Al Pacino Is Not A Christian, Not Ready For Eternity

John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

It was reported in the news that famous Hollywood icon Al Pacino (born 1940) almost died during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the virus caught him. And sadly, it was also reported that Al Pacino renewed his Roman Catholic faith that he was raised in, as an Italian:

Al Pacino’s Near-Fatal COVID Experience Revives His Catholic Faith 

by Media News Source | June 22, 2025

Al Pacino’s recent visit to the Vatican marks a significant moment in both his personal faith journey and his storied career. The acclaimed actor, now 85 years old, met with Pope Leo XIV this week, gifting the Pontiff a model car and engaging in discussions that blended the realms of film and spirituality. This encounter follows Pacino’s near-fatal experience with COVID-19, a health crisis that seemingly prompted a reevaluation of his faith and personal beliefs.

 . . . Sources suggest that their conversation transcended mere pleasantries and ventured into deeper discussions about the intersection of cinema and faith. Pacino’s transformational experience during the pandemic has led him back to his roots, exploring faith in a new light. Observers noted that Pope Leo XIV was notably enthusiastic about meeting Pacino, highlighting his admiration for the actor’s contributions to the film industry.

As the film industry continues to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacino’s experience serves as a reminder of the power of personal reflection during times of crisis. His renewed faith, explored within the context of his artistic pursuits, may resonate not only with his audience but also with those who follow his work across the globe.

This encounter is a noteworthy illustration of how art and spirituality can intersect, enabling influential figures like Pacino to connect with global leaders in meaningful ways. While the details of their conversation may remain private, the implications of such a meeting extend far beyond the walls of the Vatican as they epitomize a merging of cultural heritage and spiritual exploration.

As Pacino continues his journey through film and faith, his connection with Pope Leo XIV adds a profound layer to his legacy, inspiring many to reflect on their own paths and beliefs. [emphasis added] SOURCE

This is so tragic! Satan has the unsaved world blinded from seeing the true Gospel the Bible says. 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Al Pacino, like over one billion other victims, has been woefully deceived by Roman Catholicism. People are so gullible, swayed and swooned by the whore of Rome. The Catholic Church, including its global holdings, is often considered to have a symbolic net worth in the trillions, primarily due to its extensive properties, investments, and historical assets.

Dear reader, there is no salvation in the Catholic religion! I say that with kindness and love, but I speak THE TRUTH of God's Word. For centuries billions of people have fallen victim to the lies of the Vatican, worshipping graven images and images which the Holy Bible forbids. It became so obvious that Catholics were dissing the Word of God, that the wicked Vatican had to do something drastic to hide their deception. So, they removed the second of the Ten Commandments, which forbids bowing to graven images. See for yourself. That alone should be more than enough proof that the Roman Catholic Church is of the Devil.

It saddens me that Al Pacino is nearing the end of his life's journey at age 85, and after almost dying in his sins when COVID-19 hit hard, the famous actor is still lost in his sins and bound for the Lake of Fire without Christ. Catholics teach Sacramental Salvation. That is, their religion teaches that to get to Heaven you MUST keep Seven Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders). Of course, none of this garbage in Biblical. Yes, I said “garbage”!

The Bible doesn't teach Christians to respect the false religious beliefs of others; it says to “Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” The Bible says in Ephesians 5:11, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” The Bible doesn't say to stick around and try to convert false religions. No, it says to separate from them!

Perhaps you've heard the term ecumenism. What is that? It is a movement that promotes worldwide unity among religions, through greater cooperation and improved understanding. As you can see, ecumenism and the Holy Bible are in conflict. How can we come our from them and  cooperate at the same time? We cannot. Lets read the surrounding text, shall we...

2nd Corinthians 6:14-16, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

That is what we call, Ecclesiastical Separation. Romans 16:17, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” We are commanded by God to identify false prophets and false religions and to avoid them, not buy their books and support them. The Greek word for “mark” in verse 17 is skopeo, which means “to take aim, that is, regard.” It means to take notice that there is an unwanted pest in our midst who needs to be exposed and avoided.

God does not have an opinion like we humans do. God is truth! I cannot warn you enough to run away from Roman (and Russian Orthodox) Catholicism. I could spend hours showing you what is Biblically wrong with these damnable fake religions that send me to Hell.

Here are a few issues:

1. The Bible says we are saved by faith alone, but Catholics require faith + works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. The Bible says call no man your “Father” (reverence), but Catholics do it anyway (Matthew 23:9).
3. The Bible teaches we can eat meat, but Catholics are taught they should only eat fish on Fridays and during the Lent season (1st Timothy 4:1-3). I am not a big Whataburger fan, but I love their fish sandwiches. Unfortunately, they are only served during certain times of the year. Whataburger served fish sandwiches, specifically the Whatacatch Sandwich and Platter, from February 17 through April 6, 2026, during the Lenten season. The Bible warns that only false prophets forbid eating meat at any time.
4. The Bible teaches that only God can pardon sin (Micah 7:18), but arrogant wicked Catholic priests claim to be able to forgive men's sins.
5. The second of God's Ten Commandments for humanity forbids bowing down to statues and graven images (Exodus 20), but Catholics do it anyway, committing gross idolatry.

I could give you hundreds more serious issues with the Catholic false religion. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The Seven Sacraments cannot produce the required new birth by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:12-13).

Here is the gospel: God says that we are guilty sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter Heaven. God sent His only begotten Son to pay for all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead.

The instant you believe this, He knows it and He saves you. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life”(John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you and has nothing at all to do with what you do for Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). That's it friend. That is all you need to do to go to Heaven someday when you leave this earth.

I sincerely hope and I just prayed, that God will open Al Pacino's eyes before it is too late. The Devil has blinded him from the light of the truth of the Gospel. Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” Those fleshly Catholic priests are a bunch of dirty sinners themselves, so they cannot absolve your sins. Only Jesus who has the nail-scared hands and feet can forgive your sins dear reader. ...

John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Religion cannot save anyone. My father was right, religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Religion is man trying to fit you with glasses, so that you can see things from their perspective; but the good LORD wants to open your eyes with the truth, so that you will be born again (John 8:32, 36). Won't you trust Him now dear reader. You simply need to believe that Jesus did it all for you through Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago.

Morgan Freeman's Deadly Confidence In Zoroastrianism

John 14:6-7, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

One of m favorite Hollywood actors is Morgan Freeman. He has starred in hundreds of films, from Batman: The Dark Knight to Deep Impact. I am a big fan of movies starring Morgan Freeman!

That being said, one of my hobbies is researching the religious beliefs of famous people. Morgan Freeman has expressed a deep appreciation for Zoroastrianism, which he describes as a belief system that resonates with him through its core tenets of "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" (which beliefs are highlighted in the following video). From the research that I've done, it is clear that Morgan is not a born again Christian.

Morgan Freeman About Zoroastrianism

According to the 'Famous People Today' website:

What religion does he follow, then?

So, while Morgan Freeman is no Christian, he is a follower of one of the oldest organized forms of faith on the planet today.

It is based on the ancient teachings of Zoroaster, a prophet from years ago. The religion, based in Iran, is seen as one of the most respected religions in the world. Despite its deep respect among the religious community, Zoroastrianism is quite unknown to many.

Given that it is primarily seen as an Iranian religion, it is not a religious belief that has spread too far into Western culture. As an individual who thrives on curiosity, though, Freeman is one of many Western believers of Zoroastrianism. The primary tenet of Zoroastrianism is about the duality of good and evil and how in Zoroastrianism, it is believed that, eventually, good will triumph over evil.

The ‘God’ of this religion is Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom. SOURCE

And this from the 'Celebrities Religions' website:

What Religion is Morgan Freeman and Faith

Morgan Freeman’s religious beliefs have remained a subject of speculation, with limited public pronouncements on his faith. However, various sources suggest he identifies as a Zoroastrian. This ancient Persian religion, founded by the prophet Zoroaster, emphasizes ethical living, truthfulness, and the importance of free will.

Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic faith that revolves around the belief in Ahura Mazda, the supreme god. It emphasizes the concept of a cosmic struggle between good and evil, symbolized by Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, the spirit of darkness. The religion promotes a strong ethical code, encouraging honesty, compassion, and the pursuit of truth. 

READ MORE

If indeed it is factual that Morgan Freeman is trusting in Angra Mainyu, the so-called “Lord of wisdom,” the famous actor won't be going to Heaven when he leaves this world someday. I say that very kindly with concern. Born in 1937, now at age 89, Morgan doesn't have much time remaining on earth. My heart goes out to him. I don't want him to spend eternity burning in the fires of Hell. Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

The inspired King James Bible is very clear that there is no salvation apart from the precious name of Jesus:

Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

It all boils down to whether or not you believe that the King James Bible is God's inspired Word. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Since the age of 13 when I became born again, my faith has been in Jesus as the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. I am risking my eternal soul, happiness and everything on Jesus Christ! If I go to Hell someday, it will be Jesus' fault alone, because I am 100% relying upon what He did to pay for my sins on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago.

I am not trying to turn from my sins to get to Heaven. I am not following Christ as part of some misguided effort to get to Heaven. There is absolutely nothing that I am doing, have ever done, nor ever will do that could in any way help secure my place in Heaven. I am relying upon Jesus alone, because of what He has done to pay my debt of sin. The only thing that you or I contribute to our own salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

Only God and Morgan Freeman know where his faith rests, but I can tell you with all Scriptural authority that if he is resting in anything, anyplace or anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Morgan Freeman will spend eternity suffering in the never-ending torments of Hell. I am just the messenger. God is the author of the inspired Holy Bible. Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Tragically, on November 24, 1991, Queen band frontman Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) learned how wrong he was about following the Zoroastrian religion when he woke up in the fires of Hell beneath. Freddie put his trust in the arm of man, not God. Psalms 118:8, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Please understand that I did not write this article to attack Mr. Freeman, God forbid. I adore the man! I wrote this article in hope that he might find it and read it, and repent of his Zoroastrian false religion and instead trust Christ to be saved. I also wrote this article dear friend in hope that if you have never trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, that you would do so now.

You don't have to become religious to go to Heaven. In fact, the opposite is true. You need to forsake trusting in your false religion and by faith (taking God at His written Word) accept Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then physically resurrected after three days. This is the Gospel (Good News):

1st Corinthians 15:1-6, “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: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”

Whosoever believes this Good News is saved instantly, irrevocably and permanently. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The gospel, not my eloquent words of speech or cunning human wisdom, is the POWER OF GOD unto salvation to all who BELIEVE IT! Do you believe dear reader? To go to Heaven when you die someday, you simply need to believe that Jesus did it all for you through Calvary's cross.

Thank you for reading my ministry blog. Jesus is precious!!!

Rod Stewart And The Apostate Church Of Scotland

Galatians 3:1-2, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

I was curious today if singer Rod Stewart (I have no idea if we are related) is a Christian. Very interestingly (to me at least), his full name is Roderick David Stewart. Wow! I learned that Rod is a member of the Church of Scotland. He joined for his wife. Naturally, I was curious what their church is about. Well, I'm sorry I looked.

First, they permit their pastors to perform same-sex marriages. Oh boy. what a nightmare! Homosexuality is a gross sin that brings the judgment of God (Romans 1:24-31; Colossians 3:5-6; Jude 1:7). And of course, the Church of Scotland permit women pastors, which is sinful and evil on numerous levels (1st Timothy 2:12). Evil is planned sin. Since they ordain females as clergy, it is pure evil, just like abortion. It is blasphemy against the inspired Word of God!

Second, Rod Stewart's beliefs are a big mess. In a 2020 interview he claimed to be a lapsed Catholic, but has also joined the Protestant Church of Scotland of which his wife was already a member. I don't think Rod knows what he truly believes.

Here are some heresies taught by the apostate Church of Scotland, a false Gospel...

This eternal afterlife is a gift for those who trust in Jesus Christ and follow His teachings, showing them how to get to heaven. SOURCE: https://www.theorchard.church/how-to-get-to-heaven

No, that is very wrong! You don't have to follow Jesus' teachings to get to Heaven, because that constitutes WORKS. Rod Stewart will definitely go to Hell if this is how you get saved, because he sure doesn't follow Jesus' teachings as an idolized rock star! I've never heard Rod Stewart give honor and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ in his ruck music concerts.

The Church of Scotland further perverts the Gospel...

Salvation is a transformation of the heart and soul, moving from a state of separation from God due to sin to a restored relationship with Him. This transformative process involves repentance, faith in Jesus' atoning death and resurrection, and a commitment to follow Him. It is not earned by human efforts or good deeds but is received through belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior. SOURCE: https://www.theorchard.church/how-to-get-to-heaven

No, again that is very wrong! Nowhere does the inspired King James Bible require that a lost sinner make a commitment to follow Christ to get to Heaven, because that constitutes WORKS! You only need to receive Jesus as your Savior, not your “Lord” to be saved (John 1:12-13; 1st Timothy 4:10). Receiving the “Lord Jesus” is not the same thing as receiving “Jesus as Lord.” All of the Devil's modern Bible revisions corrupt Romans 10:9, and in so doing they have perverted God's simple plan of salvation.

And if I haven't already convinced you that Satan reigns supreme in the Church of Scotland, please make sure you are sitting down for what you are about to read next...

“Repentance, on the other hand, is the sincere turning away from sin and turning towards God. It involves a heartfelt acknowledgment of one's sins, a genuine sorrow for them, and a commitment to change. Acts 3:19 urges, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Emphasizing that repentance is not just about feeling remorse but also involves a decisive shift in one's life direction. Faith without repentance is incomplete, as true faith naturally leads to a transformed life marked by a desire to follow God's will.” SOURCE: https://www.theorchard.church/how-to-get-to-heaven

No, no, no! That is another Gospel. I have to itemize these heresies because they are numerous:

1. Repentance is not a sincere desire to turn from sin. Bible repentance is “a change of mind” (Greek noun: metanoia). To know what we must change our mind about we need supplemental information, which will be determined by any particular Scripture passage.
2. Repentance is not a genuine sorrow for sin. Being sorry is an emotion. Certainly, it is quite normal for emotions to accompany one's faith at the time of salvation, but feeling sorry or mourning over sin is NOT Bible repentance.
3. Repentance is not a commitment to change. You cannot show me anywhere in the Holy Bible where we are taught to make any type of commitment to Christ to get to Heaven. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
4. Repentance is not feeling remorse. You may or may not feel remorse. To be saved, you must come to God as a needy sinner, realizing your guilt for violating His laws (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:11-15).
5. Repentance does not involve a decisive shift in one's direction. Sadly, whoever wrote this Statement of Faith is a Bible ignoramous. God deliver us from wannabe theologians!
6. Faith does not automatically lead to a transformed life with a desire to follow God's will. To grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ grace a baby believer must nourish on the milk of the inspired Word of God (1st Peter 2:2). We are sanctified by the Word (John 17:17). Part of 'The Great Commission' is for local churches to mentor new converts, indoctrinating them in the doctrines of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). Spiritual growth is not automatic. A changed life is not the result of genuine repentance, it is the “fruit” of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). But if a believer fails to walk in the Spirit on purpose, by default we all walk in the sinful flesh. Christ's Spirit lives the Christian life through us by faith (Galatians 2:20), but we must yield to obey the Spirit's leading with the written Word of God (2nd Corinthians 10:5-6).

The major problem with all this repent of your sins garbage being taught everywhere today is that it places the burden of change upon the sinner's shoulder. The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty.

If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from? To be saved you must turn from your UNBELIEF dear reader, nothing else. Regarding sin, you just need to admit that you are one. The only thing that you and I contribute to our own salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

One of my favorite Bible teachers is Pastor Brad Strand. I recently purchased his 'The Strand Study Bible.' I love it so much that I bought two of them! Here is Brother Strand's commentary for our text passage from 2nd Corinthians 7:8...

Repentance may include “remorse” (made you sorry), but remorse is not repentance. If so, then Judas repented because he was remorseful over what he had done to Christ (Mt 27:3). You can weep over sin and even express great remorse, but until you “change your mind” as to who you are and who Christ is and agree with God (Mt 3:2), you have not repented biblically.

Repentance may include “sorrow” (you were made sorry), but sorrow for sin is not repentance. Hell is full or sorrow, but only for the consequences of sin. The rich man who died and went to Hell uttered not a word of sorrow for his sin, only sorrow for his pain (Lk 16:19-31). You can weep over sin and even express great regret, but until you “change your mind” as to who you are and who Christ is and agree with God, you have not repented biblically.

Repentance may include “conviction” (after a godly manner), but conviction is not repentance. If so, then Felix repented when he trembled before Paul (Acts 24:24-25). You may be convicted that you are a sinner and even admit that you are lost, but repentance is a two-sided coin. You not only have to “change your mind” as to who you are, you have to also “change your mind” as to who Christ is and call upon Him to be your Savior (Rom 10:9-13). Otherwise, you have not repented biblically.

SOURCE: Brad Strand, “The Strand Study Bible” (free .pdf edition), p. 1938

I am so thankful for Pastor Strand, that he is one of few preachers today who gets repentance correct. Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) in a sermon titled: “A Vote For Preaching,” spoke in this excerpt about the false gospel of Lordship Salvation which is unfortunately being preached from nearly every pulpit today. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

Dear reader, the perverted plan of damnation being promoted by the apostate Church of Scotland absolutely cannot produce the required spiritual new birth (i.e., “Ye must be born again,” John 3:3b) to enter into God's Kingdom. I hope and pray that Rod Stewart and his wife will wake up before it is too late, and realize that they're members of a religious cult, not a true New Testament church.

In this important blog article, I have exposed TEN non-essential additions (embellishments) that the apostate Church of Scotland have added to God's simple plan of salvation to woefully corrupt it. NONE of the following things are necessary to get to Heaven:

1. Commit to follow Jesus' teachings
2. Commit to follow Jesus
3. Turn from sin
4. Have genuine sorrow for sin
5. Commit to change
6. Feel remorse
7. Believe in Jesus as “Lord”
8. Have a decisive shift in direction
9. Lead a transformed life
10. Desire to follow God's will

Truly, Satan is a beautiful liar! Have you been deceived dear friend? This is simply not the Gospel of free grace presented in 1st Corinthians 15:1-6 in the inspired Word of God. The simple “gospel” is that:

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

Those three things comprise 'THE GOSPEL,' by which all guilty sinners who believe this 'GOOD NEWS' are saved. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Religion Or Christ?

Matthew 15:7-9, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

I heard a wonderful sermon today by Pastor Jack Hyles titled: “RELIGION OR CHRIST?”

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿!” —𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀, “𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁?”

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗲; 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴!” —𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀, “𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁?”

Religion Or Christ?

It doesn't matter how good or bad you are, you must go through THE DOOR to get into Heaven, and Jesus is the DOOR (John 10:9). Everyone is freely welcome! Jesus is the only WAY (John 14:6).

Beware Of The Satanic 'Church Of Christ' False Religion

Mark 7:7-9, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Someone sent me an invitation to attend the local Gateway Church of Christ in Pensacola. As I always do, the first thing I did was go look for their Statement of Beliefs. What I found is a laughable joke! Clearly, as cults often do, they are hiding their beliefs. Seventh-Day Adventist and Jehovah's Witness church cults do this all the time. Beware of these cults! And may I add, any Baptist church that preaches Lordship Salvation is equally a deadly religious cult!

I had to go searching online for what other Church of Christ (COC) cults believe. They all essentially believe that you must stop living a lifestyle of sin to get to Heaven, which is a counterfeit gospel. Case in point, here is a quote from the Statement of Faith of the Clovis Church of Christ in California...

Again, in Acts 3:19 Peter says

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

So, if repentance is a requirement, what does it mean and what must we do to meet this requirement? To repent is to change our mind and make the decision that we will change our life to begin serving the Lord as He desires us to serve Him. This is brought about by understanding what God has done for us, and realizing that we are not right with Him in our current condition and that we desire to change so as to please Him. This means, that an immoral person must become moral and upright in lifestyle. For the religious person who has tried to live a life pleasing to God, repentance may involve recognizing that we have not done what God requires of us with regard to salvation and that we must obey the inspired plan in order to be right with Him. If we are in the denominational world, belonging to a church that has a creed or doctrine other than the Bible and/or in addition to the Bible, then we must turn away from such a religion and find a congregation of people that believe in the Bible and only the Bible. (We are certainly happy to help you in any such search.) Repentance then is produced by Godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) which leads to a change of heart and a change of mind, which is the beginning of a changed life... one that is dedicated to God. [emphasis added]

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

What you have just read is Satanic! You don't have to “become moral and upright” of your own doing to get to Heaven, you need to receive Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins. Simply believe that Jesus did it all for you! There is no requirement to become a moral person to be saved in the inspired King James Bible. They started off right in COC by teaching that repentance is “a change of mind,” but then they embellished repentance by adding other things to it which are totally unbiblical. The Bible does not say to clean up your life of sin, commit to do better, promise to turn away from sinful bah habits nor to dedicate your life to God to get to Heaven. These things are all proper in their place, but you may do all of these things are never have been saved at all. Jesus emphatically stated in John 3:3b, “Ye must be born again.”

I love and share David's attitude. Psalms 84:10, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.  I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Amen and amen! I'd rather be a doorkeeper in a local Bible-believing church, than to rule in Satan's Hollywood kingdom. I'd rather cut the grass for God's house, than to dwell in Hugh Hefner's mansion. Like Joshua, I'm on the Lord's side (Joshua 24:15).

Here is more damnable heresy taught by the ungodly Church of Christ...

Finally, we must live our lives in faithful and loyal service to our Lord Jesus Christ as God has directed (Revelation 2:10). 

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

That is pure Lordship Salvation, not the free grace Gospel presented in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Works have no part in God's simple plan of salvation. Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Having to live a faithful life and loyal service to Christ to be saved is self-righteousness, not trusting saving faith. Remember, we are saved by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, not our own goodness (Philippians 3:9). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Water Baptism Is Not Required To Get To Heaven

The Satanic Church of Christ also corrupts the Gospel by adding a requirement to be water baptized to get to Heaven. Here is what the Clovis Church of Christ errantly teaches...

Acts 2:36-39

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

This tells us that baptism is necessary for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. 

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

Pastor Curtis Hutson made this helpful statement: A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. Bravo! Yes, that is exactly right! In umpteen places in the New Testament where we are told to “believe” on Jesus to be saved, there is no mention of water baptism. For example: John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” If water baptism were necessary to get to Heaven, then Jesus would have mentioned it here, but He didn't. The thief on the cross didn't have time to be baptized. It would be very wrong to say that God made an exception, when we are plainly told in Galatians 1:6-7 that there is only one Gospel.

The Church of Christ wrest (twist) the Scripture to their own destruction (2nd Peter 3:16-17). No one in the Old Testament was baptized with water to get to Heaven. In the Epistle of First John, the apostle tells us the purpose of his epistle is so “that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1st John 5:13). Yet, John never once mentions baptism. This speaks volumes as to this unnecessity of water baptism to be saved. The ungodly Church of Christ have changed God's simple plan of salvation, making it works-based instead of faith-based. Please don't buy into their lies!

My father was right, religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Salvation is not found in any religion, but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worshipping Statues Of Mary Is The Sin Of IDOLATRY!

Exodus 20:4-6, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

Worshipping statues is the sin of IDOLATRY. When I lived on Guam, my next door neighbour was Roman Catholic. They attended St. Jude Catholic parish down the road. The church would pass around a 2 1/2 foot tall ceramic statue of Our Lady of Fatima (a title for the Virgin Mary due to her alleged apparitions to three shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal, in 1917). The family next door had decorated their home, as if Jesus were coming to stay with them. They decorated the living room, making a shrine to set the IDOLATROUS STATUE.

One day my neighbour had invited me over for something, I cannot remember. His wife invited a group of ladies to gather around and pray to the statue. The knew I was a born-again Christian and didn't agree with their wicked religion, so they started to pray to the statue as I was leaving... AND I WAS LEAVING!!!

In hindsight, it was one of the creepiest things I have ever seen. Literally, Catholic families on Guam pass a statue of Our Lady of Fatima around from house to house. The statue stays in each home for about 3 months, as they wickedly venerate the graven image. I preached the Gospel to my neighbour dozens of time, but he was deadlocked in his mind that works are required to get to Heaven.

Here is the SECOND of God's TEN COMMANDMENTS for humanity:

Exodus 20:4-6, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

By the way, if you examine the official Catholic TEN COMMANDMENTS from no Bible, they have wickedly completely removed the Second Commandment which forbids making and bowing to graven images.

To compensate for the missing Second Commandment, the Vatican deceitfully divided the Tenth Commandment not to covet into two separate commandments (one not to covet your neighbour's wife, and the other not to covet his goods). What a dirty deception! Since Catholics are guilty of worshipping statues, they just CHANGED God's Ten Commandments, throwing the Second Commandment under the bus.

FULL WELL YE REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, Jesus said in Mark 7:9, THAT YE MAY KEEP YOUR OWN TRADITION. Catholicism is a prisonhouse of religion!!!

The Deadly Church Of Christ Cult

Mark 7:7-9, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

The False Plan of Salvation of Don Blackwell

Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.”

In his YouTube presentation titled, “WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?,” Pastor Don Blackwell teaches that there are SIX steps to be saved (Oh boy!); namely:

1. hear (the gospel)
2. believe
3. repent
4. confess
5. water baptism
6. live faithfully

SOURCE: What Must I Do To Be Saved?, by Church of Christ minister, Don Blackwell

In sharp contrast to Don Blackwell's 6 steps to salvation, the Bible simply proclaims...

Acts 16:30-33, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”

The Bible tells us in Acts 16:33-34 that the saved Roman jailer took Paul and Silas to his own home, and there he washed their wounds where they had been whipped and beaten. The Bible says that the jailer and his family were all saved and baptized. Please note that Paul's answer to: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?,” did NOT include water baptism. In the Bible, contrary to what Don Blackwell claims, people were always water baptized AFTER they received Jesus as their personal Savior. We also see this important truth confirmed in Acts 8:36-38, when Phillip told the Ethiopian eunuch that he could only get baptized in water if he first believed (trusted) that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God (note: all of the Devil's modern Bible revisions wickedly remove verse 37, corrupting God's Word).

Mr. Blackwell errantly answers the exact same question of “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” as the Bible asks, but why not just accept the biblical answer? There are NOT six steps to salvation; but rather, just one, and that is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31b).

In his excellent book, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” Michael P. Bowen states . . .

You can live for Christ, you can love Christ, you can serve Him with all your might, time, talent and wealth. You can pray to Him, read your Bible, get water-baptized, join a church, witness to people, and do every wonderful work contained within the realm of Christianity, but if you fail to trust Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, He will “dump” you.

SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU', p. 77; Barbour Books, © 2009

Blackwell Corrupts the Meaning of “Repentance”

Don Blackwell errantly teaches that repentance unto salvation includes three things:

1. a change of mind
2. godly sorrow
3. a change of life (fruit of repentance)

SOURCE: 'What Must I Do To Be Saved?,' by Pastor Don Blackwell

Kindly, Mr. Blackwell makes the same theological error that so many other Bible students make, which is to expand on the simple biblical meaning of “repent” (Greek noun: metanoia) concerning salvation, which means “a change of mind. The Greek verb form, metanoeo, means “to think differently.” The Bible does not require sorrow over sins to be saved. Sorrow is not repentance, it is penitence. I love this helpful quote from Pastor Brad Strand...

True repentance has nothing to do with “turning from sin” and everything to do with “acknowledging one's sinfulness” (Jonah 3:5). Like the thief on the cross who simply acknowledged his sinfulness (Lk 23:39-43), the only part a person has in salvation is the beggar's part.

SOURCE: Pastor Brad Strand, “The Strand Study Bible,” p 1939

In the video Blackwell defines repentance as: “a change of mind produced by godly sorrow resulting in a change of life.” Sadly, that is the same damnable heresy taught at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) today. That is not the biblical meaning of repentance concerning salvation. Sorrow is an emotion (feelings) that develops over time AFTER a sinner is saved. As a new believer grows in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (2nd Peter 3:18), God gives the feelings. This has nothing to do with being saved itself, which is a free gift (Romans 5:18).

The Bible plainly teaches in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” All that God requires of a person to be saved concerning repentance is that they become guilty before God. When you repent, you change your mind from what you want to do to get to Heaven, to what God says you must do to get to Heaven. Hebrews 6:1 calls this “repentance from DEAD WORKS.”

Furthermore, repentance unto salvation doesn't require “a change of life” as Don Blackwell and PCC errantly teach. If a changed life is necessary for the new birth, then eternal life absolutely cannot be called a “free gift” (Romans 5:18). Tragically, what Don Blackwell and PCC are errantly teaching is exactly what heretic Chip Ingram teaches. My friend, salvation is a new birth—a supernatural miracle of God in response to a man's faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13). Salvation is instant, just as the physical birth is instant. You get saved immediately by faith in Christ (which is justification - Galatians 3:26), but becoming Christlike takes a lifetime (which is sanctification and service - Romans 12:1).

Many preachers are teaching a false plan of salvation today, turning salvation into a process. This is commonly known as the heresy of “The Perseverance of the Saints,” popularized by Dr. John MacArthur and originally taught by heretic John Calvin (1509-1564). Salvation is received, not achieved. Eternal life is a free gift, paid for by Jesus' precious literal blood, which has been sprinkled on the mercy seat in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12, 22-24; 10:1, 12:24). 

Evangelist Paul Washer is another theological heretic and infidel, criticizing the practice of writing down the date and time that a person is saved. Mr. Washer has adopted the same unbiblical idea that a person's behavior must confirm their faith in Christ to be legitimate. Such nonsense turns salvation into a reward instead of a gift, although they are in denial and still call it a “gift.” A gift is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition. You simply take it and it's yours! If I were to give you a birthday gift, but then require you to live a certain way to prove that it is yours, it wouldn't be a gift in any sense of the word. You don't hear these neo-evangelical frauds today using the word gift very often.

Please understand that repentance is not a separate step to getting saved. Some preachers, like Ray Comfort and Paul Washer, errantly teach that you should never merely tell someone to believe the Gospel to be saved, but also, they say you must tell them to repent of their sins (i.e., turn away from their sinful bad habits). This is unbiblical, because such teaching makes repentance an act unto itself, which they errantly define as turning from one's sinful lifestyle. PCC even calls turning from your sins “The act”...

“REPENTANCE — Now is the time to turn from your sin and embrace God. The act of turning away from sin is called 'repentance.' This word implies an inward decision to follow and obey God's will instead of your self-serving sins. It means changing your mind about sin and seeing it as something that grieves God. The Bible says that God patiently waits for all people to make this decision.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: “John & Romans,” Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, p. 60

Unreal! Pensacola Christian College (PCC) is teaching damnable Church of Christ false doctrine!!! That is not the Gospel of free grace. Although repentance and faith are not the same thing, they are not separate acts. No one who has ever believed on the Lord to be saved did so without also repented, but repentance is simply a change of mind. You must change your mind to realize that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God (your Creator). And you must change your mind to admit that Jesus is the Savior, the only begotten (biological) Son of God. Jesus died on the cross for your sins, He was buried, and three days later He bodily resurrected from the dead. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4). BELIEVE this 'GOOD NEWS' (Gospel) dear reader and you are saved instantly, irrevocably and forever!

When Mark 1:15 says, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel,” it could just as easily be said, “Change your mind and believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose after three days to be saved” (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). That's all that repentance means, to change one's mind. Stop trusting in your dead works, religion and self-righteousness, and believe the Gospel to have your sins forgiven. No one ever got saved who didn't realize that he or she is a sinner. That's what repentance is—seeing yourself as a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God. Repentance is seeing our need for the wonderful Savior (Galatians 3:24-26). That's what the change of mind is about. You must see yourself as a needy sinner and Jesus as your only Savior.

You Don't Need to Audibly Confess Anything to Be Saved

It is ridiculous that some preachers insist you must “confess Christ” publicly to be saved, merely because the word “confess” is mentioned in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This passage of Scripture simply means that you confess with your mouth because YOU ARE SAVED. There are hundreds of other Scripture passages throughout the inspired Word of God which speak of salvation without any mention of confessing Christ with the mouth.

You should never base a doctrine on a single Scripture. You need to make sure that the rest of the Bible agrees with your suggested interpretation. If it doesn't, you've got the wrong interpretation! A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. We have the entire Gospel of John, which God authored to show us how to obtain eternal life, and no mention is made of confessing Christ to be saved.

I can give you Scriptural proof that you do not need to confess Jesus Christ to others to be saved. John 12:42-43, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” There you have it, many of the religious chief priests did believe on Christ (i.e., they got saved), but they DIDN'T CONFESS JESUS CHRIST! Salvation is of the heart, not the mouth.

The sincere religious false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 confessed “Lord, Lord,” with their mouth (there's Lordship Salvation in the Bible), but they were as lost as the Devil. In response to a question from His disciples if many people were saved, Jesus replied in Luke 13:23-24 that “many” people will “seek to enter” into Heaven, but FEW WILL BE ABLE!!! Luke 13:23-24, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” These are shocking Bible verses. Jesus taught that most people (including religious people) are going to the Lake of Fire. This truth is also taught in Matthew 7:13-14.

I do not mean to be unkind, truly, but Pastor Don Blackwell and every follower of the apostate Church of Christ are going to one day hear the horrifying words from Christ: “DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY, FOR I NEVER KNEW YOU!!!” Can you imagine, spending your whole life serving Jesus Christ, just to find out that you did it all wrong and were tricked by Satan? That's what Matthew 7:21-23 teaches and warns. Religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world! Those sincere folks preached about Jesus everywhere they went, just like the members of the Church of Christ do (and thousands of other false religions).

They boasted of having done “MANY WONDERFUL WORKS” in the Lord's name. That was the entire problem, they were trusting in their own self-righteous works instead of resting completely in the righteousness of God by faith alone in Christ. Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

I love the following precious Scripture, which plainly teaches that we are saved solely by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is through faith in Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Don Blackwell specifies six requirements to be saved. In sharp contrast, the Bible simple says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God only has ONE requirement, that you BELIEVE upon the name of His only begotten Son, Jesus.

But what about repentance, don't you also have to repent to be saved? Yes, of course, but repentance is simply a change of mind that compels you to believe on the Son of God. Repentance is not a separate act to be saved. The man who believes has repented, and the man who repents has believed. This is why we find the word “believe” mentioned 85 times in the Gospel of John, but the word “repent” is not mentioned even once. Repentance is simply acknowledging that you are a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God (Romans 3:19), and you concede that you cannot save yourself by your own human effort (Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), and so you believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 13:30-31), who died for your sins on the cross, was buried and rose up three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Repentance and faith are inseparable. They happen simultaneously (at the same time).

You Don't Need to Be Water Baptized to Go to Heaven

The Church of Christ gets this doctrine wrong too. The false teaching that a person must be baptized with water to get to Heaven is called “Baptismal Regeneration.” Being born-again is often referred to theologically as being “regenerated.” Or as I like to say it, being born-again means to have He [Jesus Christ] who is the beginning born in you (Revelation 1:8).

The following strange doctrines by Mr. Blackwell are 100% heresy...

“I can't be saved first and baptized later, as is commonly taught by many. ... I can't have my sin remitted until I'm baptized. Therefore I can't be saved until I'm baptized. A man can't be saved until he has applied to himself the cleansing blood of Jesus.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: 'What Must I Do To Be Saved?,' by Church of Christ minister Don Blackwell

Kindly said, Pastor Blackwell is teaching heresy. You don't apply Jesus' blood to yourself. Jesus' blood is sprinkled on the Mercy Seat in Heaven in the presence of God the Father. Christ's blood has washed away our sins (only to them who believe on Christ) by appeasing the wrath of God. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” There is not one verse in the entire Bible that associates water baptism with the blood of Christ. Don Blackwell is a total false prophet!!!

Blackwell heretically states that water baptism is how we come in contact with Jesus' blood. That's 100% unbiblical...

“We are washed by the blood of Jesus! Someone says, then where does baptism come into play? You see, baptism is where I contact the blood of Jesus. Jesus shed His blood in His death, and it is in death that I contact that blood.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: What Must I Do To Be Saved?, by Church of Christ minister Don Blackwell

Nowhere does the Holy Bible teach that garbage! You don't ever come into contact with Jesus' blood. The Lord's blood is applied to the mercy seat in Heaven!!! Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Blackwell further bizarrely states...

“As a matter of fact, when a person suggests that someone can be saved without baptism, in reality he's suggesting that a man can be saved without the blood of Christ, because baptism is where I contact the blood of Jesus. And friend, every person that I read about being saved in the Bible and becoming a Christian was baptized in order to do so. And in many passages it is specifically stated.”

SOURCE: What Must I Do To Be Saved?, by Church of Christ minister Don Blackwell

Genesis 15:6 says that Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousness. There's no mention of water baptism! The thief on the cross was never water baptized! The Epistle of 1st John was written so that believers could “KNOW YE ARE SAVED” (1st John 5:13), yet no form of baptism is mentioned. It is wickedness to associate water baptism with Christ's blood for salvation. Paul even said in 1st Corinthians 1:17 that Christ DIDN'T send him to baptize; but rather, to preach THE GOSPEL.

Blackwell uses Acts 2:38,41, and Acts 8:38-38 concerning the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Also Acts 8:5 and 12 concerning the people of Samaria who got saved. He mentions Acts 10:47 concerning Cornelius. Acts 16:15 concerning Lydia. Acts 16 and the Philippian jailer. Acts 22:16 concerning the conversion of Saul. For an in-depth excellent exegesis on the subject, please read Dr. Max D. Younce's awesome book titled, “A BIBLICAL EXAMINATION OF BAPTISM.”

Don Blackwell grasps for straws, trying to make a connection in Romans 6:3-4 with Christ's blood sacrifice. Notice that the Bible simply says water baptism is “LIKE UNTO CHRIST,” that is, it is symbolic of the Gospel, an outward profession of what has happened inwardly in our heart...

Romans 6:3-4, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Water baptism is NOT required for salvation.

The Bible cautions anyone who desires to teach the Word not to do so if they are unskilled...

1st Timothy 1:4-7, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”

Mr. Blackwell also misinterprets Galatians 3:27 in an attempt to bolster his straw man heresy of baptismal regeneration. Galatians 3:27 speaks of the baptism into Christ, not the baptism by water...

Galatians 3:26-29, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

There are many different “baptisms” in the Bible. Luke 3:16, “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” In Acts 2:38, the apostle Luke speaks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just as he recorded John the Baptist foretelling in Luke 3:16. Please read, “Handbook of Personal Evangelism” by Dr. Ray Stanford (1916-2012). Please also read, Dr. Ray Stanford Refutes Baptismal Regeneration.

Blackwell teaches that water “baptism is the doorway” to being placed into Christ. He basis this strange doctrine solely upon Galatians 3:27. Blackwell makes the popular error that so many people make, by taking a single Scripture out of context to support his false doctrine.

Blackwell's teachings are strange doctrine and heresy.

You Don't Have to Live Faithfully to Get to Heaven

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Eternal life is the gift of God. It has nothing to do with the way we choose to live. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that any believer has God's permission to sin. Romans 3:31 addresses this very issue, telling us that just because we are no longer under the law of God, doesn't excuse us from keeping God's law. Hebrews 12:6-8 teaches that God chastises (not punishes) His children, and scourges them.

Yet, Christians DO have a license to sin, like it or not. That is to say, regardless of how a Christian chooses to behave, their eternal life is safe and secure in the PROMISES of God (Titus 1:2). Eternal life has nothing to do with how we choose to live. We are not saved because we are good, but because God is good. We are not saved by doing good works, nor are we unsaved by doing bad works. Salvation has nothing to do with works. When asked what works were required to be saved, Jesus responded, John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

It is a false plan of salvation to add human effort to partial faith in Christ. You must wholly lean on Jesus' name. Mr. Blackwell has utterly corrupted the simplicity that is in Christ by adding confession, water baptism, repentance from sinful activities and faithful living to get to Heaven, which are all human effort. The simplicity that is in Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4) is that you believe the Gospel with mere childlike trust in the Lord's promise to save them that believe. 1st Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

If you come to Christ as a little child, receiving His sacrifice upon the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He was buried but then raised up from the dead three days later, you are saved eternally. If you choose to live in sin as a believer (and we all still commit sin), then God will chastise and scourge you (Hebrews 12:6-8). We will one day all stand account before God at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:9-11). No one has God's permission to sin (Romans 3:31), nor will God bless a disobedient child; however, this all has nothing to do with the free GIFT of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus. Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

The “washing of regeneration” in Titus 3:5 has the same meaning as “but ye are washed” (by Christ's blood) in 1st Corinthians 6:11. This has absolutely nothing to do with water baptism. Please remember that no one in the Old Testament was ever water baptized. They did have some ritualistic cleansing according to Jewish rites, but this was not baptism. Water baptism is a command for the New Testament Church, just as is the Lord's Supper.

It saddens me that most people have made the grave error of adding (or combining) human effort with the Gospel, perverting it. God rejected Adam's fig-leaf religion. God rejected Cain's offering of grain from the farm field. In Numbers 15:32-35, God required the death of a Hebrew man who broke the ceremonial law not to collect sticks on the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath is a type of completely resting in Christ alone for salvation (Hebrews 4:10-11). Man working six days a week represents human self-righteousness. By picking up sticks, it represented adding human effort to the Gospel. The execution of that sincere man who collect sticks, shows how much God hates it when anybody adds anything to Christ's finished work, and how much God will not tolerate doing so. All of these sincere preachers today who carelessly handle the Gospel and corrupt it, have blood upon their hands and will reap what they have sown (Galatians 6:7; Proverbs 14:12; Galatians 1:6-9).

Pastor Blackwell doesn't mention the gift of God in his 29 minute presentation. The Devil is a beautiful liar. Satan knows that the best place to hide a lie is between two truths. Nearly every false prophet today is in denial, professing to believe that we are saved by God's grace, while at the same time teaching that man has a part in his own salvation. Our only part is the beggar's part!

Do you really think that God would deny someone entrance into Heaven, because they didn't get dunked into a tank of water? YES!!!

Furthermore, if our behavior has an effect on going to Heaven, then we're all going to Hell forever, because James 2:10 says breaking even one commandment makes us guilty of breaking all of them! That is because nothing unrighteous can enter into the Kingdom of God, and just one sin disqualifies you and me. You must be 100% sinless and perfect to enter into Heaven!!! Obviously no one has ever achieved that perfection (Romans 3:23). That is why we all need a Savior, someone who has perfectly kept God's law and is sinless, Jesus. Christ is the end of the law for all who believe (Romans 10:3-4). That is, if you put your trust in Christ, then God accepts that as being equivalent to you living a totally sinless life (no matter how wicked you have been in your earthly life). That is what Paul means in Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” This is the imputed righteousness of God.

Do you know why so many people will miss Heaven? It is because the Devil cons them into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. Blackwell never mentions the need to be born-again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5-7). That is because he is preaching a Satanic works based plan of salvation which cannot produce the new birth.

My friend, salvation is a miraculous new birth—a second, irreversible, instant, permanent, spiritual, birth into God's family. Salvation is not reformation, nor education, nor legislation, nor rehabilitation; but rather, regeneration! YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! It may sound sacrilegious to say that a Christian doesn't have to live a faithful life to get to Heaven, but you must understand theologically that eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-10). We all know that NOTHING is free, not even eternal life. Jesus paid for your ticket friend, with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). Will you freely accept it by faith? You cannot earn nor merit a gift, if it's truly a gift.

Churches Of Christ Are A Satanic Cult

Although the Church of Christ denomination has branched off into various inter denominational groups over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, two of the most influential pioneers of their early movement are Barton Warren Stone (1772-1844), Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) of the American Restoration Movement. These men were theologically corrupted ministers. Barton Stone has a giant Masonic occult obelisk (see photo of obelisk on Wikipedia) parked on top of his grave in Cane Ridge, Kentucky. Barton Stone was an unsaved reprobate who denied the Godhead, deity of Jesus Christ and also denied that Christ died in man's place on the cross.

Evangelist Charles G. Finney rightfully forsook the Masonic lodge and wrote a book and numerous articles exposing Freemasonry's satanic nature. Dr. Finney addresses the problem of churches remaining silent about the evils of Freemasonry, and also addresses the sad fact that many churches have been infiltrated by the demonic religious cult...

Those individuals and churches, who have had the best means of information, owe it to other branches of the church, and to the whole world, to take action and to pronounce upon the unchristian character of Freemasonry, as the most influential means within their reach of arousing the whole church and the world to an examination of the character and claims of Freemasonry. If churches who are known to have examined the subject withhold their testimony; if they continue to receive persistent and intelligent Freemasons; if they leave the public to infer that they see nothing in Freemasonry inconsistent with a creditable profession of the Christian religion, it will be justly inferred by other branches of the church, and by the world, that there is nothing in it so bad, so dangerous and unchristian as to call for their examination, action, or testimony. Before the publishing of Morgan's book, the Baptist denomination, especially, in that part of the country, had been greatly carried away by Freemasonry. A large proportion of its eldership and membership were Freemasons. A considerable number of ministers and members of other branches of the Christian Church had also fallen into the snare.

SOURCE: On Freemasonry, Chapter 19, by Charles G. Finney

Countless multitudes of people are being deceived by the Devil, being sucked into Satanic cults which teach a corrupted plan of salvation that leads only to Hell. Sadly, Charles G. Finney was also a damnable heretic on salvation. He was right about the evils of Freemasonry, but is wrong on the Gospel himself. Did not the Bible tell us that deceivers would be deceived? 2nd Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

The following websites are by the Church of Christ, teaching the same false plan of salvation as Church of Christ minister Don Blackwell: “Searching For Truth“” and “World Video Bible School.” These are non-Christian websites, but you'd never know it unless you're knowledgeable of the Holy Scripture. Like the Seventh Day Adventist religious cult, Church of Christ discreetly hide their true identity to deceive naïve and gullible people. Many sincere people who were seeking for the truth are now burning in the fires of Hell because Satan's unrighteous ministers tricked them. I implore you dear friend to do what Jesus commanded us all to do in John 5:39—SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES!!!

My friend, read what the Holy Bible warns us concerning false prophets who APPEAR as being righteous...

2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

This raises the $64,000 question—how do we know which preachers are real or fake? The answer is to always “SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES” as Jesus commanded in John 5:39. Do your own homework. Remember that every false prophet will misquote Scripture to you in an attempt to deceive you. Satan himself misquoted (i.e., took it out of context) the Bible to Jesus three times in Matthew 4:1-10 in an attempt to trick the Lord. How did the Lord defeat the Devil? Jesus knew and quoted the Scriptures!!! Don't ever believe anything that anyone tells you, including what I say, without confirming it with your King James Bible (Acts 17:10-11).

I am only a man, I could be wrong. Albeit, if you are a born-again Christian you have the Holy Spirit of God living (indwelling) inside you, who promises to teach (John 14:26), comfort (John 14:16) and guide (John 16:13) us with the Holy Scripture. NEVER rely upon your own human understanding, which is exactly what the Scripture teaches in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

I did not write this article to be unkind; but rather, to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3b). I'm sure Don Blackwell is a good guy and very sincere, but the Bible warns us in Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” And so I say very kindly, beware of the Church of Christ, Churches of Christ, Church of God, International Churches of Christ and every other similar sounding name, because they all teach a false plan of works salvation, baptismal regeneration, sacramental salvation, reformation and Lordship Salvation heresies! Salvation is NOT found in any religion; but rather, in a person—the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

“I Never Knew You!” (an awesome .pdf book by Michael P. Bowen)

“Remind your mind to use His mind.” —Jack Hyles

“God never leads anyone anywhere for money.” —Jack Hyles

“If a Christian is not having tribulation in the world, there’s something wrong!” —Leonard Ravenhill

“A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a Christian… and most of all, his family ought to know.” —D.L. Moody

FORGIVENESS (MP3 by Dr. Jack Hyles, “The mark of the child of God is that he loves everybody!”