That was the question posed to the Apostle Paul by the Philippian jailor (Acts16:30) and it is still truly relevant for us in the 21st Century. Do you know what you must do to be saved? Are you saved already? Are you Lost? Are you sure?
What must I do to be Saved?
First, Being 'saved' or being 'born again' is not about a religion or becoming religious!
It has nothing to do with attending or joining a church, being baptized, taking communion, or going through a confirmation or discipleship class.
It’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus told a religious leader of his time in “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He became a man, without ceasing to be God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary so that He might reveal God to us and redeem sinful men.
The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ fully completed our redemption through His death on the cross and resurrection three days later. This made eternal life in heaven possible for anyone who places their faith in Him and His completed work.
Jesus loved you so much, He was willing to prove it by giving His life for you!
How you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ…
RECOGNIZE YOUR CONDITION
To be saved, we must admit that we are lost in our sin. The Bible teaches us that ever since Adam and Eve, a sinful nature exists in everyone. The Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Sin is anything contrary to God’s commandments, just like Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit and were expelled from the garden. The sins that we’ve committed separate us from God. Whenever we break the law, there’s a penalty. We all understand this as nearly all of us have paid a fine of some kind.
God sees every time we break His commandments – even if no one else does. Ecclesiastes 12:14 says: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
That’s a fearful thought!
There’s no one that can say they’ve never violated at least 1 of the 10 Commandments! Sin has a penalty. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” According to the Bible, the “wage” or penalty for sin is spiritual death and separation from God in hell. Psalm 9:17 says “The wicked shall be turned into hell…
RELIGION AND GOOD WORKS ARE NOT THE ANSWER
All religions try to create their own way to God. Our religion may seem logical, it may be our tradition, but religion cannot bridge the gap created by our sin. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” In other words, our thoughts and religion are not what matters.
The Bible has the only trustworthy answer to God’s Grace and Forgiveness. The Bible says in Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…”.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT GOD PROVIDED THE WAY
By nature, we’re lost and separated from God. But He loves us and sent Jesus to die on the Cross and then raised Him from the dead. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
By His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. He took the punishment we deserved! If we will personally receive Jesus, we don’t have to pay for our sins! By God’s Mercy, our Salvation is provided! Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth [proved] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”. [in our place]
REPENT AND BELIEVE TO RECEIVE SALVATION
To have a relationship with God and a home in Heaven, we must turn from our sin and our efforts to save ourselves and place our full faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.
Repentance is not about turning over a new leaf or reforming our lifestyle. Rather, it’s a heart change about our sin. In other words, seeing our sin as God sees it, and wanting deliverance from it. (Prov. 28.13)
Belief is more than just agreeing with some facts about Jesus. It’s relying on Jesus alone to forgive our sins, satisfy God’s wrath, and declare us righteous before God.
Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That’s a promise from God’s Word that if you will pray to Him, admit you’re a sinner, ask for forgiveness, and trust Him to be your Savior, – then He promises to save you and give you eternal life.
You can make this decision today by praying to God in faith. Don’t put it off! No one knows what tomorrow holds.
In your own words, the best you know how, pray, and ask God to forgive you and save you. You’ll never regret that decision! A man in the Bible put it this way, he said “…God be merciful to me a sinner.” Then Jesus said: “I tell you; this man went down to his house justified…” (Luke 18:13-14)
If you have just trusted Christ, we would love to know about your decision and give you a Bible and some other materials to help you grow in your new relationship with Christ!
There is absolutely no obligation.