The Snare of Being Seen to Do Right
When Loving Your Brother Becomes a Trap
Introduction
In today's hyper-connected world, especially with platforms like YouTube, the Christian command to "do right by your brother" can easily become a spiritual snare. What begins as biblical love and concern can be twisted into public manipulation, false righteousness, and striving unlawfully. This article explores the difference between lawful striving in God's eyes and the subtle traps of people-pleasing disguised as spiritual virtue.
Striving Lawfully vs. Unlawfully
In 2 Timothy 2:5 (KJV), Paul writes: "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." This isn't a reference to Mosaic law or civil law, but to the divine order God sets for service and reward.
Striving lawfully means:
- Serving God with integrity
- Walking in sound doctrine
- Refusing to cut corners or compromise truth
By contrast, striving unlawfully can mean doing what appears right—especially in public—while abandoning the truth. It’s when the means used to achieve a supposedly righteous goal are in fact fleshly, manipulative, or dishonest.
The Greater Good and Doing Evil
Romans 3:8 (KJV) gives a sharp warning: "Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just." This mindset is alive today in many Christian circles—especially where optics and public validation are involved. When someone is pressured to bend the truth, tolerate error, or fake peace "for the greater good," they may be striving unlawfully.
True Christianity never justifies sinful methods for positive results. God is not pleased when someone lies, flatters, or compromises just to gain influence or keep the peace.
The Snare of Public Righteousness
On platforms like YouTube, believers are often manipulated under the guise of "doing the right thing by your brother." This can take the form of:
- Public calls for reconciliation that are more about performance than truth
- Forced forgiveness or submission to avoid criticism
- Call-out culture dressed as "biblical accountability"
In such scenarios, the pressure is not based on God's Word but on community expectations. The command to love your neighbor is co-opted and twisted into a tool for controlling others—especially those who won't play along.
What True Love Looks Like
Biblical love is rooted in truth. As 1 Corinthians 13 says, love "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." Real love may separate from evil, expose falsehood, and remain silent when speaking would fuel manipulation.
| Biblical Love | Manipulated Love |
|---|---|
| Speaks truth in love (Eph 4) | Covers sin for appearances |
| Obeys God, not men (Gal 1:10) | Pleases others to avoid shame |
| Resists evil (Rom 12:9) | Tolerates error to keep peace |
| Seeks eternal reward | Seeks approval or popularity |
Conclusion
Jesus did not call His followers to live under the fear of public opinion. The law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) is not a law of forced appeasement or artificial reconciliation, but of Spirit-led love grounded in truth. In a world that weaponizes kindness and uses appearances as judgment, let the believer strive lawfully, knowing that God's crown is for those who run the race His way—not the world's.