Responding To Critical Comments… | Ep. 3

Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where we bring you Christian commentary about the things that matter. As ever, please know this video isn't a sinful attack on anyone, but rather a Biblical critique.

In today's video, we're going to have episode three of a series called Responding to Critical Comments. And in this series, we will be responding to actual comments from this YouTube channel that are angry, critical, or otherwise negative.

Of course, the commenter's identities will be hidden for the of privacy, but nothing else will be edited from their actual statements. The first comment is not directed towards a specific video, but simply to the direction of the channel altogether.

It says this, quote, I've never seen a ministry based solely on judging others. This is the worst Christian teacher I've ever seen. How many times have people seen this guy even smile? He seems depressed because of all the judgments he is always passing.

There is no joy in this guy. Don't be fooled. This man is a modern day Pharisee, end quote. And to whoever commented this, if it's any consolation to you, just know I did smile while I was reading this comment.

It's ironic and a little funny, but let's dig into this. First off, he says that this channel is solely based on judging others. So it's wrong from the get-go here. The goal of this channel is not judging for the sake of judging.

It's not called judge for judgment. It's called fight for truth. It's about implementing biblical correction where it is dearly needed. You see, we live in a world where so-called churches are preaching that the gospel of Jesus is a way to get more money and more resources for yourself.

And we live in a world where people are preaching that the Bible is a story that's fundamentally about how awesome and special you are. We live in a world where things like sin, hell, judgment, wrath, all of those biblical subjects are being casted out of the church entirely in the name of God's love.

The statistics show that the majority of people going to evangelical churches don't affirm some of the most basic truths of the Christian faith. According to a recent Barna survey, almost 50 percent, half of American evangelicals believe that good works can get you to heaven.

This is contrary to Romans 4 -5. More than this, over 40 percent of these people believe that Jesus sinned while he was on earth. This is, of course, contrary to 2 Corinthians 5 -21. 34 percent of these people believe that marriage does not only have to be between a man and a woman.

And this is, of course, contrary to Genesis 2 -24. You see, when you actually survey the beliefs that are popular among American Christians and just take a look around, you will quickly find that the type of correction we do on this channel is very much necessary.

This channel is not an instrument of hatred and sin. It is an instrument of hope and help. Of course, we're not always perfect at accomplishing that goal, not even close. But we are genuinely trying to help Christians see error and believe the truth.

Testing Everything and Holding Fast to What Is Good

1 Corinthians 5 -21 tells us to, quote, test everything, hold fast to what is good. And 1 John 4 -1 says, quote, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

For many false prophets have gone out into the world. You see, this channel is not meant to simply judge other people because we like to do that or we like to hurt other people's feelings. No, we're trying to help our fellow Christians discern truth from error because we love them too much to not do that.

But the next thing the commenter says is, quote, How many times have people seen this guy smile? He seems depressed because of the judgments he is always passing. There is no joy in this guy, end quote.

Now, I can assure you that I have smiled at least a handful of times in my life. In fact, just a few months ago, I smiled for about half a second. It was incredible. I wish this commenter could have been there to see it because it only happens once every two years.

But in all seriousness, this claim is so ridiculous that I feel no need to respond to it with anything other than a joke, because it really is a joke. And finally, the commenter says this, quote, Do not be fooled.

This man is a modern day Pharisee. And the first observation here is this. Does anyone find it interesting that this person begins their comment by complaining about judging people and making negative statements against others, but then the rest of their entire comment is devoted almost solely to judging this channel and making negative statements about it?

Seems to be a bit inconsistent. But as for me being a Pharisee, let me tell you guys something serious. If you appreciate this channel, or if you appreciate the channels of men who are frankly much better at this stuff than I am, guys like Justin Peters or Chris Roseborough, for example, links in description, then be ready to be called a Pharisee.

When you talk about your theological views, it is almost 100 going to happen if you listen to these people. Because unfortunately, most modern evangelicals have virtually no idea what a Pharisee actually is.

In fact, most of them think that the greatest sin that the Pharisees ever committed was that they loved the Bible too much or that they followed the too fervently. This is absolutely false. Jesus consistently corrected the Pharisees by directing them back to the Word of God.

In fact, in Matthew 15, 6, Jesus says this to them,. The sin of the Pharisees, you see, was not that they corrected people according to the Word of God too much, but rather that they needed to be corrected according to the Word of God themselves.

The Pharisees nullified the Word of God. They rejected it in their beliefs and practices, and Jesus makes that very clear. And yet, we have a whole generation of young Christians who think that the central sin of the Pharisees was that they loved the Bible too much and followed it too accurately.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Again, Jesus corrects the Pharisees using the Word of God. So if you truthfully and lovingly correct a false teacher using God's Word accurately, that is not a Pharisaical thing to do.

It's a Christ-like thing to do. It's crazy how much we've mixed these things up in the modern church, and comments like the one I just read for you are the outcome of this. But the next comment comes from our recent video where we talked about gun control.

I believe it's entitled, Go ahead and watch that using the link in the description. Essentially, Brett McCracken, a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition, thought that when Christians defend their right to own guns, they are putting children at risk of shootings.

And in the exact same way, when the world fights for the right to kill unborn babies, they are putting children in danger as well. And in our video response, we illustrated how ridiculous this comparison truly is, how it simply doesn't work.

That is the backdrop for the comment that I'm about to read, which is admittedly rather long, so bear with me here. I am against all forms of killing. Murdering babies in the womb is just as heinous as murdering babies outside the womb.

A sin is a sin. Scripture says failing to fulfill one law is the same as failing to fulfill all the laws. Pro-lifers want all baby-killing clinics to be shut down, or to make it difficult for people to do baby-killing.

But they are not clamoring for stricter gun regulations, so that so-called mental illness, etc., can't access guns.". So there are quite a few points being made here, and it can be a bit hard to track.

But this is very important to respond to, because as Christians, we need to sort out our views on gun rights. We're at a place right now in the culture where these questions are being asked, and if we can't answer them according to the Word of God, that's a problem.

The truth is, the world wants to respond to these terrible shootings that we see with raw emotions and secular wisdom. But we Christians need to respond by submitting our emotions to the Word of God and thinking biblically about everything.

Essentially, the comment here agrees with Brett McCracken's original statement. The idea is that conservatives fighting for gun rights is basically the same thing as liberals fighting for the right to kill the unborn.

But as we've covered, this comparison is absolutely absurd. When a conservative Christian is fighting for the right to own a gun, they are, by and large, wanting to own the gun to protect their innocent children, or at least themselves and their family.

On the other hand, when a leftist fights for the right to kill unborn babies, they are trying directly to hurt innocent children. There is absolutely no logical comparison here at all. One group is trying to protect their babies with their rights, and the other group is trying to kill their babies with their rights.

Anyone who suggests that these two ideas are somehow similar is extraordinarily misguided. As we covered in our previous video, God's law in the Old Testament allowed for justified killing in self-defense.

Exodus 22 verse 2 says this,. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood guilt for him. Yet the law did not allow you to kill your innocent baby. Exodus 20 verse 13 says,.

You shall not murder. So it's entirely possible to have an ethical society that allows for appropriate lethal self-defense and also condemns the killing of the innocent. The point here is this. There is no logical or ethical comparison at all between conservative Christians who want gun rights and secular leftists who think you can kill a baby in the womb.

And to make this kind of comparison is not just inaccurate, it's slanderous towards most conservative Christians. So that's it for today. Only two comments, but they were rather long, and we hope to do even more of these videos in the future.

It's a great way to offer quick and easy clarification and to engage with people who disagree. And please know this. I do not offer any of this correction from a high and mighty position. I am nothing but a wretched sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.

So let's pray for this channel that by God's grace we would hold to the truth of God's word. Thank you so much for watching that video. Please give us a like and subscribe so that you don't miss any content.

Also don't forget to subscribe to our Rumble channel as well, just in case YouTube ever takes us down. The link is in the description. And before you go, take a look at this list here. These are the people who make all of the free content you see on this channel possible with their monthly support.

Today's highlighted channel supporter is Bruce S. If you also want to help and become part of the solution today, hit the link in the description. Every little bit keeps us independent and helps us immensely here on the channel.

So I hope you'll consider joining the Truth Army today, and until next time, fight for truth, never surrender, and keep your eyes open. Thank you, and God bless.