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What Must I Do To Be Saved?
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8 - 10(NIV)
Need for Salvation
Man’s greatest need is for salvation. Salvation being man’s greatest need, the question "What must I do to be saved?" becomes the most important question man can ask! This important question must only be answered by the word of God. Thus we will use God’s word to answer this question. Let us examine some conversions from the New Testament. Each of the following passages give an example of someone being saved in the New Testament. The passages that follow were taken from the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible. Using these examples, we can now answer the question, "What must I do to be saved?" According to the authority of God, the question is answered as follows:
- God would have one hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16, 17)
- In hearing that gospel, one would place their faith in Jesus Christ(Romans 10:17, Acts 8:37)
- That faith in Christ would move one to repent of their sins (Acts 2:38)
- And Confess Jesus Christ as the son of God (Romans 10:19)
- And be immersed into Christ for the remission of sins and to receive the gift of the holy spirit (Acts 2:38)
That person is saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10), justified by their faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, having redemption in Christ, receiving the righteousness of God (Romans 3:21-26) becoming a child of God (Gal 3:26,27). God will add that saved person to His body, the Church.
In conclusion, "What must one do to be saved?" What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16) The beauty of this immersion can be seen in Romans 6:1 through Romans 6:11.
Bible Verses
Examples of Conversions from the New Testament The people on the day of Pentecost -- Acts 2:37 through Acts 2:47 (NIV) 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." 40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Back to Salvation Page The jailer -- Acts 16:25 through Acts 16:34 (NIV) 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family. Back to Salvation Page The Samaritans -- Acts 8:12 through Acts 8:13 (NIV) 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. Back to Salvation Page The Ethiopian eunuch -- Acts 8:26 through Acts 8:40 (NIV) 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." 30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?" 37 Phillip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The Eunich answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Back to Salvation Page Paul -- Acts 22:12 through Acts 22:16 (NIV) 12 "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13He stood beside me and said, ’Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. 14"Then he said: ’The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ Back to Salvation Page To be saved, one must: Hear the word -- Romans 1:16, 17 (NIV) 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Place your faith in Jesus Christ -- Romans 10:17 and Acts 8:37 (NIV) Romans 10:17 -- 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Acts 8:38 -- 37Phillip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The Eunich answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Repent of your sins -- Acts 2:38 (NIV) 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God -- Romans 10:9 (NIV) 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Be baptized for the remission of your sins -- Acts 2:38 (NIV) 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Back to Salvation Page We are saved by grace thru faith -- Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We receive the righteousness of God -- Romans 3:21-26 (NIV) 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. We become a child of God -- Galations 3:26,27 (NIV) 26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Back to Salvation Page The Beauty of Baptism can be seen in Romans 6:1 through Romans 6:11 (NIV) 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
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