What shall we say then? Paul's guide to the comments section.

The following article was submitted by guest author, Jason Evans, and edited, with consent, by Bible Brian.

If you're anything like me, nothing fills you with more righteous anger than stumbling across one of the numerous pages peddling false information about God, Christ, the Word, or Christianity in general. From false doctrine to "gotcha" questions, misrepresentation of the faith to supposed "contradictions" in Scripture, social media is littered with infuriating teachings inspired by the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

In these modern times, anyone and everyone is free to post unchallenged foolishness; the wolves are free to feed upon the sheep. And like me, when you come across these schemes of the enemy, you often feel led by the Spirit to offer correction by way of the Word. We know that "If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed," (1 Timothy 4:6). However, many of us—of which I am the worst (to borrow from Paul)—find ourselves falling into the quarrelsome traps laid before us. Thus, as we wage war across the digital battlefield, we would be well-served to follow the rules of engagement exemplified by the apostle Paul.

Rule 1: Go Nuclear

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1-2)

You may have heard it said, "I don't disagree with what you're saying, but I don't agree with how you're saying it." In modern debates, this is the ultimate defensive shield. The moment someone loses their temper or drops a personal insult, the listener gets to completely tune out the truth of the argument and hide behind their hurt feelings. Paul understood this psychological loophole completely, which is why when he encountered a fundamentally broken premise in Romans 6, he didn't launch an emotional tirade or mock the intelligence of the asker. Instead, he deployed the phrase mē genoito (μὴ γένοιτο)—an intense, high-dignity shutdown that translates to "Never may it be!" or "Perish the thought!" Paul used the no-est no at his disposal without resorting to equivalent wording such as "What? Are you stupid or something?" The connotation may be present, but he leaves the underlying message to be inferred by the reader.

Paul scorched the argument, but he left the messenger un-singed. By choosing his words with absolute precision while refusing to compromise on the severity of the message, he stripped away their ability to complain about his tone and forced them to look directly into the mirror of the argument itself. When your presentation is completely flawless, any opponent who blows up in anger won't be exposing your bad attitude—they will simply be exposing their own conviction over the message. As such, it is essential to be firm and measured in your instruction and correction, but there are other considerations we must take into account when presenting our arguments.

Rule 2: Be Salty

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone," (Colossians 4:6)

Bitterness is a choice. Trading insults with your opponent is easy. You're probably better at it than they are—maybe not on my level, but proficient. And while there is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from landing the perfectly-crafted clapback, such things are only gratifying to the flesh. Paul warned Timothy to be careful not to fall into this trap, but rather to rise above it by regarding your opponents as more than mere men and women—or in our case, semi-anonymous digital avatars: "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity," (1 Timothy 5:1-2). To understand and employ Biblical "saltiness," we have to ditch the modern definition and look at how the ancient world viewed salt: as a preservative to stop decay and as a flavor enhancer that made things more palatable.

Paul modeled this perfectly when he stood before the pagan philosophers of Athens (Acts 17:22-23). Surrounded by a city drowning in literal idolatry, he didn't launch a shouting match, mock their false gods, or ridicule the worshippers. Instead, he masterfully hooked their attention by pointing to their own altar dedicated "To an Unknown God," using their own architecture to introduce them to the Creator. He was sharp, brilliant, and unyielding on the truth, yet his delivery was so thoroughly seasoned with intellectual respect that his audience invited him back to speak again. Later in this passage, Paul revealed the specific purpose of his careful rhetoric, explaining that God orchestrates human lives so that people "...would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him..." (Acts 17:27). The original Greek uses the active verb psēlaphaō (ψηλαφάω), which evokes the tragic imagery of a blind person groping around in complete, utter darkness.

When we engage in online apologetics, we must remember that our opponents aren't intellectual targets to flatten, but rather, spiritually blind image-bearers wandering in that same pitch-black abyss. Therefore, it is imperative that we guard our speech so that it might function exactly like that 1st-century salt—acting as a preservative that prevents the conversation from collapsing into a mudslinging contest, while remaining impactful enough to pierce through the noise. Gracious presentation isn't a sign of weakness or compromise; rather, it is a deliberate tactical choice designed to bypass an opponent's emotional defenses so that the truth can reach the real target beneath the surface.

Rule 3: Take No Prisoners

"...that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will," (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

There's nothing quite like fully eviscerating your opponent so thoroughly that you leave the battlefield absolutely decimated. As hearts and thumbs accumulate, the solid ratio-ing of the opposition affirms the validity of your position, and leaves them helpless but to accept being destroyed by your superior logic. But since our objective is always the rescue of a captive soul rather than the prideful inflation of our own ego, we must possess the maturity to know exactly when a thread has shifted from a rescue mission into unprofitable self-congratulation.

The tragic irony of online warfare is that, despite the appearance, the person you just "destroyed" is not your enemy; they are the casualty. In his letter to Timothy, Paul pulls back the spiritual curtain to reveal that those who oppose the truth are actually caught in a supernatural snare, taken captive by the devil to execute his will. When we approach the comment section with the sole intent of stacking intellectual bodies, we are essentially launching a drone strike on a hostage crisis. If our presentation is driven entirely by our own ego, we aren't liberating anyone—we are just helping the jailer secure the chains.

Our aim should never be to imprison those who disagree with us on our doctrinally-sound rhetoric, but rather to provide an escape hatch through which the captives might be set free. We should speak with words not formed of dirt with which to bury our opposition, but of grace shaped into a rope by which the lost may climb out of the pit their blind guides have led them into. Therefore, our arguments must function as rescue tools designed to slide under their defensive radar and unlock the cage from the inside. Weapons meant to flatten the prisoner only aid in achieving the goal of the captor, and leave the enslaved without an ally.

Rule 4: Ghost Them Like a Pro

"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them," (Titus 3:10)

You've stated your case plainly. Your responses appeal to the wisdom of the Scriptures. The truth stands boldly in the light you've helped shine upon it. You've avoided the traps of following your opponent as they flee down the myriad of rabbit holes. You've repositioned the shifted goalposts, mourned the death of the fragile straw man built against you, and expertly disarmed and dismantled the steel man of the other side. Yet, for reasons you will never comprehend, the opposition refuses to admit defeat. You've Proverbs 26:5-ed the comments, but now, thanks to the laugh reactions, insults, mockery, and antagonistic language, you're in danger of Proverbs 26:4-ing. And why not? You absolutely cannot let their foolishness be the last word. Except for when their own words say more than yours ever could.

It's tempting to drop the mic with a Proverbs 12:1 reference or a passive aggressive assurance that you'll "be praying for them" on your way out, but in the digital realm where the majority of eyes and ears are in the silent, unseen background, stooping to such childish antics—again, of which I am the worst offender—immediately tarnishes our credibility as representatives of the Truth. This is the precise boundary line Paul draws with Titus. Stepping away and invoking absolute, unbothered silence is not admitting defeat—it's letting that spotlight over the truth do its work.

Paul uses a striking Greek word to describe a persistently divisive troll: autokatakritos (αὐτοκατάκριτος), which literally means "self-condemned." By refusing to dive headlong into the mud with them, your dignified silence leaves their insults hanging naked in the air. As Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 11:19, these sorts of chaotic factions are allowed to show up on the landscape because the chaos acts as a natural filtering system. When a thread devolves into a circus sideshow of insults and mockery, it forces a stark division: the toxicity of the provocateur serves as a dark background, allowing the light of the truth-bearer's integrity to shine brightly. You don't need to defeat them; your silence allows their continuous stream of folly to take center stage— where it might expose itself for what it is by screaming as loudly as possible into an otherwise quiet auditorium.

Rule 5: Engage the Caps Lock

“See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!” (Galatians 6:11)

In real life discussions or debates, you may have often found yourself being shouted down as a means of silencing the truth. In the digital realm, this behavior presents itself by way of everyone's favorite key: the caps lock. The underlying internet logic is as lazy as it is common: if your argument lacks actual structural weight, try to make up for it by increasing the visual volume.

Hiring a professional scribe to write the body of a letter was standard practice in the Greco Roman world. However, at the very end, the actual author would take the pen to write a brief postscript in their own hand. This practice of "autographic subscription" acted as a legal signature to prove the letter wasn’t a forgery. In the Greek text of Galatians 6:11, Paul uses the word pēlikois (πηλίκοις), which doesn't mean "large" in the generic sense, but rather implies magnitude, prominence, or a monumental scale. This was as close as he could get to slamming his hand on the table to demand their attention. The visual weight of his signature was not attached as an attempt to artificially boost a weak personal opinion, but to anchor his readers to the authoritative truth of the Gospel.

For modern digital ambassadors of Christ, the lesson is clear: when the comment section explodes into an all-caps scream-fest, your defense must never rely on your own clever theories, emotional reactions, or un-supported opinions. If a situation is severe enough to warrant a response, it demands that your words be firmly built upon the unshakeable bedrock of Scripture itself. True volume isn't carried through capital letters; the Word of God speaks loudly enough on its own.

Conclusion

When it’s all said and done, navigating the noise of social media is an ongoing exercise in spiritual discipline—one that requires us to constantly master our motives and tame our tongues. Paul’s letters show us that true rhetorical victory is not secured through personal pride, clever comebacks, or digital dominance. It is about holding the line on truth while fiercely protecting the image of God in the person on the other side of the screen. As we log back in and square off against the internet's wolves, we ought to always remember the playbook: drop the childish antics, pick up the sword of the Spirit, and let our unshakeable composure show the world exactly what it looks like to be anchored in the Truth.

Editorial alterations

Aside from general alterations to make the article fit the format of Bible Brain, the following changes were made to this guest-submitted article.

1. Created a header image.

2. Added an image referencing a scene from the comedy show "Friends".

3. Removed hashtags from subheadings due to Wix's tendency to force non-functioning, yet non-removable hyperlinks on them.

4. Took Greek forms from Bible Hub and added them next to Greek transliterations.

5. Added links to other Bible Brain articles relevant to the linked word or phrase.

AI usage

1. The header image was generated by ChatGPT