Articles
Trolls for Jesus!
“Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1 Pet 4:15-16)
Peter’s point here is that there are two reasons a person can suffer. A person can suffer for doing the right thing, or a person can suffer for doing the wrong thing. Furthermore, if you suffer for doing the wrong thing, that finds no favor with God. The only suffering that wins God’s favor is suffering incurred as a direct result of doing the right thing. Peter makes this point in two other places in his letter:
“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God” (1 Pet 2:20)
“For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.” (1 Pet 3:17)
One of the purposes of this teaching is to protect us from the idea that all suffering, regardless of context, is proof of God’s favor. While it is common to find people who believe that personal suffering is always the result of personal sin, there are also those who have an insatiable “martyr complex.” They believe that any suffering inflicted on them is proof that they must be doing the right thing, and so they see rejection, persecution, and suffering as proof that they are in the right. No amount of discipline or ostracizing them will persuade them of wrongdoing because, of course, the fact that you would treat them poorly is proof that they must be doing the right thing. (Didn’t Paul say that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12)?)
But Peter is clear on this distinction. If a so-called Christian decides to steal or murder, and they are punished for stealing or murdering, this doesn’t win favor with God. This doesn’t prove that God approves of their wicked actions. Far from it! God commanded us not to steal and to murder, and any suffering that results from such wickedness is fully deserved! No one in their right mind could say that they were “murdering for Jesus” or “stealing for Jesus”! Though they may be a “Christian” in name, they are not truly glorying in the name of Christ, because they live contrary to his will.
But what is a “troublesome meddler”? Peter also warns against suffering for the behavior of troublesome meddling. Some Christians might be more readily tempted to see their “meddling” as a work of Christ than they would be with things like murder or stealing or adultery. Perhaps they create vicious rumors against people they don’t like. Perhaps they deliberately antagonize others for the purpose of evoking a reaction. Perhaps they just like to start quarrels for the fun of it.
On the internet, we have a word for people who purposefully try to start cantankerous arguments in otherwise peaceful settings. We call these people “trolls.” Trolls love to sow discord by writing inflammatory comments or off-topic messages, simply to get a rise out of others. I think it is super unlikely that Peter would have known about the future and the rise of internet trolls. However, they are a clear class of people that fits the bill for what Peter calls a “troublesome meddler.”
Religion is a topic that people like to troll about frequently because (surprise surprise!) people feel really strongly about their religious beliefs. When a professing Christian decides to start trolling, it can generate angry responses. People will unfriend them, unfollow them, speak badly about them. Their reputation will be damaged and their credibility will be seriously crippled. When this happens, the Christian who trolls like this may try to justify themselves as “standing for truth.” “I’m just suffering because I’m a Christian!” they will protest. “See how people don’t like me because I told them the truth!” They see themselves as the embodiment Jesus’ words: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matt 5:11).
The problem here is that these people have not adequately distinguished between what it means to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) and what it means to be a “troublesome meddler.” It takes wisdom and careful self-reflection to know the difference. There is no such thing as a “troublesome meddler for Jesus” or a “troll for Jesus.” One does not help the message of the gospel by proclaiming in a way that is cruel, rude, hateful, or obnoxious. There’s a reason that Paul became annoyed when a demon-possessed woman repeatedly declared him to be a “bond servant of the Most High God, proclaiming the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). Rather, as Christians, we are obligated to proclaim the simple sober message of the truth. The gospel is offensive enough by itself without us having to make our conduct offensive.
If we do suffer for telling the truth, make sure that we suffer because we told the truth in love, as Christ would, rather than suffering for being a troll.
