Mario Brisson Butchers
Matthew 7:21-23
(aka, “The Vigilant Christian”)
By David J. Stewart | November 2014
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” —Matthew 7:21-23
I admire Mario Brisson (aka, “The Vigilant Christian”) for his zeal to preach the truth, but he's out in
left field concerning the plan of salvation, which is what happens when you
listen to yardbirds like Evangelist Paul Washer. Brisson is a concern,
because his YouTube videos receive several thousand hits each. I don't like exposing
anyone, but I have to go by what Brisson uploads to the internet. In his
November
6th YouTube video, Mario Brisson shares a sermon clip from Grace
Community Church in San Antonio, Texas (and it is a horrible sermon) and
others sermon clips, teaching Lordship Salvation. The video misinterprets
Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord.” This Scripture is
not saying that you cannot be saved without holiness; but rather, it means
that without living a holy life, others will go to Hell because of one's
poor Christian testimony, such as Lot's son-in-laws who laughed at him as
one who mocked when he warned of coming judgment.
In the same November 6th video, Brisson wrests (corrupts) the true meaning of Matthew 7:21-23 (just as Ray Comfort errantly does). He gets the word “few” from Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Brisson states...
“Are you one of the few, that will be given eternal life, because you had a regenerated heart, and because of the regenerated heart you began to obey the will of God in your life?”
SOURCE: Mario Brisson, aka, “The Vigilant Christian,” YouTube video from November 6, 2014 titled, “Do You Know Your Going to Heaven? Many Will Say 'Lord Lord' & He Will Say 'I Never Knew U'”
That's a false plan of salvation. Do you see how subtle and confused Brisson is? In the preceding quote Brisson makes these theological blunders...
- First of all, God won't one day give you eternal life. If you are a born-again Christian, you already have eternal life, presently.
- Secondly, God doesn't give anyone eternal life because they have a regenerated heart. We are born-again the very moment we realize that we are a woeful sinner in God's eyes, and believe that Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose. Being born again is not a matter of having our heart regenerated; but rather, having God's Holy Spirit come to indwell our body in response to our faith (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). The new man is the Holy Spirit of Christ in us (Romans 8:9). Being regenerated means having He Who is the Beginning born in you (Revelation 1:8).
- Thirdly, obeying the will of God in our life to be saved would be works salvation. I mean, if receiving eternal life only comes after a life of obeying God's will because I've had a regenerated heart, then salvation is by partial faith in Christ, plus human effort.
- Fourth, the will of God concerning eternal life is plainly stated in John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Salvation is a new birth, a second, spiritual, birth. It is immediate, not a process. You can be saved immediately and write that time and date in your Bible. Just as you have a physical birthday, you also have a spiritual birthday if you are saved. Paul Washer criticizes this notion, because he believes that if your life doesn't validate your faith, then you were never saved. Although the root of genuine repentance ought to produce the fruit of a changed life, you CANNOT mandate a changed life for salvation, because only God can see the human heart. By all indication Lot was an unsaved man, but God saw his righteous heart vexed over the unlawful deeds of the wicked (2nd Peter 2:7-8). As Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) used to say, “You cannot tell how much fuel is in a car's tank by the sound of the horn.” And you cannot tell if someone is saved by the way they live.
I want to be fair to Mario Brisson. I like the guy, he's a fighter, like me, a soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ. On November 2nd Mario published a YouTube video boldly promoting Evangelist Paul Washer's false plan of Lordship Salvation. Apparently some subscribers complained, and rightfully so. Then on November 6th Mario uploaded a nightmare compilation of Calvinistic preachers all teaching Lordship Salvation. Then on November 7th Mario published another video, for which I commend him. In his November 7th follow-up video, Brisson honestly admits that he was saved out of the New Age Movement and is still learning and searching for the truth. That is the proper attitude for us to have.
Something that I don't like is that “The
Vigilant Christian” has a PayPal account linked to his YouTube
ministry so people can send him money. What a joke! That is a major warning
flag. Mario claims the money is for materials... for a YouTube channel? It
is sad that money seems to be the common denominator in today's apostate
so-called “ministries.” It will be a cold day in Hell before I ever ask,
receive or let anyone give me money for serving God. My reward is in Heaven.
I want people to know where my heart is at. I do what I do for the Lord, to
help others in Christ. I don't criticize pastors and legitimate Christian
organizations for selling materials, but I have a problem with a YouTube
Channel asking for money.
Mario Brisson's Quest for the Truth?
I like what I hear from Brisson, that is, that he's going to research his beliefs concerning salvation (see preceding link to November 7th video), but the bottom line is that at present Mario is one of the biggest promoters of Lordship Salvation preachers (like Paul Washer), even though he says personally he doesn't agree wholeheartedly with Lordship Salvation. It's not what a man believes that defines him, but what he promotes. I'll be keeping up with future videos, Lord willing, and if Brisson preaches the Gospel correctly, then I'll promote him as a fellow laborer in Christ instead of exposing him as a false prophet. If he uploads more garbage, I'll expose his false teachings. The same goes for Ray Comfort and others. My preaching is none of my business, as Brother Lester Roloff used to say, I preach what God lays upon my heart.
I hope Brisson will help expose the Lordship Salvation crowd, instead of promoting them. It appears that he is going to straddle-the-fence on the issue, trying to appease both sides. At a minimum, I'd hope that Brisson would not comment on the subject until he's confident in his beliefs, because he's doing a lot of damage to the cause of Christ presently. Admittedly, in his November 7th video, Brisson doesn't understand the subject of salvation enough to decipher truth from error. I've found at least a dozen of Mario's video promoting Paul Washer. That's a problem. It's obvious that he's really been taken-in by Paul Washer. There's no argument that Paul Washer is a sharp young man, full of passion and conviction about what he believes, and it all sounds really great; however, if a man is wrong on repentance and salvation, then he is going to be wrong on everything else too. I'm tired of false prophets who claim that eternal life is a free gift, but you can't have it without a holy life. That is human effort, double-speak and a false plan of salvation.
I'm going to be praying for Mario for the next
couple weeks, that the
Holy Spirit will open his eyes to the truth of the simplicity that is in
Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). We find the simple plan of salvation in
1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him.” The confusion comes from mixing discipleship with
sonship. No one has God's blessing and permission to sin, but this is all
separate from the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. For disobedient
believers, God chastises and scourges them as Hebrews 12:6-8 teaches.
Please
watch,
God's Discipline—Eternal Security (by Pastor Max D. Younce). It is wrong
to corrupt the plan of salvation in an attempt to force believers to live
holy.
Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Again, in Mario's November 7th follow-up video, he says that he's “not a fan of Lordship Salvation,” and that he is still researching his beliefs on the matter. I really appreciate his honest attitude and willingness to change his beliefs if they are wrong, but time will reveal the matter. Brisson is listening to all the wrong preachers. False prophets Paul Washer, Rick Warren, Gary Chapman, Mike Huckabee and Charles Stanley are all alumni of Southwest Baptist Theological Seminar (cemetery), and they're all wrong on the plan of salvation. See the excellent book, “I NEVER KNEW YOU” by Michael P. Bowen. I recommend that folks listen to some Independent Fundamental Baptist preachers like Dr. Curtis Hutson, Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. Harry Ironside.
The problem is that Paul Washer is suave, dynamic and likable to today's youth, and he is passionate in his beliefs and preaching. Unfortunately, Washer is a Calvinist, as is John MacArthur. They believe in a heresy called, “The Perseverance of the Saints,” which says if you're really saved, you will perverse in holy living. Although such thinking sounds noble and honoring to the Lord, it is a blatant attack against the free gift of eternal life, which is solely obtained by the imputed righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9; Romans 4:5-6). Mario Brisson's theology is being shaped by Paul Washer, and he's being corrupted. Sad to say, the loudest mouth on the internet gets the most followers. It shouldn't be that way. Just because Paul Washer is super popular on the internet doesn't mean that he is doctrinally sound or correct. Here's one of the best sermons you'll ever hear, by Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951), titled, “WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?” Also, please read Dr. Ironside's excellent book, “EXCEPT YE REPENT.”
The bottom line is that we've got a bunch of
preachers running around in our churches, Bible colleges and on the internet
trying to reconcile the Lordship Salvation heresy with the free gift of
eternal life and the two are incompatible!!! Dr. Jack Hyles wonderfully
straightens the matter out, putting it all into proper perspective, in his
classic MP3 sermon titled, “Steps
In Sanctification (Or The Root Of All Heresy).” I hope that you'll take
the time to listen to Brother Hyles.
I've Had to Adjust Some of My Beliefs Over the Years
I've been wrong at times, many times. It's ok to admit being imperfect. No man is 100% doctrinally correct. This is why Nothing Can Replace The Holy Bible.
Radio host Alex Jones was teaching blatant Religious Humanism (bettering mankind without the need for the Gospel) for about a year while Mike Adams was working with him. Well, Mikes gone and Alex hasn't been teaching that garbage lately (at least not that I've heard). I don't like exposing people. In fact, I hate it, especially if it's people that I admire, like Alex Jones and Mario Brisson. I was glad to see that Mario Brisson has an open mind and heart on the matter, which shows that he is honestly searching for answers. Most people will vehemently defend their position, no matter how wrong they may be, because they simply don't want to be wrong. The Lord knows that I've been wrong on doctrines before, and I've changed my position. I used to believe in a Young Earth, and I promoted Kent Hovind and Henry Morris; but then I woke up, slowly, and I was awakened to the reality of an Old Earth. I no longer promote the Young Earth crowd. Here's a great book on the subject.
Also, I used to be a big Jack Chick fan. I'd grown up admiring his cartoon artwork in his Chick Tracts. I'd never really paid attention to the plan of salvation on the back page of each tract. I used to buy boxes of several thousand of Jack Chick's tracts. I loved them. But then a friend, one of my web visitors, wrote me and said that Jack Chick was teaching a false plan of salvation. At first I refused to turn against Jack Chick, because he was someone that I greatly admired. The seed of truth had been planted in my heart. After 8 months I finally came to the realization, in a moment of prayer, that either Jack Chick was right or he was wrong. The Bible was the only authority on the matter. I wrote to Chick Tracts, but they wouldn't respond. So I made the painful and emotional decision to start exposing Jack Chick's false plan of salvation. It still hurts, but I am loyal to truth and principles, not to men or institutions. I know I am doing the right thing in God's eyes, because I am contending for the Christian faith.
Since Mr. Chick teaches that admitting one's sinnership is not enough to be saved, but also, he says that a person must “be willing to turn from sin (repent),” he is adding human effort to partial faith in Christ. There is nothing in the Bible that says a man must be willing to forsake his sins to be saved. The implication is clear that to be saved you must be willing to stop committing deliberate sins, which is Lordship Salvation. Jack Chick has distorted the issue in defense of himself, alleging that his critics don't believe repentance is necessary for salvation. That's not the issue. The issue is that Jack Chick has followed the errant definition of repentance as “turning from sin” instead of the Biblical meaning which is, “to think differently.”
If I'm right I'm right, but if I'm wrong I'm
wrong. Lord willing, I'm going to follow The Vigilant Christian
channel and see where Brisson goes in his beliefs. Albeit, as long as he
promotes Paul Washer, I must expose his ministry as corrupted, because
Paul Washer does indeed teach a false
plan of salvation. Washer calls the “Romans
Road” a “manipulative practice.” He criticizes the practice of writing
down the date you get saved. Clearly, Washer believes that one's life has an
impact on their eternal destiny. My friend, salvation is a new birth (born
again). You simply take the gift of eternal life by faith in the Gospel to
have it. You can write down the time that you get saved, just as your birth
certificate records the time you were born into this earthly world. Mr.
Washer even goes as far as to call soul-winning Baptists “stupid.”
Clearly, Mr. Washer has a theological problem.
If You Don't Believe in Lordship Salvation, Then Don't Promote It
Kindly, Mario Brisson professes to be “the vigilant Christian,” but he certainly is not the doctrinally sound Christian. In Mario Brisson's latest video titled, “Shocking Youth Message - Paul Washer - The Gate is Narrow & Few Find it!,” he promotes the Lordship Salvation heresy of Evangelist Paul Washer. On his Facebook (Nosebook) page, Brisson promotes Paul Washer and wrestles the meaning of “the narrow gate” as referring to one's manner of life. According to Brisson, you're not really saved unless you walk the narrow way of holiness and godliness...
“We need to recognize that the way to God is very narrow. The Bible actually says that there are few that find it. And many will say on that day, 'Lord, Lord,' but He's going to look at them and say, 'I Never Knew You!' We need to make sure that we are striving for holiness and godliness. This is a fruit of being justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ.”
SOURCE: Mario Brisson, 'The Vigilant Christian,' Shocking Youth Message - Paul Washer - The Gate is Narrow & Few Find it!
Do you see how subtle and satanic the preceding quote is? I've heard umpteen preachers pervert the true meaning of Matthew 7:21-23, saying that Jesus doesn't know those professed believers who still live in willful sin. That's not what the Lord taught. The Bible simply means that you cannot get to Heaven by works. These religious false prophets boldly said in Matthew 7:22... We have, “IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS.” This is why they were not saved. They failed to do the Father's will which is plainly stated in John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” If you believe on the name of Jesus, Who died on the cross for your sins and rose, you are saved. It's that simple to be saved, so simple in fact, that most men pass right over it in favor of a false plan of salvation that requires some degree of human effort.
The battle over repentance is a raging battle in the churches, and a very important one indeed. Any plan of salvation that places the burden upon a sinner to change is a false Gospel. The best thing Mario and anyone else can do to settle your beliefs is to look plainly at the Word of God and nothing else. The two Biblical doctrines that I encourage others to get firmly established in their mind is: 1) that salvation is A FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-19); 2) and we are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (that is, God's IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is solely by faith in Christ). I have no righteousness to offer God, and neither do you. Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:5-6 plainly teach that A MAN'S FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS! That is the nature of a free gift; it is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition. Praise God!
"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." —Acts 10:43
Paul Washer’s Washed-up Gospel
Dr. John R. Rice speaks on worldly Christians — Are they not saved?
Dr. Curtis Hutson speaks on Biblical repentance — Must a person stop sinning to be saved?
Paul Washer Calls Soulwinning
Baptists 'Stupid'
(Lordship Salvationists...
making salvation hard)
