What Must I Do To Be Saved?

In the book of Acts, we read that the Philippian jailor came to the apostle Paul and his companion Silas and asked them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’’ (Acts 16:29,30 NKJV). They responded to this question by saying, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (v.31).

Perhaps, like the Philippian jailor, you are asking that very same question. Maybe you’ve come to a place in your life that is prompting you to evaluate where you stand with God. Well, just like Paul and Silas answered, you can be saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

But what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? It simply means that, by faith, you put your complete trust and hope in Him for your salvation.

You see, the bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and that "the wages of sin is death" (Ro. 3:23, 6:23a). God’s "standard" to attain eternal life is perfection, but because of our sinful nature we "fall short" of that standard. Not only that, but the bible says that the "wages" , or what we earn because of our sin, is death-which means eternal separation from God. All of us have already been judged guilty and sentenced by a Holy and Righteous God (Ro. 3:19,20).

But wait! It doesn’t end there. There’s good news. Let’s read what the rest of Romans 6:23 says. “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has a “gift” for you and I -eternal life. Not only that, but He has already bridged the great chasm that has separated us from receiving that gift.

The bible says that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”, and, “much more then having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Ro. 5:8,9). In other words, God loves us so much, even though we are sinners, “that He gave His only-begotten Son” (John 3:16) so that by His shed blood we can be “justified” or declared righteous, instead of guilty. Also, instead of getting what we deserve (our wages), which is God’s wrath and eternal separation from Him, God saves us from that wrath and gives us eternal life.

You see, Jesus said that His blood would be “shed for many for the remission (or forgiveness) of sins” (Mt. 26:28). The bible also says that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22). Jesus Christ lived a perfect, blameless and sinless life, making Him the perfect sacrifice to appease the wrath of God on sin-our own sin (1 Pe.2:24, Gal. 1:4). That means that God will forgive you because Jesus already paid the “penalty” by shedding His own blood and thereby “saving” you from God‘s wrath.

How do we accept this awesome and tremendous gift? In other words, how do we “get saved”? Well, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. To “confess” means that you agree with what God says-that you are a hopelessly lost sinner in need of a Savior. Confessing Jesus as Lord means that you repent (or turn away) from a life of sin and submit to Jesus as Ruler of your life. Believing that God raised Jesus from the dead means that you believe the sacrifice Jesus made in our place was acceptable to the Father. If you believe this with your heart and confess it with your mouth, you will be saved. Verse 10 of this great chapter completes this thought by saying, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Perhaps in reading this you feel a tugging on your heart or a conviction that you need to get right with God. Maybe you feel as though you don’t want to go on any longer without a personal relationship with Him. Please listen. This is the most important decision you will ever make. God wants to settle this issue with you now. The bible says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”. You can be saved right now.

Simply tell God, through prayer, that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness. Tell Him that you believe by faith that Jesus shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sins and that He rose from the dead. Tell Him that you willingly turn from your sins and want Jesus to come into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior.

If you have sincerely prayed that prayer, we praise God and rejoice with you in your new relationship with Jesus Christ. We encourage you to read the bible and pray every day to get to know Jesus better.

Please fell free to contact us with any questions or concerns you might have. We would love to hear from you about what God has done and is doing in your life. We want to help you to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).