'UNSHACKLED' Radio Wickedly Promotes Infidel John MacArthur

Jude 1:3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio is total crap today—a cesspool of damnable Lordship Salvation heresy! Here is a screenshot from their webpage that I took today...

'UNSHACKLED' Radio Wickedly Promotes Dr. John MacArthur

In case you may not know. John MacArthur (1939-2025) was considered by many people to be the godfather of the deadly Lordship Salvation heresy. My ministry friend Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold rightly says:

“Lordship Salvation is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the performance of good works, the promise of good works, or the evidence of good works, must accompany faith in Christ to establish or provide evidence that such faith has resulted in eternal life.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Jesus Versus John MacArthur"

Yes, that is absolutely right!

Dear reader, what Dr. John MacArthur preached for his entire earthly ministry does not match what Jesus said in the inspired Scripture. Jesus said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” We are saved simply by faith without works (Acts 13:39; Romans 4:5; Titus 3:5).

But John MacArthur says something very different:

“The point is not that God guarantees security to everyone who will say he accepts Christ, but rather that those whose faith is genuine will prove their salvation is secure by persevering to the end in the way of righteousness.” —Pastor John MacArthur, “The Gospel According to Jesus,” p. 98; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988

What Mr. MacArthur is teaching is partial faith in Christ plus human works to be saved, which is a counterfeit plan of salvation.

On September 25, 1990, at the Calvary Baptist Church in Brewer, Maine (Pastor Larry Pawson), Pastor MacArthur was involved in a question and answer session which was publicly taped. During that session MacArthur said the following about child salvation:

"Now let me say this and I don’t want you to panic when I say it. Saving faith is an ADULT ISSUE. Saving faith is an ADULT EXPERIENCE. Salvation is an ADULT EXPERIENCE. Am I saying that a child cannot be saved? I’m saying that salvation is a conscious turning from sin to follow Jesus Christ with an understanding of something of the sinfulness of sin, its consequences and something of who Jesus Christ is, what He has provided and that I’m committing my life to Him. At what point can a child understand that?... I tell parents that salvation is an adult decision... There is no illustration in Scripture of childhood salvation. There is none. People want to throw the Philippian jailer and his household; well that’s talking about his servants so there is no reference there about his children. So there is no such thing as a childhood conversion." [emphasis added] —Pastor John MacArthur; Calvary Baptist Church, September 25th, 1990

Pastor MacArthur further indicts himself as a false prophet with these perverted words...

“Don’t believe anyone who says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing...” [emphasis added] —Pastor John MacArthur, “Hard to Believe,” p. 93

In sharp contrast, here is what Pastor Harry A. Ironside (a true free grace preacher) wrote in his tremendous Gospel Tract titled, “Another Gospel”...

WHEN THE REVIVALIST comes promising salvation to those "who make a full surrender" of all that they have to God, and who "pay the price of full salvation," he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender, when He yielded Himself unto death for us that we might be redeemed from the curse of the broken law and forever saved from the judgment to come upon all who refuse His grace. —Pastor Harry Ironside; Gospel Tract: “Another Gospel”

I want to reiterate what Pastor Ironside just said. When any preacher comes promising salvation to those “who make a full surrender” of all that they have to God, and who “pay the price of full salvation,” he is preaching another gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). The price was paid through Calvary's cross. The work that saves us was finished when Jesus sprinkled His literal liquid blood upon the heavenly Mercy Seat (Hebrews 9:12, 24; 12:24). The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.

Woe unto John MacArthur! I have no doubt whatsoever that Mr. MacArthur is sadly now and forever burning in the fires of Hell, without hope nor rest. If John MacArthur is in Heaven, then God is a blatant liar and there are two different plans of salvation.

The Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:1-6 plainly defines 'THE GOSPEL' as three things:

1. Jesus DIED on a cross for our sins.
2. Jesus was BURIED. 
3. Jesus RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.

The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen from the dead for our justification. It is the Good News of what CHRIST has already done to save us, not of what WE must do for Him. There is nothing in this Good News which requires someone to follow Christ as “Lord,” turn from their sinful bad habits, nor commit their life to live for Christ.

Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965) said these helpful words to clarify the matter:

“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” ~Pastor M.R. DeHaan, Hebrews; Zondervan Publishing House, 1959 (p. 117)

Lordship Salvation makes the grave error of combining (mixing) service with salvation, and in so doing confuses lost sinners and churchgoers alike. John Bunyan said it well...

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Yes, bravo! 'UNSHACKLED' radio (since 1950) has changed their plan of salvation over the years, from one of free grace to one of Lordship Salvation. Pastor Harry Saulnier (1902-1990) is rolling in his grave today! Harry Saulnier was the Mission Director of PGM for 46 years. He was in charge when I visited the mission as a lad with my father, back when the rescue mission still preached the Gospel correctly. These yuppie-type Neo-evangelicals today are pulling on the same rope as the Devil, perverting the Gospel of free grace.

In a sad paradoxical irony, their worldwide radio program 'UNSHACKLED' is actually SHACKLING lost sinners instead of rescuing them. There can be no new birth when works are added to God's grace. Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” The Ninevites didn't get saved, they turned from their evil ways and God repented (changed His mind) not to destroy them. A century later God changed His mind and sent the prophet Nahum to pronounce doom upon Assyria, and it was so when the kingdom of Babylon invaded, conquered and enslaved them.

The narrator (Timothy Gregory) of the 'UNSHACKLED' series is not a saved man in my humble opinion, evidenced by his incessant use of unbiblical terms and phrases. The sad but plain disturbing truth is that 'UNSHACKLED' preaches another gospel. According to Galatians 1:6-9 there is only ONE Gospel, and anyone (even an angel) who preaches another gospel is cursed by God almighty.

Dear reader, either you must forsake your sinful bad habits to get to Heaven, or else you don't, but it cannot be both ways.

Either you must receive Jesus as your Lord, or else you don't, but it cannot be both ways.

Either you must become a follower of Christ, or else you don't, but it cannot be both ways.

Either you must commit your life to live for Christ, or else you don't, but it cannot be both ways.

Our 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1965) said it well...

“In great contests [battles], each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God—both may be, but one must be, wrong—God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time!” —President Abraham Lincoln

Ladies and gentlemen, in this great conflict between the free grace camp and the Lordship Salvation camp—both may be, but one must be wrong—we cannot all be right. I humbly agree with the inspired Word of God that we are saved by faith alone without works. MacArthur's plan of salvation is so hard that he says children cannot be saved. This is not the simplicity that is in Christ spoken of in 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4, which simplicity is the free grace Gospel (Romans 1:16). Salvation is not a process that is conditional upon continued obedience, surrender or behavior modification; but rather, salvation is a new birth which happens instantaneously, when a sinner receives Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for his or her sins, believing that Christ was buried but then physically raised up the third day alive.

Please beware of Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, and their popular corrupt 'UNSHACKLED' radio series that promotes hard core Lordship Salvation, wrong repentance and Satan's perverted modern bible revisions. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!