But here's what we want to stay away from when we are explaining eternal security.
What we want to stay away from is these wild-eyed illustrations and extreme examples that make
it sound crazy or unbelievable.
So we want to stay away from this kind of thing.
What if you went out and just went on a killing spree and you're just shooting men, women,
children, just murdering people, and you're just raping and pillaging?
You sound like a lunatic.
You sound like a crazy person.
And you're like, well, but yeah, but if I did, it's like, come on.
Don't get all crazy with your illustration.
And even if I bring up murder, what am I balancing that with?
I'm balancing that with, hey, listen, murder is a huge sin.
And if you commit murder, you're going to get a huge punishment on this earth.
God will change.
You're going to prison.
You know, what we don't want to do is just make it sound like, yeah, I mean, you just
kill people, commit adultery, you're still going to heaven.
You believe it?
You're making it sound crazy because you're not balancing that message.
The way that you balance the teaching on eternal security is with the chastisement
of God.
Every single door where I give someone the gospel, every single door, you know what I
always bring up at every single door?
That if you sin, God's going to punish you on this earth, even if you're saved.
And this helps people to understand because a lot of people, they misunderstand and think,
what are you just saying that you just live however you want?
It doesn't matter if we go to church, it doesn't matter if we follow the commandments,
it doesn't matter if we fornicate and commit adultery and murder and get drunk.
Look, none of us in this room think that that stuff doesn't matter.
We all think that that lifestyle that we live matters.
So we don't want people to get that wrong impression.
Now it doesn't matter in regard to our salvation, but we want to make it clear what we mean.
So the best way to explain this is to say, look, if you go out and do these horrible
things, you're going to get punished.
God's going to chastise you.
And a great verse for this is in Hebrews chapter 12, whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
And listen, whenever I explain eternal security to anybody, I always balance that by explaining
them the chastisement of God.
Because when you explain to them the chastisement of God, then it makes sense to people.
If you just tell them, yup, you just murder, whatever, and you're going to heaven, people
are not going to get that.
And if you show them a verse that proves that, they're still going to be like, I don't know,
that just doesn't sound right.
That there's just no consequence for our action.
Well let me ask you this, is there no consequence for our actions?
There's certainly a consequence.
So we don't want to mislead people that there's no consequence.
So it's good to explain to them chastisement on this earth, chastisement in this life.
And whenever I explain that to people, that's where I can see it click with people.
That makes sense.
Look, everything about the gospel makes sense.
I mean, from the point about us all being sinners, deserving hell, Christ dying on the
cross, the resurrection, faith alone, it all makes sense.
Okay.
So what you need to do is explain it in such a way where it makes sense.
To where people get the message and comprehend what you're saying.
So don't get crazy with the illustrations.
You don't have to talk about just these mass murders and just serial killings and everything
like that.
I think people get the point.
If you just explain to them, you know, hey, if you commit a big sin, and you can give
an example of a big sin, you know, somebody robbing a bag, committing adultery, committing
murder, but make sure that you acknowledge to that person, hey, that's a really big sin.
That's really bad.
And if someone does that, they're going to be chastised for that on this earth, but they
would still go to heaven because they've believed on Christ.
And because of the fact that it's eternal and you can, again, use the illustration of
a father, son, a gift, et cetera.