Featured Proverbs 18:17 in Dealing with the sin of professed believers online.

I do not think it matters how we appear. It matters how we are. And this is judged by what we do (our actions).

Truth is not subjective. It is objective. I believe Scripture is the criteria by which we measure doctrine and actions (it is, I believe, the “standard” of our faith and practice). Therefore, IMHO, we do not need to make assumptions or guess but we need to go to the Bible.

As @Reformed pointed out, Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


What does the word of God say about dealing with other people?

It says “ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:29-32)

It says “ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35

It says “If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20

I do not think that we that we need to venture further. God’s word is living and active. God is NOT mocked.

And I say this as someone who has been the target of false accusations, insults, and slander. I struggled for a time, insulting my accuser, but God's word is sharper than my pride. I apologized and repented of my actions and I forgave the sins of my accuser. That is what the Bible says to do. And that is, IMHO, the answer to the OP. That is how we deal with the sins of professing Christians....whether on online forums or in our community.

We have to be faithful to God and not turn inwards and feed our own pride and lusts.

 

Something that needs to be considered:

Perhaps there is a greater advantage to addressing one's own sins than there is judging the perceived sins of others....especially when it comes to online forums where interaction is so limited and up to interpretation.

 

The proverb is directed towards judgment:

Proverbs 18:15-18 The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. A man's gift makes room for him And brings him before great men. The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him. The cast lot puts an end to strife And decides between the mighty ones.

How do we judge right from wrong. The wrong may appear right until the right appears. Do we, as the passage states, cast lots (flip a coin) to determine right from wrong? Lots were an appeal to God (letting God decide, like how the Amish choose their leader).

BUT we have the word of God. THIS is the determiner. This is the "other" that comes along to examine the man.

We do not judge a man against another man. We judge using Scripture (the Bible).

In the example I gave NEITHER parties were without guilt. Were he honest he would admit his sin as I admitted mine. But if he is dishonest then your application of the proverb would not work. The guy made false accusations in order to "win points" with his crowd and slander me. Some of his arguments were too childish and it backfired on him. He was ultimately denounced by the board (the membership and the staff). But I was also guilty because I had insulted him. It was not a victory for me, but an incident where we were both wrong (him for his false accusations and me for how I handled the issue). I took care of my sin, he remained in his.



Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


What does the word of God say about dealing with other people?

It says “ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:29-32)

It says “ "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35

It says “If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20

I do not think that we that we need to venture further. God’s word is living and active. God is NOT mocked.

 

I think that you are missing the point, Iconoclast.

The OP title is Proverbs 18:17 Dealing with the sins of professing believers online.

What are we looking at (per the OP)? Professing Christians on online forums who sin.
what does the proverb say? That one may seem right until another examines him.

I am saying that per Scripture the "examiner" IS GOD'S WORD.

I am not talking about anyone justifying themselves, or flattery, or pleading our own case. I am saying that Christians MUST DISCERN WITH SCRIPTURE AS THE STANDARD.

I offered an example where another person and I were both guilty. What does SCRIPTURE say? Scripture tells us to forgive those who offend us, to seek peace, to uplift, to repent, etc. That is what I did. That is not what the other person did (he remained in sin). So what else (the question of the OP) should be done? NOTHING.

I am guiltless not because I was not guilty but because I have been forgiven my part by God. And I extended an apology to that guy. That is all that I need to do. NOTHING else. The guilt remains on the other guy until God convicts him and he repents, he forgives, and he is forgiven by God (not me, I already forgave the man).

Christians need to be FAITHFUL to God's Word. It really is that simple. Obey and stand in that obedience.

Scripture is not a smorgasbord where we can select a proverb teaching how to rule a people justly and ignore passages telling Christians how to act towards other people.

 

Again, you are missing the point.

That guy and I were BOTH the offending party.

There were two people - that man and me. Scripture teaches when there is a conflict that we are to forgive the other person.

I forgave the other person and apologized. I moved on. That was being obedient to God.

He may have forgiven me, I do not know. That is none of my business. I hope that he did because the Bible says if not the Father will not forgive his sins and that he will not inherit the kingdom of God. I do not want that for this man, and I pray for his salvation. But that is between him and God. I am not currently involved in the issue (whether he is or not, I do not know).

The point is when Christians sin online we are to be obedient to God, not seek to be vindicated. That is the point.

I only spoke of the man who made false accusations against me as an illustration. It is true, and he and I were both wrong. But where I know that I was obedient to God I cannot say for the other guy. And that was not my point.

My point was that the Bible tells us what to do in these situations.

 

No. That would turn an illustration into gossip.

Most know me enough to know that I would not misrepresent such an issue. The man lied about me and I replied by insulting him. We were both wrong. A third party (multiple third parties) let him know he was wrong in his claims and I was wrong to reply by insulting him. That is all there is to the situation.

I apologized to him and I forgave him. My part is done. But he doubled down in his sin. I will not offer specifics because that would be participating in his sinfulness.

The point here is that we are to respond to those situations by obeying God's word.

When dealing with sin we repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness for our sins and forgive the other person. If, like in my case, the other man will not stop sinning we just pray for him. It is between that person and God.

 

No. It is an account. The issue was already settled. It is in the past.

The man had his say and I had mine. The staff told him that he was wrong and had jumped to conclusions. They told me I was wrong to respond with insults. They were correct. I do not think he believed it because it was not the only time this happened. He was corrected at least three times. So was I. He was proven to have made false assumotions and I was proven to have responded inappropriatey.

The difference is I understood I was wrong and repented. I forgave the man. He could not, I think, because he was obsessed with the sin of pride. Others suggested he was not actually saved, but I think we cannot judge in that way.

It goes back to Scripture. Both cases were heard and a discussion made (multiple times). Where I listened to criticism he could not. That is where the proverb comes in. A fool despises reproof. He cannot bear it. It damages his pride as he craves vindication.

This is where my point comes in. We have to be obedient to Scripture. As such I will never reveal that man because it would feed his sin. Pride always wants a stage.

I have forgiven him, apologized, and pray for him. That is all I need to do.

 

@Iconoclast,

I offered an example. Why get caught up in the illustration? You are going down a rabbit hole.

The point is that the Bible is very clear on how we deal with others. There is no excuse to reject Scripture. That was the point of my experience.


I forgave the one who falsely accused me. I apologized to him for my part (for responding to him unkindly and insulting him). And I was forgiven. So it is behind me. If he condemns me that is his business because God does not. It is between him and God.

The point is when people sin against us we are not to take offense or to give offense. We forgive, apologize for our part, and move on. Don't worry about the other guy, if he does not repent or forgive. Pity him. Pray for him. But leave him to God.

 

No, that would be wrong. I mention the issue, not the person.

My example is a past issue that was settled already. The things in the proverb happened already. This was settled 3 different times from different people. And the conclusion has always been the same.

I made my case. He made his case. The judges concluded he had made false assumptions leading to false accusations and I had responded inappropriately to those false claims.

This actually happened three times across two boards involving over 7 staff members considering both sides. It was proven he had made false accusations and that I responded inappropriately. The conclusion has been the same every time. That was the proverb in action.

A fool despises reproof. I "took my lumps" and learned from my actions. I am grateful for the correction. Each time he became hostile and rejected reproof. But he has to realize he was wrong. I'm sure of it. Perhaps God has drawn him back to a faithful walk. I don't know. I do not converse with him privately. He has never apologized, but that does not matter. God may have led him to repentance. That is not my business.

But you are missing the point entirely, Brother.

The point us HOW we respond, NOT seeking a fourth or fifth audience to hear both sides of a resolved issue.

We respond to being wronged by apologizing for our part, forgiving the other, and moving on.

Even those false accusations were a tool God used to reach me and correct my errors. I realized the importance of forgiveness and grew from meeting that guy. While it was an unfortunate encounter God used it for good and for His glory. I matured through the experience and gained a deeper understanding of forgiveness.