Paul tells Timothy to, “Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Tim. 2:15, MEV). The New Living Translation says, “Who correctly explains the Word of Truth.” As a Christian, we need to use God’s Word, the Bible, carefully and study it daily. With this in mind, I recently wrote a post on Facebook about something that is quite important to me. To a certain extent, I sometimes feel like Jesus when He went into the temple and, with righteous anger, threw out those who were not honoring God and the temple. If there is one thing that gets me upset, in righteous way, it is when people misuse the Word of God, when they quote it the wrong way.
Social media is a great tool that I am thankful is available to us but, it also becomes a platform where many people want to share their opinions. For us as Christians, the Bible is the Word of God. It is truth and should be the lens in which we view all of life. It is the foundation of our worldview and it is powerful! With that in mind, I am not opposed to anyone quoting from it and sharing their love for God using the platform of social media, but if we, or anyone else, chooses to quote Scripture there are a few things that we need to consider.
First of all, if we choose one verse, are we using it in the context of all of Scripture? Let me give you an example, you could quote a verse about David having more than one wife and try to make a case for polygamy, but knowing all of Scripture, we understand that this is not God’s plan. When quoting a verse, be sure it properly applies to the situation or argument that is at hand. One verse should not be used as the basis for an entire stance on a certain subject.
Another thing to keep in mind, as I said before, the Bible should inform our beliefs and not be used to support our own personal opinions. I may feel a certain way about a subject but if I use one verse to support my opinion as opposed to studying all of the Bible to make sure my opinion is in line with God’s Word, I am not understanding the Bible the way it was intended.
We also need to be consistent. It is easy to be passionate about one topic and know what God has to say about it but, I believe, we need to care about all that is on God’s heart. There are plenty of wrongdoings and injustices in the world and some will hit home with us more than others but, again, let Scripture inform all areas of life!
Lastly, when it comes to social media, be gracious to those you disagree with. Quoting the Bible but not acting or speaking in love towards others can ruin your testimony and turn them off to ever searching the Bible for themselves.
Rev Kev's Heavy Revs 