What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved and your house. And they spoke to him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
Acts 16:30, 31, 32

      What must I do to be saved?
      This question was asked of the apostle Paul, and the answer was very simple, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and your household.”
      This is where we begin, with a simple child-like faith in Jesus the Messiah, and what He accomplished for us by His death and resurrection.
     “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have eternal life”- John 3:16.
      The Apostle went on to speak to him the word of the Lord, and as was Paul’s custom (Acts 28:23) he probably explained the many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled and expounded on the Scriptures from Moses to the Psalms and the prophets that had foretold of Jesus’ coming and His death and resurrection.
      Paul would have told him that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) but God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and that men are justified by faith alone, (Romans 3:27), and that salvation cannot be obtained by any self effort or works- (Ephesians 2:8-10).
      Paul most likely exhorted him to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) and so a new life in Christ begins.
      Salvation is imparted very simply just as it was in the beginning, when our first parents fell and the disease called sin entered paradise and left a wilderness in its wake. And when Adam and Eve thought it was all over, expecting an immediate death sentence from the God they had betrayed with their disobedience, though they would eventually die because of their sin, they were surprised when He slew an innocent animal and tenderly covered their nakedness with its soft, warm skin. Yes, they would have to live with the consequences of their sin, as we all must do to this day, but they were covered with a promise of forgiveness; a similitude of Christ, a simple act of God, a sacrifice, an act of love and all we need to do to receive this gift of God is believe.
      “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
      “The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8-10).
      The Apostles taught that salvation was by grace alone with nothing added and works being the fruit or the result of a true believer’s conversion and a changed life being the evidence of a genuine faith. The bride of Christ prepares herself for her Bridegroom by washing her robes in the Blood of the Lamb through repentance by the fruit of a humble and contrite spirit, which is evidence of the presence of Christ – for without Him we can do nothing.
     I am the Vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

Simple steps to Salvation
Believe - that Jesus died for your sins on the cross,
and that He rose from the dead.
Repent - Recognize that you have sinned and need God's forgiveness. Ask Him to forgive you in Jesus' name. Be willing to let Him change your life.
Ask - Ask Jesus to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life.
It's that simple!
You have just begun a relationship with God through faith and prayer. Continue to talk to Him. Read your Bible. Find a good Bible believing church fellowship. Be baptized! - God wants you to make a full commitment to Him and we do this by being baptized. Through baptisim we make a covenant with God to walk with Him the rest of our lives. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. God wants to fill you with His Spirit and you will feel His Presence.
Welcome to the family!

copyright 2007 by H.D. Shively