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What Must I Do To Be Saved?
Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:25 PM In a typical lifetime, a man will ask thousands of questions. Some of those questions are of little, if any, lasting consequence. Some of those questions are very important because they regard matters that are life changing. However, the importance of all other questions pales in comparison to the importance of the question that is the title of this article: What must I do to be saved? That is the most important question that any man can ask. It is the paramount question of life, with eternal consequences.
When a man asks this question in sincerity, it indicates something significant about the person. It indicates that one realizes that he is spiritually lost, and that he is need of salvation. So, to ask this question is a sign of wisdom, and indicates sound judgment.
As I write this, I am keenly aware of the great responsibility that I have in dealing with such a serious matter. The correct answer can bring eternal salvation, but the incorrect answer can result in eternal damnation. God forbid that I give a false or misleading answer, and God forbid that I fail to teach the whole counsel of God regarding this matter (Acts 20:27).
Analysis of the Question
Let us begin our study by looking at the question word by word -- giving emphasis to what each word signifies. By doing so, some important lessons will be made clear.
“What”
The very first word in the question is “what.” This word implies that there is something to be done. But, what? What is there to be done?
If you were to try to determine what is to be done by asking man, you might receive the correct answer, but you might receive an answer that is not true. However, you can be sure that you know the truth by letting the Bible provide the answer, because the Bible is God’s Word, and his Word is true (Jn. 17:17; II Tim. 3:16-17).
“Must”
Note that the question is not, “What may I do to be saved?” Neither is the question, “What can I do to be saved?” instead, the question is “What must I do to be saved?”
The word “must” indicates that something is necessary; something is required in order to be saved. In other words, the things which the Bible reveals to be the conditions of salvation are not optional, but essential.
“I”
The question is not “What must my family do for me to be saved?’ And the question is not “What must my girlfriend (or boyfriend) do for me to be saved?” In other words, no one can do it for me. If I am to be saved by the Gospel, I must personally fulfill the conditions that are contained in the Gospel.
Again, the question is not “What must God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit do for me to be saved?” There is no need to be concerned about that. God is so concerned about your salvation that he gave his Son for you (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). Jesus is so concerned that he gave his life and shed his blood for your salvation (Mat. 26:26-28). And the Holy Spirit came and, through the apostles and the writers of the New Testament, revealed God’s plan of salvation.
No one who understands the Bible would deny that we are saved by the Lord’s love. No one who believes the Bible would deny that the blood of Jesus Christ saves us. No one would deny that without the grace of God we would be helplessly lost, with “a certain fearful looking for of judgment (Heb. 10:27). All of these things enter into our salvation, and I would be wrong if I were to exclude these factors.
All three members of the Godhead have acted in your behalf, making salvation available to you and to all men (Acts 10:34-35). It is now up to you; you must now do your part.
“Do”
There are preachers who will tell you that you do not have to do anything to be saved; they contend that if you have to “do” something in order to be saved you “earn” your salvation. The will tell people to confess to the Lord their sinful condition, and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Well, make no mistake about it. You cannot “earn” your salvation. However, that which one does, by faith, in response to the Lord’s command, is not a work of merit. Instead, it is a work of righteousness.
When one repents from sin and is immersed in water for the remission of sins, as the Lord has commanded, his actions are works of righteousness, believing that the Lord will forgive his sins, as promised (Acts 2:38). The merit for his salvation belongs to the Lord, whose mercy and love makes his salvation possible (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9).
Also, make no mistake about the fact that obedience to the Lord’s commands is essential to salvation. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the author of salvation to all them that obey him (Heb. 5:8-9). And, in the sermon of the mount, Jesus declared,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Mt. 7:21). God gives us salvation, but not unconditionally. There are conditions to be met in order to obtain salvation. We must believe God in order to receive salvation, but we are not saved the moment we believe the promise of God. We must act upon our faith and do what God commands. Salvation is given to us by God’s grace, when we believe God, and express our faith in obedience to his commands.
In the last book of the Bible, John wrote,
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city (Rev. 22:14). Indeed, there is something that one must “do” in order to be saved.
“To Be”
Note that the question being considered is not “What must I do to save myself?” Instead, it is “What must I do to be saved?” The question involves a matter that is both active and passive. There is something that I must do, and at the same time I must be saved, if I am ever saved at all.
The Holy Scriptures teach us that salvation is available only through Jesus Christ. He said,
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (Jn. 14:6, emphasis supplied). Furthermore, the apostle Peter also made this truth unmistakably clear.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:10-12, emphasis supplied). To ask “What must I do to be saved?” indicates one realizes that if he is ever saved, it will be only through Jesus Christ, the only Savior.
“Saved”
As stated earlier, the question “What must I do to be saved?” implies that one recognizes that he is lost and in great danger. He is spiritually lost and is danger of everlasting punishment in hell fire. At the judgment, Jesus will say to those who die in their sins,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41).And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Mat. 25:46). The word “saved” refers to one receiving the forgiveness of sins. When one is guilty of sin, he is under the condemnation of God (Rom. 6:23), but when he is saved, he is no longer under that condemnation.
The Biblical Answer
Having briefly considered each word of the question, let us now turn our attention to what the Bible teaches that one must do in order to be saved.
1. In order to be saved, one must hear the gospel (Rom. 1:16, 10:17). The message of these two texts leads to the inescapable conclusion that in order to be saved by the gospel, one must hear the gospel. Note the hearing of the gospel in the Biblical examples of conversion, either specifically stated or implied, in Acts 2:36-37, 8:35-36, 10:33, and 16:30-33. However, hearing the gospel does not, within itself, save us from sin.
2. In order to be saved, one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus proclaimed that those who believe the gospel are the ones who shall be saved (Mk. 16:15-16), and the “golden text” of the Bible declares, “…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
3. In order to be saved, one must repent from sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30-31). The gospel brings the good news of the goodness of God in our behalf, and his goodness leads us to repent (II Cor. 7:10). However, let it be noted that repentance is far more than being sorry for sin; it is the turning away from sin. Repentance is the changing of one’s will that results in the changing of one’s life (e.g., Mt. 21:28-31).
4. In order to be saved, one must confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10). This confession, that is unto salvation, is not the confession that “God has, for Christ’s sake, forgiven me of my sins,” as is taught and practiced in some denominations. Such a confession is not taught in the scriptures by command or example, and it would be premature to make such a confession before being baptized, because our sins are not forgiven until we are baptized (see point 5). Instead, the confession that one makes unto salvation is the confession that “I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” The conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch provides a beautiful example of this confession (Acts 8:35-39).
5. In order to be saved, one must be baptized (Acts 2:38). In this scripture, Peter commanded two things — repent and be baptized. And they are both modified by the prepositional phrase, “for the remission of sins,” which means that the purpose of repenting and the purpose of being baptized is “for” (i.e., in order to obtain) the remission of sins.
In Matthew 26:28, Jesus said he shed his blood “for the remission of sins,” (meaning, obviously, that he shed his blood so that man could obtain the forgiveness of sins). And Peter used the same words to signify the purpose of baptism. Therefore, we must conclude that until one is baptized for the remission of sins that he does not obtain the remission of sins.
Jesus made the relationship of baptism to salvation crystal clear in Mark 16:16. He said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned,” which unmistakably establishes baptism as a prerequisite of salvation. Jesus could not have made it any clearer — the one who shall be saved is the one who believes and is baptized!
It should be noted that many religious groups teach and practice baptism in a way that is not according to the Scriptures. I shall cite three examples.
First, some teach and practice baptism as “an outward expression of an inward renewal.” In other words, they believe that one is saved before baptism. However, this is not what the Bible teaches. One is not saved, and then baptized! Instead, the Bible clearly and emphatically teaches that one is saved when he is baptized (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; I Pet. 3:21; et al).
Second, some teach and practice the baptizing of babies. Such a practice is wholly of human origin, having no Scriptural authority, by command or example. Instead, the New Testament teaches that the one who is to be baptized is one who believes (Mk. 16:16), and repents (Acts 2:38). Obviously, a baby does not have the capacity to believe, or the need to repent (Mt. 18:3).
Third, some teach and practice the sprinkling or pouring of water upon a person as a “mode” of baptism. However, sprinkling or pouring water upon someone does not constitute Biblical baptism. Biblical baptism is set forth to be a burial, or immersion, in water (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). Therefore, sprinkling or pouring water as a form of baptism is of human origin, and not authorized by the Lord.
Conclusion
To summarize, the Biblical answer to “What must I do to be saved?” is: Hear the gospel of Christ, believe the gospel with all your heart, turn away from your sins, and be baptized in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in order to have your sins forgiven. God will save you and add you to the church (Acts 2:36-47).
When you do what the Bible teaches you to do in order to be saved, and live faithfully as a Christian for the remainder of your days on earth, eternal life in heaven awaits you.
Praise God for his marvelous scheme of redemption.
