This is an opportunity for all of us to examine ourselves. If, as you read this, you recognize moments where your tone has been sharp, your patience thin, or your speech unkind, do not despair. The Christian life is marked not by perfection, but by repentance. Where we have fallen short, we are called not to defensiveness, but to confession and renewal. Grace does not excuse careless speech. It redeems sinners who recognize it.

As another new year is born, many of us pause to reflect on habits we would like to strengthen and patterns we would like to abandon. New Year’s resolutions, at their best, are not exercises in self-righteousness but acts of honest self-examination. That spirit of reflection is worth carrying into our online lives as well.

Reformed Twitter/X has become a lively town square. At its best, it is a place of theological clarity, confessional fidelity, and genuine encouragement. At its worst, it mirrors the same quarrelsome, reactionary, and undignified speech we lament everywhere else.

Scripture calls Christians both to contend for the faith and to walk by the Spirit. These are not competing obligations. They belong together. The church is commanded to guard the truth, refute error, and confess Christ boldly. Yet Scripture is equally clear that the manner in which we contend must itself reflect the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

As we enter a new year, here are five resolutions worth adopting for those of us who confess the Reformed faith online.

1. Resolve to Contend for the Truth in Love

The apostle Paul reminds us that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

This is not a rebuke about gaining knowledge, but a warning about its misuse. Doctrine matters. Precision matters. But truth wielded without love ceases to serve the church and begins to serve the self.

The Spirit does not produce indifference to doctrine. He produces love through doctrine. When love is absent, the fruit of the Spirit is absent, no matter how accurate our arguments may be.

Before we press post, it is worth asking not only, Is this correct? but also, Is this contending for the truth in a way that builds up Christ’s body?

Accuracy without love may win arguments, but it does not bear the fruit of the Spirit.

2. Resolve to Examine Ourselves Before Correcting Others

Our Lord commands us to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). This does not forbid correction. It orders it.

Walking by the Spirit produces humility, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits restrain our impulse to correct others hastily or harshly. Self-examination does not weaken conviction. It strengthens our credibility. Those who are most serious about holiness are often the most careful with their words.

3. Resolve to Reject Mockery While Refuting Error

Scripture never commands us to mock our brothers and sisters, even when they are mistaken. Proverbs warns that “whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker” (Proverbs 17:5), and Paul cautions believers not to become arrogant toward one another (Romans 11:20). Mockery is not courage.

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