What Must I Do to Be Saved? [Part 1] The Bible says that our Lord and Savior came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). If we are honest with ourselves, we will realize that Jesus came to seek and save everyone of us. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). God also tells us that our sins separate us from Him and bring about spiritual death (Isa. 59:1-2, Rom. 6:23). The good news in this picture of redemption is that God does not want anyone to be lost. God wants all people to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). Jesus Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice for all people to be saved (Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:1-2). The Bible tells us that we can know the truth about salvation and be saved (John 8:32; 1 John 5:13). That being true, each person must ask a very important question. What must I do to be saved? Over the next few weeks we are going to examine in detail exactly what the Bible teaches one must do to be saved. As we do this, I want to ask you to honestly examine yourself and see if you are saved the way the Bible teaches (2 Cor. 13:5). Let us notice the first step in God’s plan of salvation. 1. Hear God’s Word. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). And, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). In the past I am afraid that we have under emphasized the importance of hearing God’s word. What does it mean to really hear God’s word? Please understand that hearing God’s word does not mean you just accept anything someone says, even if they say it is from the Bible. By hearing God’s word, two very important principles are taught. First, hearing God’s word means that we recognize its authority. As God said on the Mount of Transfiguration, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear Him” (Mk. 9:7). The Bible is the ultimate and final authority in all matters of religion (Matt. 28:18ff, Col. 3:17, Jn. 12:48). When there is a bible question or when someone needs to know what to do to be saved, we must let the voice of God be the final authority. The question of Romans 5:4 should stand out in our minds. “What do the Scriptures says?” Too many times we hear the voice of other men or commentaries or church manuals over the voice of God. When we decide to hear God’s Word we are saying we will let God have the final and only say in this matter. Second, hearing God’s word means that we give a diligent effort to study, search, seek and test. In the process of hearing, one must use the reasoning capabilities God has given him to discern truth from error (I Thes. 5:21We need to be good hearers like the noble Bereans who “…received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11, ASV). Let us be careful and intelligent in how we hear (Lk. 8:18), what we hear (Mk. 4:24), and Who we hear (Mk. 9:7). To hear God’s word requires that we engage our ears and our mind and make an intellectual decision about what is said based on the Bible as our authority. Dear friend, who have you been listening to on the matter of salvation? Do we listen to God alone? Or, do we listen to God and someone else’s opinion or teaching? Remember, only the voice of God and His Word will matter on The Judgment Day (John 12:48). Remember to read next week’s article as we will discuss the very important but highly misunderstood step of belief. What Must I do to be Saved? [Part 2] There is nothing more important in the entire world than your eternal soul. Jesus said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and looses his own soul” (Mark 8:36-37). God has made it possible for all people to be saved and live the best life (1 Timothy 2:4, John 10:10). Since this is the case we must ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Last week we noticed the first step in God’s plan of salvation was to hear/listen to God’s Word. This week let’s look at the second step in God’s plan of salvation. The second step in the plan of salvation is belief. Jesus said, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will surely die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). True belief is always an active obedient faith in God. Jesus taught the multitudes that they could not just call him “Lord” and not do the things He said (Matt. 7:21). Believing in Jesus means that we are willing to trust and follow him with our whole heart. A beautiful example of this is seen in Acts 8. Phillip has just started teaching the Ethiopian Nobleman the gospel plan of salvation. As he teaches him about Christ the Bible tells us they came to a certain water and the nobleman wanted to be immersed. Phillip then tells him, “if you believe with all your heart you may” (Acts 8:37). From this text, we learn that belief is a conviction that Jesus is the Christ the Savior of our life. We also learn that we must be willing to do whatever Jesus says if we really believe in Him (Acts 8:38ff). While we do not want to underemphasize the importance of belief, please understand that belief alone will never save anyone. In fact, the word belief never means mental acceptance only. Belief always means an active, obedient trust in God (Gal 5:6). You and I understand this in every day life. For example, imagine I am out in the middle of the lake about to drown and a person comes along and throws me a life preserver. If I just believe that life preserver will save me and never do anything to “be saved” (Acts 2:40), will I be saved? Absolutely not! Just believing the life preserver would save me would have got me no closer to being saved. I must take steps of action such as reaching for the preserver, holding on and helping pull myself in. Likewise, there are steps of action associated with belief that one must take to be saved. It is so sad that there are thousands of denominational people who teach that all one must do to be saved is believe in Jesus and accept Him as your personal Savior. Nothing could be further than the truth. Did you know that the Bible never says faith only will save? In fact, the only time belief/faith only is ever used in the Bible, James says faith alone will not save a person (James 2:24). Isn’t it interesting that we say “faith only saves” and the Bible says the exact opposite. May we say with Paul, “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). Dear friend, have you really obeyed the gospel the way the Bible teaches. Or, did someone falsely convince you that belief alone would save? If you would like to study further about this matter, please contact us at the McLish Avenue church of Christ by calling 223-3289 or email us by going to our website mclishchurchofchrist. Also, please read next week’s article as we discuss the third step in God’s plan of salvation known as repentance. What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 3} The third step in God’s plan of salvation is repentance. In Luke 13:3 Jesus expressed the necessity of repentance when He said, “unless you repent you shall all likewise perish.” Peter preached to the Jews that they needed to repent and be converted that their sins might be blotted out (Acts 3:19). Since repentance is such an important step in the plan of salvation, let’s examine what the Bible says repentance is. Not Sorrow Alone. Many in our modern word equate repentance with crying and tears. While that may be part of repentance, it is not repentance in and of itself. For example, Paul stated that Godly sorrow produces repentance, but that it was not repentance alone (2 Cor. 7:10). Part of repentance is telling God how sorrowful we are for our sins, but it must go beyond that. A Changed Will. Repentance is best defined as a changed will that leads to a changed way. Joel encouraged the Israelites to mend their hearts and not just their garments (Joel 2:13). The point Joel is making is very clear. We must not just have an outward sign of repentance, but a changed heart. One version renders Joel 2:13 as “tear your hearts not your garments”. True repentance implies that I must first be willing to change the way I think. A Changed Way. The second part of repentance demands that we show our repentance by a changed life. John told the hypocritical Jews to “bring forth fruits worthy of repentance…” (Matt 3:8). Baptized believers are commanded to walk in a newness of life (Romans 6:4). Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that they had once lived a sinful life, but were not living that way anymore (1 Cor. 6:9ff). To truly repent, one must change the way he thinks and the way he acts. Dear friend, have you truly changed your will and you way to the will and way of God? If we are going to be saved, we must truly repent. May God give us the courage and the strength to possess biblical repentance! What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 4 } In The fourth step in God’s plan of salvation is confession. The Apostle Paul reminded the Roman Christians that “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:10). From this text it evident that confession is an important part in the plan of salvation. Let’s take just a moment to see exactly what confession is. A Confession of Faith in Christ. When one confesses that Jesus is the Christ, he is confessing his faith in the Son of God to save. A true follower of Christ will not be ashamed to be called a Christian in any situation. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…” (Rom. 1:16). When I confess my faith in Christ, it is a faithfulness I will never deny even if my life is at stake (Rev. 2:10). During the first century Christians often faced death by affirming their faith in Christ. One such story is that of Polycarp. Polycarp was taken before the Roman counsel and asked to deny faith in Christ. With great boldness Polycarp looked at the counsel that held his life in their hands and responded, “For Eighty and six years my Lord has not denied me, how can I then deny Him?” How great it would be if all Christian made the great confession with this much conviction! A Confession of Faithfulness to Christ. An individual’s confession of Christ also means that he is willing to faithfully follow the Lord every day of his life. Jesus said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 10:32-33). The confession Jesus is speaking of here is not just simply naming the name of Christ. Jesus had already told many of these people that just simply saying “Lord” would not save anyone. Jesus is here speaking of a confession of faith in Christ through one’s actions. When I confess Jesus is the Son of God, I am confessing to follow him faithfully all the days of my life. Confession is more than a one time act, it is a continual walk in the steps of the Savior (1 Peter 2:21). Dear friend, have you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior with your lips and your life? May God give each one of us the courage to keep on confessing Jesus by the way we live our lives! What Must I do to be Saved? {Part 5} A final step in the plan of salvation that is overlooked by so many is the act of baptism. Most in our modern religious world would agree that a person needs to believe, repent, and confess Jesus as Lord to be saved. However, they would not teach or believe that a person must be baptized to be saved. Let’s let the Bible teach us on the necessity of being baptized. Notice the following New Testament passages. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). It is clear from this text that Jesus believed and taught that baptism was essential to one’s salvation. A parallel to this language might be: He who eats and drinks will be filled. If a person eats only is he filled? No. If he only gets a drink is he filled? No. He is not filled until he eats and drinks. The same is true for baptism. Unless a person is willing to do all that God says, he will not be saved. In a second passage on baptism Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). This is one of the clearest verses on the importance of baptism. The people on Pentecost asked what they needed to do to be saved from their sin. Peter responded to their question (how do we get rid of our sin problem?) by saying “you must repent and be baptized to have your sins forgiven. Peter clearly taught that baptism was FOR the remission of past sins. At Paul’s conversion he was commanded to do the following. “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). From this text, we learn that the purpose of baptism is to wash away one’s sins. If baptism is the point at which one’s sins have been washed away, then those who have not been baptized have not had their sins washed away. Also, we learn how a person calls on the Lord’s name. Like Paul, a person calls on the Lord’s name by being baptized into Christ. The Apostle Peter clearly stated, “baptism does now also save us” (1 Peter 3:21). One of the key words here is the little word also. Not alone. Combined with hearing God’s Word (Heb. 11:6), believing in Jesus Christ (John 8:24), Repenting of one’s past sins (Luke 13:3) and confessing Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:10) one is saved. Truly, as the final condition of salvation baptism does wash one’s sins away. If the Apostle Peter said baptism does save us, how can we say baptism is not necessary for salvation? Dear friend, have you truly obeyed the gospel as the Bible teaches. There are many who will just teach that all you have to do to be saved is believe in Christ. That’s all. Nothing more is required. That is not the full plan of salvation. The Bible teaches that we are not saved “by faith only” (James 2:24). It is our prayer to God that you will study these very important matters and obey the will of God.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 09:06:44 +0000
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