Faithful Presence: Social Media through the Lens of the Doctrine of Humanity
We’ve all been there. After a long day, you just want to sit down and unplug.
You lay on the sofa and doomscroll social media. By the time you look at the clock, it's been two hours, the sun has set, and your hopes of being productive that afternoon have gone out the window.
Paul David Tripp said it well: "I think that social media is just like a screwdriver. A screwdriver, you can build beautiful things with, wonderful mechanical things; but you could also stab somebody in the face with it.”1
Social media is a beautiful tool that can be used for immense good, but can also bring hurt.
It can either serve God's mission or feed the sinful cravings of the flesh.
How will we leverage social media?
The way we use social media matters.
This conversation is significant as we consider the doctrine of humanity.
As Owen Strachan puts it, the doctrine of humanity “sees the human person as made in God’s image, either a man or a woman by God’s making, fallen through Adam’s historical sin, formed for vocation unto God, and redeemable in and through the God-man, Jesus Christ.”2
Simply put, there are three core truths that the Bible urges us to consider:
1) We are made in the image of God
2) We are sinful in our fallen state
3) We are redeemed and sanctified through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
These three form a helpful guide for Christians as we think about our relationship to social media.
1) Image Bearing and Human Dignity
Social media presents an interesting opportunity to view the world through a carousel of perfect pictures. How do we often respond? We compare. We turn to insecurity. We define our worth with respect to what we see depicted in the lives of others.
You are an image bearer. You have value far beyond what you can see on social media posts. Our lives aren’t perfect. Our bodies have imperfections. However, we can rejoice knowing that God has created us to reflect Himself.
Social media does not reflect reality. In fact, it often distorts what we know to be real. Whereas social media may provide a preview of the world, we can only know true reality in the grounding of Scripture.
As you consider how social media affects your view of yourself and others and the commands of scripture, ask yourself these questions as you consider how social media affects you and how much you consume:
Do I look at others on social media as image bearers?
Do I struggle to view myself as Christ views me because of social media?
Should I change how I consume social media?
2. Sin and Social Media
As we seek to view ourselves and others as image bearers, the harsh reality is that sin and temptation are present in all things. Sin has affected the whole earth. Social media in a fallen world is going to be hard to navigate.
Scripture tells us in Ephesians 2:1-3 that we were sinful before Christ, living in the passions of our flesh and carrying out the desires of our body and mind.
With social media our sins might start small, but they can grow over time. Set aside for a moment how social media can parade the sins of others. Think about your own heart. Your consumption of social media creates a breeding ground for sins. Pride, envy, lust, anger, covetousness, discontenment, self despair. It exposes and enflames our flesh.
Believer, examine how you use social media. Here are some guiding questions for using social media:
How is social media leading me to sin currently?
If not now, how might social media lead me to sin in the future?
What guardrails can be put in place to keep me from sin?
3. Sanctification and Social Media
Believers, we are called to live sanctified lives. This doesn’t happen overnight. By seeking the Lord, we draw closer to him and become more sanctified.
Sanctification is a process of putting off our old self and putting on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10) Once we accept Christ, we seek to be more like him in all things. So put off the former ways you consumed media and pray that the Lord would guide you to redeemed social media habits.
If social media causes you to sin, it’s probably best you don’t have it for this season so that you may put off the old. Even still, if social media doesn’t cause you to sin, are you using it in a healthy way? Is it an emotional crutch for you? Does it cause you to waste precious hours?
Social media isn’t evil. It’s not our enemy. However, the enemy can use it for evil.
Consider these questions as we think about being sanctified and using social media:
Can I use this to share the Gospel with others?
How can I leverage the tool of social media for the Gospel?
The doctrine of humanity should guide how we use social media. As in all things, but especially here, we should reflect on God’s character, flee from sin, and seek to be sanctified.
May we be found faithful even as we use social media. May our thoughts, actions, and words display the Gospel and not hinder it. May the Lord give us all discernment as to how we use social media today and in the days to come.
*Abby Smith is a Generation LINK Resident at Crosspoint serving in Student Ministry (180) and Communications.