I was listening to a popular Christian financial advisor the other day. He received a call into his radio program and the caller, who sounded somewhat confused and distraught, asked for some advice. He had purchased a home in Colorado for $500K three years prior, paid off more than half of it, and was in a great position to fully pay it off over the next three to four years. He and his wife had done some research and figured the home was now worth $700K. The radio host applauded the man’s plan and discipline, then was utterly confused when he asked, “So, should I be selling my home now since the housing market in Colorado is going to crash in the next six months?”
The radio host was beside himself. He asked the man where he had attained this erroneous information. The man answered that his wife had read it on the Internet. The host’s advice was very clear, “Stop reading the Internet! You’re doing great. Stick to your plan.”
It made me chuckle because I often preach a similar message to my congregants. The Internet is truly a double-edged sword. While a well-intentioned Christian may find some truth on it, there’s a much larger deposit of garbage they must first sift through before getting to said truth. And, by the time a person gets to it, their perspective is so twisted by all the garbage, they may not even recognize the truth when they see it; or, minimally, they may doubt it.
Furthermore, the advent of social media platforms has only exacerbated the situation. People get baited into arguments that they had no idea even existed when they woke up that morning. There’s an endless supply of opinions blasted into view via social media “feeds” that can be somewhat difficult to ignore.
The world postures the Internet as liberating, though it is, in fact, a worn path to bondage. The Word tells us that whatever you’re in bondage to, it is to that you are a slave.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
– Romans 6:16
The truth is that anyone who allows themselves to be pulled into a sea of endless opinions (most of which are the results of compounded error) is a slave to confusion. “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a). There’s only one opinion that matters and it is found in Holy Scripture. This is why I advise my congregation to stay off the Internet and especially away from social media. It’s a sewer pipe. You’re better off finding an honest, God-fearing pastor, fellowshipping in a local church, and reading your Bible daily, allowing God the Holy Spirit to teach and mentor you along the way.
Who needs the Internet when it comes to the Word of Truth? Is the Bible not enough for you? Did the Author somehow fall short in His own estimation of how much Truth you would really need to be set free?
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
– 2 Timothy 2:14-19
We are often our own worst enemies. Humans have a morbid sense of curiosity when it comes to the carnage strewn across social media and the Internet. It’s like slowing down to look at a car wreck. Did you know that social media sites use very elaborate algorithms to target content that will capitalize on your so-called “curiosity”? How do you think they maximize their profits? It’s all about counting clicks, my friend. Every time you click deeper, they increase their profits! Who’s the puppeteer and who’s the slave in this scenario?
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
– Galatians 5:1
Don’t be an Internet slave. Your life and your happiness are too precious to sacrifice on the altar of the god of this world (the devil). Be especially careful when it comes to Bible doctrine. Please don’t be a fool and arrive at conclusions based on what you read on the Internet. Contrary to popular belief, you can’t believe everything you read, except for one place – the Bible.
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins