MISGUIDED

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." 2 John 1:10–11

The tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin is more than folklore—it's a frightening parable for our times. Just as the Piper played his seductive tune and led the town’s children away, so today many so-called “Christian” leaders are luring people from the truth with clever lies, smooth words, and man-centered theology. These are not shepherds—they are hirelings, blind guides, and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15; John 10:12-13).

Far too many in the Church have stopped testing spirits (1 John 4:1), forsaken discernment, and surrendered their ears to teachers who tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Like the children of Hamelin, they follow a deadly melody toward destruction, not realizing the end of that is judgment, not joy. Let us return to the WORD, the voice of the True Shepherd (John 10:27), and flee from every voice that does not align with Him.

One of the most sobering warnings in Scripture comes from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21). The issue here isn’t merely about language — it’s about the sovereignty of God and His lordship. False religion can use all the right terms, claim to worship the true God, even appeal to Scripture, and still miss the Kingdom. Why? Because it's built on man's assumptions and misinterpretations rather than upon the WORD of God.

The downward spiral of false doctrine always begins the same way: depraved and misguided man starts with a belief, a notion, that seems right (see Pr 14:12) and then erects an entire religious system around it. Instead of coming under the authority of the FULL COUNSEL of God's WORD and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape their thinking, people bring their own presuppositions, culture, and agendas to the text. From there, entire theologies and denominations are formed on sinking sand.

We see this clearly in the case of Mark 16:9–20 — a passage not found in the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. It reads more like a patchwork of resurrection stories and doctrinal insertions than the concise, immediately-paced, secrecy-infused Gospel of Mark. Why was this added? Because some scribes — perhaps well-meaning but misguided — couldn’t accept the abrupt, "incomplete" ending at verse 8. But that’s exactly the point Mark was making! The women’s silence wasn’t a failure — it was an intentional literary and theological tension meant to provoke the reader to respond. The text begs the question, "Will you stay silent or go proclaim the risen Christ?"

But when human wisdom steps in, it replaces the Divine Author’s (God) intent with one that feels more palatable. What’s the result? Look at verse 16: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..." This passage has been warped and twisted beyond recognition into a doctrine that elevates WATER baptism to a salvific event and requirement, apart from the regenerate work of the Holy Spirit. This is eisegesis — reading INTO the text rather than drawing OUT what the text reveals — and it’s not just careless, it’s deadly!

The Church of Christ and others in the "Restoration Movement" have long anchored their doctrine of "baptismal regeneration" to Acts 2:38, where Peter declares, "Repent and be baptized... for the forgiveness of sins." But there is an insurmountable gap between what the text means and their understanding of it. It has NOTHING to do with water baptism. It has EVERYTHING to do with our FULL IDENTIFICATION in Christ Jesus as our LORD and KING. When ripped from the totality of biblical theology, this verse becomes a weaponized proof text that leads people into confusion or worse — damnation by false assurance in an event, ceremony, or ritual, rather than the greater reality it points to... submission and surrender to Christ Jesus.

The context is key: Peter is addressing Jews who had long rejected and recently crucified their Messiah. Peter calls them to repent — a literal turning to Christ in faith. Baptism (full identification), as revealed in Scripture, flows from saving faith. As with the Ethiopian eunuch, when we have been born again by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, there is an unquenchable desire for full and public identification with Him as our Sovereign LORD. That’s why Paul says in Romans 6 that (water) baptism symbolizes our being buried with Christ and raised with Him — the water ceremony/symbol is an outward declaration of an inward reality. However, it cannot be reverse-engineered. Getting wet in a church ceremony or ritual accomplishes nothing of permanence or lasting value.

So what of the thief on the cross in Luke 23? He had no time for WATER baptism, but he identified FULLY with Jesus as his LORD & KING, saying, "This man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong! Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom!" All his hope, trust, and identity were in Jesus. Therefore, Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with Me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) If WATER baptism were essential for salvation, then Jesus lied — or worse, the cross was insufficient. That is heresy. That is another gospel. Baptism, our FULL IDENTIFICATION in Christ, is 100% essential for salvation because Scripture reveals that no one will enter into the kingdom of God whose IDENTITY is not exclusively in Christ Jesus. This is revealed in the parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22:

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

False doctrine isn’t just bad theology; it is rejecting the Holy Spirit's correction. It is idolatry. Whenever man reshapes the truth of God to fit his own categories, comfort, or control, he ceases to worship the God who is, YAHWEH, and instead bows to the god of his own creation and imagination. That's not Christianity. That's golden calf religion, it is the abomination of trying to bring to life our own Frankenstein monster, and it’s rampant today.

Like the Samaritans in John chapter 4, many today worship what they do not know — a Jesus of cultural syncretism, religious tradition, or denominational loyalty. But Jesus said that true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth. Not sincere hearts that are deceitful above all things... not invented doctrines based on what the Bible means to us... but in spirit and truth.

Here’s the tragic part: millions upon millions of misguided people sit in churches that teach WATER baptism saves, works justify, and that religious rituals earn grace. These lies convince people they’re safe — while they are, in fact, perishing on the wide path that leads to destruction. The Jesus they put their hope and trust in is not the Jesus of Scripture. It's a Jesus tailored to fit their personal doctrine, not the Risen King to whom every knee will bow.

If the ROCK is absent, and the foundation isn't the WORD of God — the 66 books of Scripture, rightly understood through the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit — then the entire house will crumble. Seminary degrees don’t make disciples. That's why Jesus chose ordinary men, not ivory-tower scholars. Tradition doesn’t equal truth. That's why Jesus rejected the Pharisees. Emotionalism is no substitute for total surrender to Christ as Sovereign LORD.

We must be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11 — “more noble-minded” — who received the message eagerly, but then examined the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true. That’s the biblical model. That’s the safeguard. Not blind trust in pastors, traditions, or denominations, but radical submission to the Lordship of Christ and the ultimate authority of His WORD.

We have no authority to edit or update the Gospel. We are humble heralds and ambassadors of the Divine Author. The message has already been written. It's not up for revision; it is only ours to deliver.

Is your faith established on the bedrock of God's eternal WORD, or the shifting sands of man-made doctrine, traditions, and contemporary "understanding"? Is your theology derived from Scripture, or are you bending, twisting, and perverting Scripture to support your position... or blindly following somone who is?

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." 2 John 1:10–11

Contend for the faith. Cling to the WORD. Proclaim the true GOSPEL: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of our God of eternal Holy Trinity alone. Anything else is a fancy tune played by liars and deceivers, leading fools to their death.

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com