for good, Godly purposes. A good way to tell if it is being used for Godly purposes or evil, selfish purposes is to evaluate with respect to the qualifications of a True Prophet or a False Prophet. Another good way to tell if it is being used for Godly purposes and not selfish purposes is to evaluate if people use social media as Model Warriors and Teachers.
Some will argue that making public statements about their faith is a big part of their responsibility as a Jew or Christian. This is an argument that is widely promoted within religious circles. It is a practice that seems to do more good than harm. And it has a certain legitimacy if others in the religious circle are also doing it. The problem is, however, that doing these things is just another conscious effort to display their righteousness before men. That puts it in the category of Defiled Religion.
John 7:1-11: After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing. 4 For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his brothers did not believe in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 Go to the feast yourselves; I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 So saying, he remained in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?”
COMMENTARY: This interesting vignette tells us that Jesus’ disciples still did not fully understand New Covenant life. They clearly show that they are still operating under Old/First Covenant religious rules when, in verses 3 and 4, they say “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing. For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” The disciples are all about public displays of religious works which is the essence of Old/First Covenant religious life. Verse 5 confirms that his disciples (i.e. brothers) did not believe in him at that point.
Jesus rebukes the disciples by saying in verse 6 that, in effect, they were always ready to put themselves in public view. He goes on in verse 7 to say that the religious world that would be celebrating the feast of Tabernacles would not hate them because they would publicly participate in the feast which was an important feature of the Old/First Covenant. He goes on to say, however, that the religious world would hate him because he was constantly saying and demonstrating that all of its religious works, not just the feast, were evil. Despite this strong rebuke, the disciples went up to the feast anyway.