I have been involved with Christians and professing Christians across a few boards. One thing that I have noticed is that there are a few people who exhibit a spirit of ungodliness.
Many of us, myself included, have responded inappropriately and with insults. I think that we all recognize this is not proper conduct. But things get heated (and this is no excuse). There are a few people who have been banned from these boards for their behavior. I understand someone having to take an involuntary break because things got out of hand. I think that this is normal as we are human beings discussing diverse beliefs that we hold as foundational towards our faith.
But there are some people who have been banned several times on different boards. This is a different issue as it shows, IMHO, that there is a serious problem.
God has taught and commanded how believers are to interact with one another. I think it is fair to say that we all can stumble in our interactions. But what if this is the mark of a professing Christian? If it were any other sin we would automatically consider that person a “nominal Christian” as he or she would be given over to the flesh.
Is the sin of disobeying God’s commands regarding how Christians are to act any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of being abusive to another person any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of being unkind any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of holding a grudge against another person any less a sin against God than any other sin?
One thing to consider is that those who are unkind on these boards are not only sinning, but they are sinning “with a high hand”. It is willful and indulging the flesh.
I often see prideful people screaming about what they believe is a splinter in the eye of a brother while walking around with a log protruding from their own. Sometimes that prideful person is me. We contend with sin in our own lives. We contend with the flesh. We do not contend with the sins of other people.
But I have noticed a few people for whom this behavior is the mark of their online presence. I have considered the explosion of pornography due to the internet. I wonder if this does not also apply to other sins. It is too easy to indulge the flesh when a ready made "enemy" is only a few clicks away.
Many of us, myself included, have responded inappropriately and with insults. I think that we all recognize this is not proper conduct. But things get heated (and this is no excuse). There are a few people who have been banned from these boards for their behavior. I understand someone having to take an involuntary break because things got out of hand. I think that this is normal as we are human beings discussing diverse beliefs that we hold as foundational towards our faith.
But there are some people who have been banned several times on different boards. This is a different issue as it shows, IMHO, that there is a serious problem.
God has taught and commanded how believers are to interact with one another. I think it is fair to say that we all can stumble in our interactions. But what if this is the mark of a professing Christian? If it were any other sin we would automatically consider that person a “nominal Christian” as he or she would be given over to the flesh.
Is the sin of disobeying God’s commands regarding how Christians are to act any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of being abusive to another person any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of being unkind any less a sin against God than any other sin?
Is the sin of holding a grudge against another person any less a sin against God than any other sin?
One thing to consider is that those who are unkind on these boards are not only sinning, but they are sinning “with a high hand”. It is willful and indulging the flesh.
I often see prideful people screaming about what they believe is a splinter in the eye of a brother while walking around with a log protruding from their own. Sometimes that prideful person is me. We contend with sin in our own lives. We contend with the flesh. We do not contend with the sins of other people.
But I have noticed a few people for whom this behavior is the mark of their online presence. I have considered the explosion of pornography due to the internet. I wonder if this does not also apply to other sins. It is too easy to indulge the flesh when a ready made "enemy" is only a few clicks away.
