Beware Of UNSHACKLED's Junk Theology!

I was listening to 'UNSHACKLED' today. I've heard a couple dozen episodes over the past couple days. I wanted to vomit as I heard PGM spewing their lies of LORDSHIP SALVATION, WRONG REPENTANCE and OTHER HERESIES! 

Case in point is 'UNSHACKLED' program #3590 (aired in 2019). A man named Matthew gets a flat tire and stops in a little church, meeting a church member named Ted, who listens to Matthew's troubled life's story and offers this horrible advice: 

“I believe God loves you, and wants you to invite Him into your life. I believe that is the change you may be looking for!”

This type of junk theology saturates the UNSHACKLED series! Folks, you don't get saved by “inviting Jesus into your life”! Judas invited Jesus into his life, becoming one of Christ's very apostles, but Judas had a devil in him (John 6:70), and went to Hell. 

In little later in the UNSHACKLED program (after being coached by his religious sister to “REPENT and RECEIVE THE INVITATION”), Matthew prays and tells Jesus that he wants Him to be his Savior, but there is no mention of Christ's death, burial or resurrection (The Gospel). Matthew says:

“I got up from my knees and I was free. I was new. That day God delivered me from my addictions! Within minutes of my spiritual salvation, he took away my impulse to use [drugs].”

Folks, that is junk theology! Here is the truth...

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” —Heraclitus of Ephesus (535-475 BC)

What saith the Scripture? ...

Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

I am unalterably opposed to Pacific Garden Mission's junk theology, which says that a sinner must “REPENT and BELIEVE” (two steps) to be saved. The problem is that PGM wrongly understands repentance to mean full surrender to Christ, and to turn away from one's sins. This is the heresy of Lordship Salvation. I am against the heretical idea that if a person comes to Christ, they will instantaneously be changed. The only difference when you get saved is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24). 

As I just showed you from Romans 12:1-2, the Bible says we are TRANSFORMED (changed), by the RENEWING OF OUR MIND. This is very different than the false message being propagated by UNSHACKLED that your life will immediately change at the time of salvation. It is junk theology, meaning it is not Biblical; it is JUNK!!! 

Growing in grace takes time. Granted, you cannot sit under the Word of God and not be changed! Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” However, it takes time for a new believer to change, as they are renewed in their mind by the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2). That is why I am very much against the junk theology being promoted by Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio program, which relentlessly promotes the idea that the moment a person comes to Jesus Christ, they will instantly become a 'new creature' in behavior, and all desire to commit sin will be gone forever! PGM errantly understands this to be repentance. 

When they tell people to “REPENT and BELIEVE” in all their UNSHACKLED episodes, what they really mean is to turn away from your sins AND then also place your faith in Christ. It is a TWO STEP false plan of salvation! What they are really saying is that a person must commit to KEEPING THE LAW before Christ will accept their faith in Him for salvation. This is “ANOTHER GOSPEL,” which is accursed by God (Galatians 1:6-7). Case in point! 

The Corrupt 'UNSHACKLED' Religious Experience of Debbie Brooks

Many of UNSHACKLED's heart-touching stories are a nice fairytale, but they are not Scriptural! Here is PGM's 'GO TO' Bible passage—2nd Corinthians 5:17-18, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” There is a fine line between faith and foolishness! God knows that I am not trying to be negative, nor criticize Pacific Garden Mission without a cause; but rather, they are pressuring sinners to make a commitment to turn away from sin to be saved, which is not true. 

For example: In UNSHACKLED program #3589 (aired in 2020), a woman named Debbie Brooks meets with a religious friend named Sharon:

SHARON: Trusting Jesus is the only thing that can make a difference in my messed-up life.

DEBBIE: I keep hearing that in church, but I don't get it—how something that EASY can be a life-changer.

SHARON: Oh Debbie, it's not easy—believing in Jesus means repenting and asking forgiveness for all the old ways, and then GIVING THEM UP FOR GOOD. When you find the COURAGE TO DO THAT, He'll help you CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

DEBBIE: Huh, well, I'll have to think about it. 

Dear reader, what you just read taught by Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago is of the Devil, straight out of the pits of Hell. I hope you see how evil this is. According to this UNSHACKLED program, it is NOT EASY to be saved; because you are required to GIVE UP YOUR OLD SINFUL WAYS PERMANENTLY! That is “another gospel” accursed by God!

Galatians 1:6-9, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Pacific Garden Mission are PREACHING ANOTHER GOSPEL!!!

The Gospel is not open to embellishment. There is a certain degree of allowable semantics in presenting God's plan of salvation, but the Gospel itself is set in concrete! Here it is:

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

There you have it—Jesus DIED, was BURIED, and miraculously RESURRECTED three days later. There is no mention of turning away from sins, forsaking the old ways for good, speaking in tongues, getting water baptized, joining a church, praying, confessing Jesus publicly, nor of anything else to be saved! The apostle Paul said this is, 'THE GOSPEL,' which Jesus personally gave to Him.

Galatians 1:11-12, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The Corrupt 'UNSHACKLED' Religious Experience of Angel Feliciano

I listened to program #3588 (aired in 2019) about a Hispanic man named Angel Feliciano.  Unfortunately, PGM uses a lot of junk theology, and I am simply trying to help believers solidify their faith, by exposing the unbiblical teachings of UNSHACKLED radio. For example: Toward the end of this episode, the UNSHACKLED narrator says:

“Jesus will gladly receive you, and he wants you to receive Him. He wants a relationship with you. Angels' life changed forever when he asked Jesus Christ into his heart. The same can happen for you if you so desire. Just talk to the Lord. Tell Him you're sorry for the sins in your life. Receive Him as your Savior and trust in Him. It's that simple!” [emphasis added]

There are a few problems with the preceding corrupt plan of salvation: 

First, having “A RELATIONSHIP” is not part of the Gospel. Judas had a relationship with Jesus, but still went to hell in his unbelief.  

Second, you don't have to “ASK” Jesus to save you, because He has already paid for all your sins on the cross with His precious blood; Jesus is OFFERING you eternal life.  

Third, you don't have to “TALK TO THE LORD” to be saved. All the Bible teaches is that you “BELIEVE” on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved (Acts 16:30-31). 

Fourth, don't get saved by “ASKING JESUS INTO YOUR HEART.” A heart is a muscle twice the size of your fist, that pumps blood 100,000 times per day! 

Fifth, you don't have to receive Jesus as your Savior AND trust Him. To receive Christ is to trust Him, and to trust Jesus is to receive Him! 

Sixth, you don't have to "BE SORRY" for your sins to be saved. You don't have to "BE SORRY" for your sins to be saved. 

We are ALL guilty at some point in our Christian life of embellishing the Gospel with junk theology. I used to tell people to 'invite Jesus into their heart' many years ago, but when I learned that it was unbiblical, I immediately stopped doing it! I question everything now!!!

Much unnecessary worry, fear and uncertainty are caused by the lie of Lordship Salvation. No one ought to wonder if their life has changed enough to prove they're saved. Dear friend, if you need to look at your life to prove you're saved, IT PROVES THAT YOU'RE NOT!!! Eternal life is a completely free gift, which imposes no obligations or demands on the recipient. You simply come as a guilty sinner and receive God's free gift of eternal life, by believing the record given in the Holy Bible of Jesus Christ, Who died in your place on the cross. Simply receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. I love this powerful quote by Dr. Yankee Arnold: 

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.” —Pastor “Yankee” Arnold, a quote from the excellent MP3 sermon titled, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”