The Rules Apply to All of You, Except for Us

by Orlando Gonzalez

They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity" (Amos 5:10).

It is no secret that the arrival, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ flipped the world upside down nearly two thousand years ago. The ancient world, at that time, was in a state of spiritual ruin. An overwhelming majority of humanity did not know God and pursued the desires of the flesh, worshiped false idols, studied futile philosophy, and dedicated their entire lives to pursuing the temporary treasures of this life. On top of this, a number of people, who were part of “God’s elect,” claimed to know God and even portrayed themselves as able to teach the Law of Moses well, but in reality, they utterly destroyed it with man-made traditions, double standards, inhumane treatment of their own brethren, and twisted and suppressed truth for their own benefit. Only a few had a genuine passion for everything that God represented and hoped to be with their Lord one day in Heaven. Yet, it was this small portion of individuals whom the world hated with a burning passion and continues to hate to this very day. This hatred of God's followers is especially found among those who claim to be “Christians” -- the ones who claim they support the New Testament to the absolute T with no bias, no false teaching, and no mistreatment of brethren if they have a different thought on a matter. However, when they hear the truth, they draw back in absolute disgust, are filled with pride and malice, and treat the truth-teller as if he was a rebel who needs to be taught a lesson about how the world works -- about how their worldview works and not about how God’s worldview works.

I spend time on Reddit nowadays. It is a website that contains endless amounts of communities of various kinds. Whatever you can think of that could exist, you’re very likely to find it on Reddit. The interest in Christianity is no exception. There are approximately half a million Reddit users who are a part of some sort of Christian-related “subreddit” (i.e. forum or community chat). While this may seem to be great news that so many people have taken an interest in learning and discussing Christianity, from my personal experience, this is very far from the case. To attempt to describe the spiritual state of these subreddits would be difficult. It’s like seeing a modern-day, digital rendition of ancient Jerusalem before Jesus arrived. The closest word I could think of to describe it would be “toxic.” So toxic, in fact, that it would make you nauseous. I'm saddened for all of the poor souls who are trying to understand Christianity but only get a twisted, confusing, and horrendous mockery of what Christianity really is. I have no doubt these people get off their computers or phones and are left feeling discouraged from not having any solid answers from the bombardment of clashing opinions from people of various denominations.

Thus, I decided to be a voice of reason by not putting in my own opinions in response to controversial questions. I don't just claim to be a Christian (which hundreds of thousands of other users do) but instead, I do something different. From what I can tell, I am doing something that no other user has ever done. I simply just go on sharing content made by real, high-experienced, God-fearing Christians who backed their positions with large amounts of clear scriptural evidence mixed with the old classic (and not so common) logical reasoning. No verses are taken out of context to fit the way they wanted to view life nor were wild emotional reasoning used in an attempt to make their voices heard. They knew the power that God’s Word alone had and simply explained these points in such amazingly thorough detail that any keyboard warrior would want to throw their monitor out the window and scream at the top of their lungs for failing to come up with any good counterarguments.

Undoubtedly, I gained a lot of attention by doing this soon after I started sharing articles, Q&As, videos, and audio sermons. Mostly negative, of course. but that comes with the Christian duty. However, I have also received positive comments too -- ones of encouragement and thanking me for sharing information that helped them figure out the tough questions that they have been pondering for so long. It’s the latter group that I seek the most because I genuinely want to help people. I am pleased when I see that just by being the messenger, I am still doing the work of the Lord (Matthew 13:31-33).

Unsurprisingly, I had gained so much attention though that I attracted the notice of some moderators in the subreddits where I shared the content.

On January 25th, 2023, I shared an article titled “Salvation by Grace” by the late James R. Cope, on a Christian subreddit called “r/Christians.” The article is quite old, coming from The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 12, October 1952, and was posted on the La Vista Church of Christ website on February 24, 2014.  Mr. Cope examined how salvation and grace function under the Christian religion according to Scripture, including how one who seeks salvation from his or her sins must also know and strictly abide by the laws regarding faith, baptism, divinity, human limitation, and teaching. It is an excellent work and I highly recommend reading it. It will help you by not just understanding the context of this article, but also help you on your journey toward reaching Heaven.

The moderators in the subreddit “r/Christians” didn’t seem pleased with my decision to share Mr. Cope's article. It seems like I struck a nerve with them. Instead of giving me clear and valid reasons for why the points Mr. Cope brought up were wrong or that the way he used Scripture was inappropriate, the moderators removed my post after only a few hours. No thought was given to providing an opportunity for a respectful and meaningful conversation to resolve the issue they found. Instead, they sent me this message:

“Your post from Christians was removed because of: ‘Advice Not From Scripture’.

Hi u/TheTalkedSpy,

Thank you for participating in our subreddit! Unfortunately, your comment/post did not meet criteria for Rule 5 of our subreddit which states,

All posts and comments that are theologically or spiritually advisory in nature should be derived from the plain and obvious meaning of Scripture in the correct context. Quoting specific biblical references is best practice but not required.

If you believe your advice to be based on teaching from the Bible, please edit your comment with supporting Scripture either as direct quotes or paraphrasing. If the Scripture is applied correctly and in context, we will approve your post. Thank you!”

Apparently, they didn’t think that was enough. They also decided to temporarily ban me from the subreddit for 60 days. The message that contained this ban notification also included this note as an additional reason:

“False CoC (Church of Christ) doctrine, baptismal regeneration.”

Certainly, they thought well in doing this and were simply making sure that no false doctrines were being spread around to fool other users into second-guessing their current stances or believing such obvious and ridiculous nonsense! Surely you don't think abuse of power, impulsiveness, and censorship took place! I mean, please, it’s the Internet -- the ultimate place of free expression! The moderators simply know much better than you or me! That is why they’re the ones in charge and not us!

If you couldn’t tell by now, that was sarcasm -- massive sarcasm. Respectfully, these claims they made are false. How? Let’s first examine what the r/Christians subreddit claims to be about. It is titled “Christianity by grace through faith in Christ alone.” Obviously, this group is run by individuals who believe in being “saved by grace through faith alone.” The very title contradicts James 2:24, which states: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Already, we are off to a bad start. The “About Community” section states the subreddit is

“A non-denominational subreddit for the encouragement of Bible-believing Christians, to the glory of God. We place an emphasis on sharing biblically sound advice and content with one another. r/Christians is also a Protestant-based forum upholding the Five Solas of the Reformation, including salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. "In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.” "

Hmm, a “non-denominational, Protestant-based” forum that “prioritizes on sharing biblically sound advice and content with one another.” Interesting. To the average, worldly-based “Christian,” this subreddit might suit him well. This forum might actually have some like-minded Christians who truly care about what the Scriptures have to say and will try their best to diligently examine what the Lord and the inspired writers have stated while being on guard against strange teachings made by potentially dangerous individuals who pretend to be peaceful but are really ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. If you have visited other subreddits, you may even think this subreddit actually contains significantly more conservative Christians who treat each other with actual love and respect!

But, to the real Christian, you can already tell where the issues lie in that very description. The phrases “Protestant,” “Five Solas of the Reformation,” and, most importantly, “salvation by grace through faith alone” are all warning flags. Tell me, where in the Bible are these phrases mentioned? Nowhere. Try as you may, you won't find the approval of sects (i.e. denominations), mission statements, creeds, and “faith alone” teachings.

Even worse is the sheer hypocrisy of these “reasons.” Hopefully, you have examined Mr. Cope’s article. He actually included many biblical passages, used within their proper context, that are used incredibly well. It isn't sensible that these moderators would label the article as a “false Church of Christ doctrine.” The Scriptures clearly support Mr. Cope’s points! How could it be a CoC doctrine if any open-minded and intelligent person outside of the churches of Christ would conclude this is from the Scriptures?

How can seemingly “reasonable and just” men ignore these points and throw a rash and unjust punishment at someone sharing what the Scriptures actually state and teach? They have specific rules that tell people to only share biblical and truthful points and to also discuss alternative views.

“Rule #5: Share Biblically
Do not promote or seek to persuade others of views contrary to basic Christian doctrine (e.g. Trinity, salvation by grace through faith alone). However, one is allowed to respectfully discuss alternative views.”

“Rule #6: Share Truthfully
Forum participants should make sure that all posts and comments present true factual information that can be verified by reputable sources. Statements regarding any topic, particularly areas common to Christianity such as denominations, religions, historical events and persons, doctrines, practices, etc., should be supportable by multiple reputable sources. Linking to or directly referencing sources is best practice, but not required.”

Since when was it logical to have rules apply to everyone else but those who are in power? Did Jesus ever go against the very commands which He spoke to his disciples? No, of course not! The Lord even went so far as to get himself baptized to show Himself as a righteous example to all of those who desire to have their sins cleansed and prepare for His coming! (Matthew 3:13-17).

We can conclude that the moderators simply don’t believe in baptism, and therefore, if you mention that baptism saves you on their turf then “clearly” you are not using your Bible. They don’t believe that anything other than faith is necessary in order to secure your spot in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). All you have to do is believe and have this feeling of faith in Jesus, no matter how much sin you are currently in or how many secular or spiritual laws you have broken in your life.

They encourage people to ignore all the biblical text that states the contrary to their beliefs because, to them, they are all just misinterpretations, mistranslations, and verses taken out of context to maliciously deceive others and drag the unsuspecting into false doctrine. They will claim, “It doesn’t matter how you or I worship and follow the Lord! So long as you have goodness in your heart and have faith in Him, everything is going to be alright!” Sadly it is they who are far from the truth! (Matthew 7:13-14, 20-23)

They had already made up their minds beforehand (Psalms 36:1-4) and want absolutely no one to dare to tell them that they have been wrong for years (Proverbs 14:8). Anyone who disagrees will suffer the consequences for stating the truth. On the Internet, it is just simply getting banned from a forum that most people in the world don’t know exists. That’s nothing special, for it makes no impact on your day-to-day life. However, imagine if you had these kinds of people running organizations or governments, who think they know it all and are perfectly willing to slander or even silence those who want to give correction. It is a recipe for disaster. What matters to them is what they want to hear, not what they need to hear (II Timothy 4:3-4). They have no concern about what will happen to them in the future if they are wrong. They only care about the now.

With all that said, what should we do? We all know we’re basically at the mercy of the moderators in online communities such as Reddit. If we poke their beliefs too much or offend other fellow users on the forums with the truth (even if it wasn’t our intention), we’ll likely face unjust backlash and swift disciplinary action.

Well, we must recognize where regular users and moderators stand. Regular users are part of an organized community with a set of rules and guidelines. They are subject to follow everything that the moderators have put into place. This resembles how society functions in real life. Citizens live in an area ruled by a government and are required to follow the law of the land. The laws are meant to keep peace and order in the community. If someone willingly breaks these laws with malicious intent, it is up to the governing authorities to deliver justice (see Romans 13:1-7). We, as saints, are told to live peacefully with our fellow man and not stir up trouble (Romans 12:18).

Yes, I know this is the internet and a lot of things are not generally taken as seriously as they are in real life, but my point still stands: The internet still exists within the world, and so it is part of it. Therefore, we must follow the established rules and guidelines to the best of our abilities, so long as they are in line with God’s commands. If a rule seems illogical (for example, don’t post cat videos in a subreddit all about pets), you still have to follow the rules because they don’t violate God’s laws. When an authority in charge mistreats people, God will judge him. It doesn’t matter if the matter took place in a courtroom or in some random corner of the internet. Everything is seen under God’s eyes (Psalms 139:12). Every man is equal under Him (Romans 3:23; 3:9-16). All are supposed to treat their fellow men with love and respect (Matthew 7:12).

We, as saints of the Most High, must walk with integrity and honor so that we may be shining lights to those who are lost in this world (Psalm 119). In order to help those in need, we must go out to spread the Good News, but it must be in its unaltered, unsweetened, and raw form. Some will accept it as it is and will take great joy and comfort in it, but there will be others who will reel back in shock, confusion, disgust, or even anger, and will proceed to either scoff or actively do harm to the saints. They do this because the teachings of the Bible are of the doctrine of truth, and they simply don’t fit with their preconceived ideas of how the world works. Is it really a surprise that moderators in r/Christians reacted so harshly to my post? What I shared directly impacted their way of life and would require a drastic change from them. They rejected it. It’s safe to say that they are immature in regard to discerning what is right and what is wrong (Hebrews 5:13-14).

Remember, fellow brethren, we live in tough and uncertain times. As each day passes, it seems like society is tipping further into the deep end. But let’s not get discouraged about doing what needs to be done. There are individuals out there who have no guidance in their lives or are getting fooled into following false gospels. They are also surrounded by people who also know no better, or worse, know better but still decide to follow their own hearts. You were once in their shoes, and your duty now is to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). You’re going to be in positions that you’ll hate to be in, but you must think about not just your reward in Heaven but how you will be furthering the influence of the kingdom of your Lord and Savior. When you are part of a group that is incredibly stubborn and always scoffs and dismisses what you have to say, remember Jesus’ comment to the disciples on how to deal with that (Mark 6: 10-11). If they end up banning you, take it as a badge of honor. You suffered for your Lord in some way, after all.

I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (II Timothy 4:1-5).

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