Two of the most important aspects of the Christian faith are repentance and forgiveness. They are the foundational elements of how one even becomes a Christian for it is through repentance (turning from sin) and faith (turning to Christ) that one is forgiven. There is no Christianity apart from these two elements. This is why Christ commands repentance from all persons everywhere and throughout all time (Acts 17:30) and directs Christians to grant forgiveness to those who seek it (Matt. 6:14-15). Just as one cannot call oneself a Christian if he or she lives in unrepentant sin, neither can we claim to follow Christ if we refuse to grant forgiveness to those who ask it and seek to make amends for their offense.
In the setting of the local church, this is demonstrated when a person comes before another, confesses their guilt, repents, makes restitution, and asks for forgiveness. It is personal, upfront, and can be aided by the elders of the church when called upon. We can see the guilty party’s actions and work with them through the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. While the aggrieved person may truly forgive, the one who sinned still must demonstrate a willingness to change their thoughts and behaviors to keep from such behavior in the future. In the physical presence of many brethren, those who give mere lip service to repentance, who make no real changes to their thoughts, words, and deeds, will be quickly exposed. This can result in further counseling or even church discipline when required. In a church where these matters are taken seriously, there is little room to hide behind words alone.
Yet, in the 21st century, Christians are not isolated from relationships that occur solely in the presence of the local church. With the explosion of digital technology and social media over the last couple of decades, relationships no longer are confined to one’s local community. We are connected with people around the globe and can build relationships with people we may never meet face-to-face. Furthermore, these relationships exist 24/7. We can communicate with virtually anyone at any time with little to no restraint. Christians can build virtual communities with each other and never have to experience the limitations set by schedules, jobs, childcare, uncomfortable group settings, and more. It is little wonder why so many people live much of their lives in these virtual settings. While seemingly more comfortable than living with one another face-to-face, virtual relationships face many challenges as well. The ability to create echo chambers, to block anyone who creates obstacles to our comfortability, and to be swept up in an antagonistic mob mentality is all too easy when those you interact with are pixels on a screen rather than a flesh and blood person. Therefore, just as in the real-life arena, Christians can and do sin against one another in the digital world. The question becomes how one addresses sin, repentance, and forgiveness in this environment.
The unique nature of social media gives every user a modicum of anonymity. Usernames and profile pictures can be purely fictional, never revealing the truth about a person’s identity. Even when someone is willing to use their true name and image, the lack of physical presence before others makes it easier to curate his or her appearance in the virtual world. We show the online community only that which we want them to see. And, with that sense of anonymity, we can easily set aside the fact that we are dealing with physical people on the other side of the screen. Compassion, kindness, and grace are all too easily discarded because we do not see the impact of our words and behavior toward others. Mistreatment, lying, bullying, and even defrauding others can become justifiable because we are only dealing with screen names, not real people. Sin becomes so much easier in such an environment. With that in mind, the idea of holding someone accountable for their sins suddenly feels daunting. When others are simply pixels on the screen, the certainty over the conviction of sin, repentance, and the ability to forgive appears to be impossible to discern.
Difficult though it may be, Christians are still obligated to address sin as they see it in their midst, virtual or otherwise. Passages such as Matthew 18:15-20 and James 5:19-20 require Christians to confront sin, call on their brethren to repent, and seek reconciliation. This may be more difficult in a virtual setting, but it is not impossible. First and foremost, the confrontation for sin must occur. Ideally, this could be done through private messaging or phone/Zoom-style calls. This allows for person-to-person contact outside the view of others. If such contact is rebuffed or repentance is rejected, then as Christ commanded, trying to mediate with other persons may become necessary. This is not done to shame or gang up on the person, but to hopefully help the sinner see the seriousness of their behavior online and to provide oneself with witnesses that these attempts are being made according to Scripture. If repentance is further rejected, it may be necessary to seek out the sinner’s church, if this can be determined, and provide the elders with documentation of all efforts so they can address the matter themselves. If such information is not available, and all other avenues are exhausted, it is advisable to step away from further contact so that we do not provide the person further means to sin in the same manner. Furthermore, one may need to warn other online users if the sin involves lying, theft, or defrauding in order to protect them from harm. None of this is to be done to shame, bully, or even dox the sinner. This is all done because we desire the repentance and reconciliation of one’s brother or sister in Christ.
If the person found to be in sin confesses and seeks forgiveness, we can forgiven and rejoice, yet we should desire to see genuine repentance occur. Where the sin is public (and it almost always is on social media) the confession should be public as well. It should also be immediate, for when sin is left to hide in the dark corners it is all too easy for someone to later mitigate, minimize, and even justify their behavior. Genuine repentance expresses a willingness to be seen by others and to be held accountable for future acts. Those giving lip service are less likely to publicly admit their wrongdoing even though they showed no such resistance to their public sin. They should also be encouraged to stand before their own elders and seek biblical counsel on why they sinned, what drove such thoughts and intents, and how they might seek to avoid sin in the future. If the sin involved some kind of defrauding of others, the person should be called upon to confess to all the aggrieved parties and make restitution where necessary. Lastly, it may be necessary to urge the person to cut themselves off from all social media use that is not watched over by the elders of their church. Christ made it clear that whatever gives us the means to sin should be removed from our lives (Matt. 5:29-30). While sin is a matter of the heart, if social media is the means of temptation, then repentance requires that it either be removed or heavily monitored. Those who refuse any and all such steps, or who seek to minimize the sin, claiming such repentance is unneeded, are likely exhibiting guilt over the consequences of sin rather than over the sin itself. It may be necessary to walk away from any further association with such a person and hand the matter over to God, trusting He will deal rightly with them.
The virtual world is distinct from the real world, yet it exists alongside and is used by flesh and blood people. Sin will occur in both arenas and Scripture calls upon us to address sinners so that repentance and forgiveness may occur. When we do this rightly, it pictures the gospel to all who are watching. If we fail to do it, then, not only do we allow sin to run rampant among professing believers, but we also communicate to those impacted by those sinners that sin does not matter much to us, or God. Both should be unacceptable to Christians. Let us be a people who desire to see our brethren conform to the image of Christ by calling on one another to live in obedience and to be repentant when we fail, both in the real and digital worlds.
Note: This article was also published on X.com
The gospel of Jesus Christ redeems sinners. That is the Christian message, that is what we are called to preach to the lost of this world. Mankind is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) because we all are born with a sin nature (Ps. 51:5). Because our federal head, Adam, sinned in the garden, all mankind has been impacted by the stain of sin on our very souls (Rom. 5:12). Since we are conceived in sin, we live out our lives enslaved to sin, and all we do is sin (Rom. 6:20). When we stand before God, we will receive the due payment for our sin, eternal death in the fires of Hell (Rom. 6:23). There is no hope in ourselves or anything of this world by which we can be freed from sin and avoid the just wrath of God to come. Only one thing can free us from our fate and that is Jesus Christ.
What is a Christian? A Christian is a person who was once a rebel sinner, at war with God through wicked works. But by God’s merciful redeeming grace, he or she has been freed from their sins and adopted into His family through the propitiatory work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21-26). Because Jesus died in the place of sinners on the cross (taking the wrath of the Father they deserve) and was buried in a tomb, only to raise Himself from the grave of the third day, those who trust in His work receive His righteousness in the great exchange (2 Cor. 5:21). Now, through this free and marvelous gift, sinners become saints and have the promise of everlasting life. And on top of this, they are made new creations with new hearts and new desires (2. Cor. 5:17). This is a Christian.
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