THIS BOOK convinced Greg Locke… (Pagani’s Secrets: 3)

I'm not asking you to deny your experiences. What I'm saying is you've said, but I don't even like the way you say that,. Nick, I don't like to say that. What do you mean? We're not telling you to deny your experiences.

The Problem with Experience-Based Deliverance Teaching

Keep in mind that that term, experiences, that's a trigger word. That's a trigger word. Let's just be honest. The moment you say experiences, your viewers are immediately taking us out of the theological camp and throwing us into sensationalism.

So welcome back to our breakdown series of Alexander Pagani's secrets to deliverance defeat the toughest cases of demonic bondage. In our last video, we discussed Pagani's demonology. He believes that demons inhabit Christians.

He thinks these demons dwell in different rooms within our souls. He believes as well that demons can hide in your body parts, your body parts, yours. As we mentioned, this belief is based upon his own experience, which he shares in the opening pages of his introduction.

His chest felt different after laying face down on the floor for a while, while an angel exercised his anger demon. He concluded that a demon was living in his chest and therefore demons must hide in the body parts of Christians.

Go and watch Pagani's secrets video too. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, there's a link in the description. Now the point of this series is not just to talk about how awful this book is and how bad the deliverance ministry stuff is, but to use this error to promote what is true by contrasting the two.

Today, we are continuing our discussion on the sufficiency of scripture. Last time we mentioned Pagani's seemingly subtle undercutting of this point when he claimed that he realized deliverance ministry to be real and efficacious when biblical counseling didn't work.

We discussed the sufficiency of scripture, meaning that the Bible contains everything necessary for salvation, faith, and godly living, and that nothing needs to be added to it from human traditions or revelations.

We mentioned that this doctrine is plainly taught in the historic Christian confessions, like the second London confession of 1689, which states that the holy scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

This doctrine is grounded in passages like 2 Timothy 3 .16, which affirms that all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, underscoring scripture's completeness and authority in guiding Christian life.

Scripture’s Authority in Faith and Practice

Today, we are going to examine more of Pagani's wild claims and dive deeper into the scripture sufficiency. Namely, we're going to discuss of the scripture its authority, clarity, and necessity. And next time we'll consider its unity, efficacy, and veracity.

We are going to treat these properties of the word as pillars, if you will, which uphold the sufficiency of scripture. In other words, the Bible is sufficient because it is authoritative, necessary, clear, unified, efficacious, and true.

We are going to treat each of these properties as a heading under which we will submit the doctrine stated, the biblical support, the historical support, and the doctrine applied. So Pagani has introduced his twisted demonology in the first few pages of his introduction, and he twists Psalm 7 to support his soul rooms theory.

We talked about that last time. As we move on to page four, Alexander gives the reader some reasons why one needs the secrets he's going to share in this book. Quote, the demons that lodge themselves in the rooms of our souls and in our body parts don't respond to cookie cutter deliverance formulas.

He claims that many deliverance ministers struggle because they don't know what he knows. It's because many still view deliverance as being a one size fits all, and they don't realize all the places demons can hide in a person's life or how to specifically address those areas.

So Pagani attributes the struggles and failures of other deliverance ministers to their lack of his knowledge. But remember, this is secret knowledge supposed to have been revealed to Pagani specifically through his own deliverance, visions, dreams, and downloads of revelation.

So you can't really blame them for getting it wrong. God hasn't told them like he's told Alexander. And yet that's the reason why they're struggling and failing. What is being communicated so clearly in these pages is that Pagani and the other demon slayers don't believe the Bible is enough for the Christian's faith in life.

They claim the Bible teaches this stuff, but constantly appeal to sources outside the Bible, mostly anecdotal to support their fantasy. Now I've mentioned that according to the demon slayer documentary, come out in Jesus name.

This is the book that convinced Greg Locke of deliverance ministry.

I command every spirit spouse in this house to come out in the name of Jesus.

There's a moment in that documentary where Greg is speaking to his staff, like in preparation for a meeting. And he says, those devils are learning us as we are learning them. This is the sentiment communicated in Pagani's book, that the demons are employing new strategies.

And so we also need new strategies so that we can engage in effective spiritual warfare. And it becomes this game of cat and mouse really, which is convenient for those who want to write books and sell them, but perhaps is a bit of a double edged sword because that means that Pagani's secrets will soon be obsolete.

Surely the demons will have read this book by now and will have switched things up. Pagani writes, demons want you to keep applying certain strategies the church learned in the 1970s because they know you'll likely never find their hiding places using those approaches.

So Pagani is making the case for why we need his book, right? But how does he know what demons want? How do you know that? This must be more of the revelation he got from outside the Bible. To add more credibility to his claims, he tells us about another dream on page five.

Is credibility the right word? This is the dream in which God told Pagani just what Pagani told his readers on the previous page. That deliverance is actually a complicated labyrinth. One needs divinely bestowed wisdom to navigate.

So notice what happens. Pagani will make a doctrinal claim about the way demons operate, but he knows he has to appeal to some authority to support his claim. Now, any God fearing minister would make no doctrinal claims unless backed by the authority of scripture.

But to what does Alexander appeal? A dream. Something we can't verify. He doesn't give us the option to be Bereans and search the scriptures to find out if these things are so because he does not appeal to the scriptures because he does not believe in the sufficiency of the scriptures and holds his own dreams on the same level of authority.

He goes on. So Pagani knows not only what demons want, but he's also gotten revelation outside of scripture about what God wants. And there it is again that the church gain a deeper revelation about deliverance.

So Pagani's claim is that the Holy Spirit who wrote the Bible wants to give us deeper revelation about deliverance. No. If the Holy Spirit wanted to say more about deliverance, he would have said so in this book, but Pagani will continue to put words in God's mouth in hopes of convincing the reader that he's the real deal.

Using ineffective weapons and tactics in deliverance ministry does not please the Holy Spirit. I'll even go so far as to say it is a form of idolatry because it prizes forms and rituals over the truth God wants to reveal.

Notice that he does it yet again. He tells us what God wants. He speaks presumptively. Notice that he does not appeal to the truth already contained in God's word, but to the truth God wants to reveal.

The scriptures are not sufficient for faith and life. According to Alexander Pagani. Finally, he writes,. And there it is for the fourth time on a single page. Alexander Pagani has told us what God wants.

And here is perhaps the most obvious denial of the Bible's sufficiency. According to Pagani, the Holy Spirit wants to give us new weapons for our Christian warfare. That's odd because the Holy Spirit has already laid out for us what are the weapons of our warfare, namely the truth of God's word and living in obedience to it.

The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. And we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

The Holy Spirit has given us a sword, which is the word of God. He did not forget anything. He never says that one day the church will need an upgrade to wage spiritual warfare. Pagani is teaching is true.

The evil imaginations of his own heart said he says that God wants to upgrade our model for deliverance. Pagani's introduction so far, in my estimation is a demonic assault upon the Bible. So let's talk about the Bible and consider that God's word is far more trustworthy than Pagani's dreams.

God's words are sweeter than honey and more precious than all gold and silver. So let's assert the Bible's sufficiency by first considering its authority. The doctrine stated the authority of scripture refers to the Bible as the rule or standard of faith and practice.

Joel Beakey writes, where the Bible teaches a doctrine or reports an event, it binds our consciences to hold it for truth. When it commands an attitude, affection or action, it binds our consciences to obey.

The word of God obligates its readers or hearers to entire submission. The biblical support is conclusive that the mark of genuine faith is becoming submitted to the scriptures. But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that standard of teaching to which you were committed.

This doctrine is supported historically. The 1689 confession of faith reads that the authority of the holy scriptures obligates belief in them. This authority does not depend on the testimony of any person or church, but on God, the author alone who is truth itself.

Therefore the scriptures are to be received because they are the word of God. The witness of the church fathers consistently appeals to the Bible's authority for deciding matters pertaining to faith and life.

John Chrysostom says it is absurd to learn the truth of things from men when we can ascertain them from the word of God itself. For this is the source of salvation and doctrine from which anyone will profit greatly if he reads it carefully.

We should apply the authority of the scriptures to our lives by turning to them first as we navigate our Christian walks. The Bible speaks authoritatively to every matter of faith and life. So we ought to revere the word therefore because it is God speaking and when God speaks, he means it.

The authority of scripture ought to teach us to tremble at God's word. Now let's consider the Bible's clarity. While the authority of scripture teaches that the Bible speaks authoritatively concerning matters of doctrine and practice, the clarity of scripture asserts that the Bible teaches these things clearly.

Not everything is equally clear in scripture. Peter writes that some of what Paul says is hard to understand and honestly some of what Peter says is hard to understand too, but the clarity of scripture teaches that the essential matters about salvation and faithfully following Christ are all accessible through the ordinary means of study with the illuminating help of the Holy Spirit.

All of God's word is for all of God's people. Scripture does not require Roman Catholic authority to be understood nor does it require special knowledge like that which Alexander Pagani claims for himself.

It is clear. The Bible likens God's word unto a guiding light that makes clear that path that was otherwise obstructed by darkness. Psalm 119 105 your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The word gives light as it imparts understanding to the simple. Jesus thanks the father for revealing the essential truths of the gospel, not to the wise and understanding, but to little children. Augustine said in those things which are plainly laid down in the scripture, all things are found which embrace faith and morals.

The second London confession of faith of 1689 states some things in scripture are clearer than others and some people understand the teachings more clearly than others. However, the things that must be known, believed and obeyed for salvation are so clearly set forth and explained in one part of scripture or another that both the educated and uneducated may achieve a sufficient understanding of them by properly using ordinary measures.

In applying the clarity of scripture, we should first be convinced that if the scripture appears unclear to us, the problem is not in the scripture, but in us. Joel Beakey writes the great obstacle to our understanding of the truth of God is not the Bible, but the sin and satanic unbelief that dominate the wicked and remain to some extent, even in the godly.

Secondly, we should approach the scriptures with confidence that God has meant to be understood and will surely speak to us from his living word that we might behold wonderful things there in. Thirdly, for fathers, the clarity of scripture means that you should be teaching them to your children.

Your children are capable of understanding probably more than you think they are, and the Bible tells us to teach our children diligently. The clarity of scripture means that it's not wasted effort. Fourthly, the clarity of scripture means that we should use clearer scripture to help us interpret less clear portions of scripture.

This is the interpretive principle known as the analogy of scripture. Richard Muller gives this definition. The analogy of scripture is the interpretation of unclear, difficult, or ambiguous passages of scripture by comparison with clear and unambiguous passages that refer to the same teaching or event.

So in a recent podcast episode, David Lovi and I applied this principle to the issue of tongues by arguing that Acts 2 is the clearer text shedding light on the gift of tongues that helps interpret some of the less clear texts in 1 Corinthians 12 -14, especially since Luke was Paul's companion and Luke wrote Acts, and Acts was written after 1 Corinthians.

But you could use this principle also to, you know, use the gospel of Mark to shed light on an event that's also recorded in Matthew. This principle gained confessional status as follows. The infallible rule for interpreting scripture is the scripture itself.

Therefore, when there is a question about the true and full meaning of any part of scripture, and each passage has only one meaning, not many, it must be understood in light of other passages that speak more clearly.

So use the analogy of scripture. Now the third pillar supporting the Bible's sufficiency is the necessity of scripture. The doctrine of the scripture's necessity states that the revelation contained therein, which so far we have seen is authoritative and clear in matters concerning one salvation, is in fact necessary for one salvation.

While creation bears witness to God, only redemptive revelation concerning the person and work of Christ as it is contained in the scriptures is able to save men's souls. While the heavens declare the glory of God and his invisible attributes are seen through creation, this general revelation is actually insufficient to lead sinners to salvation.

Scripture alone reveals the way to eternal life through Jesus Christ. As Paul declares, faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Joel Beakey offers biblical support for this doctrine when he writes, the word of God is the means by which God gives new birth to sinners, which is necessary for them to enter God's kingdom.

The word of God is the spiritual food by which God nourishes his children. By his word, God sustains and comforts believers and all their afflictions. Furthermore, the Lord sanctifies his people through his word.

In summary, the word of God is the power of God for salvation to believers. It is most necessary for our spiritual lives. The church father Jerome argued for the scriptures necessity when he said that ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

In other words, we can't know Christ apart from the revelation contained in the scriptures. And Clement of Alexandria concludes that by the scripture alone can we be trained to contemplate and understand the truth.

The 1689 confession states that the light of nature and the works of creation and providence so clearly demonstrate the goodness, wisdom and power of God that people are left without excuse. However, these demonstrations are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God and his will that is necessary for salvation.

Therefore, the Lord was pleased at different times and in various ways to reveal himself and to declare his will to his church to preserve and propagate the truth better and to establish and comfort the church with greater certainty against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world.

The Lord put this revelation completely in writing. Therefore, the holy scriptures are absolutely necessary because God's former ways of revealing his will to his people have now ceased. The application of the doctrine of the scriptures necessity to our lives may consist at least in moving us to no longer take the scriptures for granted.

If that's what we've been doing, it ought to be the cry of our hearts whenever we are tempted to look elsewhere for truth. Lord to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life with our hearts and minds prone to slide into error.

We should treasure the scriptures all the more because it does not shift or change like we do, but constantly upholds that which is necessary to the birthing and to the sustaining of our faith. In conclusion, the authority, clarity, and necessity of the scripture testify to its sufficiency and to the needlessness of Pagani's secrets.

I hope this video has been helpful to you. And next time we'll finish up examining the introduction to Pagani's book and hit the next three pillars of the Bible. It's unity, efficacy, and veracity. Alexander Pagani is among those who have no light because he does not teach according to God's word.

And that's a holy nope.