We live in a world where screens no longer serve us; they shape us. Every day, we wake up to the buzz of our phones, scroll through endless feeds, and spend hours engaging with content that shapes our outlook and affections. Social media, for example, promises connection, convenience, and even community. Yet beneath its appeal lies a sobering spiritual reality: it is shaping who we are becoming, even in our ignorance. Tony Reinke’s question in his book 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, p. 18, is worth noting: “We check our smartphones every day, throughout the day, and sometimes compulsively. But are we being changed in the process?”
For those of us who live under the Lordship of Christ and embrace the sovereignty of God over all things—including technology—the better question is not simply whether we are being changed, but how we are being changed. Social media is a tool that can either draw us toward Christ or distract us away from him. Therefore, our stewardship of the digital world must flow from our theology, not our trends. How should we use it for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)? What does it mean to steward our screens under the Lordship of Christ? This blog is a humble attempt to reflect biblically and theologically on the nature of social media, with a desire to offer a Gospel-centered path forward.
Recognize the War for Your Attention
Social media, for all its benefits, is deeply formative. It’s not merely a platform; it’s a battleground. It competes for the very thing God commands us to guard: our hearts. In Proverbs 4:23, we’re told to “keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” And yet, many of us hand over that vigilance daily to algorithms designed to capture our attention and stir our desires.
Tony Reinke highlights the sobering reality that we no longer use our phones; they are using us. They disciple us, shaping what we think is urgent, worthy, and desirable. Our phones are more than a distraction. It is a spiritual deformation. Social media teaches us what to love, whom to envy, and where to seek validation. In the words of Jesus, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). For many, the treasure has shifted subtly but surely from Christ to digital applause, from communion with God to connectivity with followers.
The Scriptures are not silent about this. Paul, in Romans 12:2, calls believers to resist being conformed to the patterns of this world, urging us instead to be “transformed by the renewal of your mind.” But social media often pulls us in the opposite direction, toward conformity, comparison, and consumption. It teaches us to live for the moment, to curate our image, and to measure our worth by likes and shares. This is why we must be alert. The digital world does not merely reflect our hearts; it reprograms them.
As believers, we affirm that every part of us is touched by sin. This includes how we engage with our screens. Our scrolling is not exempt from sanctification. The war for our attention is also a war for our affection, and the only way to win it is to keep Christ at the center. Social media must be viewed through the lens of God’s glory. Otherwise, it will subtly become our god.
Pursue Solitude Before Screens
In a culture of instant updates and constant connectivity, solitude is becoming rare and perhaps even feared. Yet the Bible reveals a Savior who often withdrew from the crowds to commune with his Father, and to be strengthened for the mission ahead. Mark 1:35 tells us that “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus, the eternal Son of God, prioritized solitude with the Father. How much more we, feeble created beings?
Reinke points out a modern crisis: the vanishing of stillness. Our phones promise escape, but they often deliver only more noise. And in this endless noise, we lose the ability to hear God’s still, small voice. Without solitude, prayer becomes shallow, meditation vanishes, and Scripture becomes just another text among many. In contrast, Psalm 1 presents a blessed man, whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who meditates on it day and night.
Solitude is not simply about being alone. It’s about being alone with God. It’s a discipline of prioritizing his voice above all others. Isaiah 30:15 reminds us that “in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Yet we exchange this strength daily for a few moments of dopamine-laced entertainment.
Calvin, in his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion, warned of how the human heart is a “perpetual factory of idols.” In our day, one of those idols is the screen itself—an always-on altar that demands constant attention. If we are to engage the world rightly through social media, we must first retreat into the presence of God. Spiritual power flows from solitude. To make the most of social media, we must begin each day not with a beckoning notification but with a bowed head and an open Bible.
Speak with Grace in the Digital Public Square
The tongue, James tells us, is “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). If that’s true of spoken words, how much more dangerous are typed ones, often sent in haste and received without tone or context? Social media has become a digital colosseum where opinions are weaponized, sarcasm is applauded, and grace is rare. But even more, our speech, whether online or not, reflects our hearts. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). In the digital realm, it might be better said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the fingers type.”
Reinke warns that smartphones encourage impulsive communication. They remove the pause of wisdom. Yet Scripture calls us to be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). The digital age, however, reverses that: we are quick to comment, quick to anger, and slow to reflect. The result is often content that stirs division rather than unity, and pride rather than humility.
The Apostle Paul exhorts us in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up.” This command doesn’t end at the edge of the pulpit or the dinner table; it includes tweets, captions, and comments. We must be known not for our clever rebuttals but for our Christlike tone. The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, must not be suspended when we’re behind a screen. If the world looks at our feeds, will they know we follow Jesus?
Moreover, since every man is imago Dei, it means that every person we interact with online, regardless of their opinion or platform, bears the image of our Creator. Our words, therefore, should not destroy but dignify. The digital public square is not exempt from Gospel ethics. It may be one of the most urgent places to display them.
Redeeming Social Media
While it is crucial to guard against the spiritual pitfalls of social media, we must not forget its God-given potential. In his providence, God has placed us in this digital age, and with it comes responsibility. As with any tool, social media can either serve the flesh or magnify the Lord. We can be light in this digital darkness, not by withdrawing in fear, but by engaging intentionally.
Reinke wisely encourages believers not to abandon social media, but to redeem it. He likens it to the printing press, a technological revolution that God used mightily during the Reformation. Martin Luther’s writings, carried by print, ignited a movement of Gospel renewal. Likewise, our tweets, blogs, and posts can proclaim the truth, open Scripture to the people, and encourage believers worldwide. What was once reserved for pulpits is now accessible to anyone with Wi-Fi and a burden for the Gospel. This demands purposefulness.
Are we using our platforms to glorify God or to glorify self? Do our followers leave our pages knowing more about our opinions or more about our Savior? Jesus calls his people “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and that includes the digital world. Paul urged Timothy to “…preach the word; be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). In our time, being ready might mean being digitally present with Gospel truth, pointing others to the hope of Christ in a hopeless feed.
Moreover, let us remember that the Great Commission extends beyond geographical boundaries. Social media enables us to reach people in nations we may never visit, to speak truth into the hearts of those we may never meet, and to plant Gospel seeds in places no missionary has yet reached. This is not by accident. It’s God’s design.
Soli Deo Gloria in the Digital Age
The issue is not whether Christians should use social media, but whether we will use it faithfully. Scripture reminds us that everything belongs to God (Deuteronomy 10:14, Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26), including our digital presence. We are not called to escape the world but to engage it with transformed minds and sanctified hearts.
In 1 Peter 4:7, we are reminded, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” This warning is as relevant to our screen time as it is to our souls. The day is drawing near. Our time is short. And our phones, if left unchecked, will rob us of what matters most. Yet in Christ, there is grace for our distracted hearts and wisdom for our digital habits. We are not left to figure this out on our own. The Holy Spirit equips us with discernment, and the Word lights our path (Ps. 119:105) even through our feeds. Let us then live, post, and scroll Soli Deo Gloria, to the glory of God alone (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Christ is Lord, not just over pulpits and pews, but over pixels and posts. May we honor him in all things, making the most of every opportunity, including the ones on our screens, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:15–16).