Jeremiah 16:17, “I can see everything you are doing, even if you try to hide your sins from me.”
Proverbs 15:3, “The LORD sees everything, whether good or bad.”
Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.”
People are up in arms about WhatsApp’s new terms of service and people are apparently leaving WhatsApp for apps like Telegram and Signal.
WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, will collect user data such as user’s phone number and location, assured users that their messages will remain secure and inaccessible to spying eyes. In short, the changes mean that WhatsApp users can be targeted for advertising according to the information gathered.
But what if Facebook knew everything about you? I mean everything: every thought, motive, deed and deepest secret? Let me clarify, suppose you had an extra-marital affair 7 years ago or you consistently drink too much liquor. What targeted adverts would fill your social media feed and would those adverts be useful or cause you shame?
Every thought, motive, deed and deepest secret is already known by an omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God. That means that every sin, whether it is an extramarital affair or theft is committed in the sight of God Almighty.
I suppose then that the real question at hand is not what information Facebook gathers about you and what they can do with it, but how you live all of your life before God.
With all of our sin known by a holy and righteous God, we receive not targeted advertising, but His forgiveness, grace and mercy through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour because He loves us.
The challenge put to us is to fill our lives, including those bits of information that Facebook will gather about us, with an evangelical message that points people to the love of God.