What Must I Do to become Saved?

Frequently Asked Questions About Christianity, Answered Honestly!

What Must I Do to Become Saved?
-by Tony Warren

Acts 16:30-31
"And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to become saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

his is what the Philippian jailer asked Paul after the earthquake, when all the prisoners bands were loosed at the prison. And Paul responded affirmatively that he would be saved if he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. But what does the act of true belief entail? We know that it involves more that merely saying, "I believe," because even the devils believe, and yet very obviously they are not saved. So what is belief that leads to salvation?

The answer to this question is best illustrated in John chapter eleven, in Christ's declaration to Martha that life from the dead, is by Him. Without the work of Christ in this situation, Martha's brother Lazarus remains a lifeless rotting corpse, and can do nothing about it. It is only by the work of Christ that this corpse will get up from the grave and walk with the living. Likewise, it is only by the work of Christ that anyone is Spiritually made alive, that they have eternal life.

John 11:25-26

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Through the resurrection of Christ, those saints who have died, yet live and reign in heaven, and the saints who are alive, shall never die. And it is all because Christ is the promised Saviour who makes all this possible. Note that Christ asks Martha, "do you believe this?" And Martha's reply is, "Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." Clearly her witness agrees with His that He is the Resurrection and the life, and that those who believe on Him shall never die. In other words, for her to believe what Christ had just stated about Himself, was to give assent that He was the prophesied Messiah, the power of God personified in the Saviour of Israel. In fact this was articulated in the very context when Martha said to Christ:

John 11:21-22

"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee."

This was a testimony to her belief and her faith. She believed that He was the deliverer out of Zion who has brought this resurrection and life. Yet her understanding of just how, was imperfect. And in her is seen what real belief involves. It involves a trust that Christ is all that He says he is, and a faith that in Christ is the deliverance from death.

Psalms 68:20

"He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death."

This was the God of salvation, and besides Him there is no Saviour (Isaiah 43:11; Hosea 13:4). God is the deliverer, man cannot deliver himself. So when we come to true belief we should recognize that whatever the method of our turning to Christ, the results is only by the Grace of God. It is not because of any inherent goodness or morality we possess in ourselves, it is by the virtue of Christ come to make His abode with us. Coming to believe is coming to the realization that we are sinners who are as dead in trespass and sin, as Lazarus was dead and decaying in the grave. We have transgressed the laws of God, are as dead, and we cannot save ourselves from accountability by our actions. We must accept the truth that we all deserve God's wrath in judgment for our transgressions, and that it is God "alone" who can deliver us. When we are truly blessed with His Spirit to understand this, it brings humility before God, and the treasure of true Salvation.

Proverbs 22:4
"By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life."

Recognition:
Until you can look at yourself honestly (as a sinner), and your sin as that which is keeping you from reconciliation with God, there is no way in which you can get into the kingdom of heaven. The fact is, you must be made aware of a problem before you can correct it. Just as you wouldn't call for a doctor unless you were aware that you were sick, or you wouldn't cry out for help from a lifeguard unless you were aware that you were drowning, likewise, you will not call on the name of the Lord unless you are aware that you are in danger of judgment and in dire need of deliverance. All men, no matter what race, creed, or color, are sinners in need of a Saviour.

Romans 3:9-10

"What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one!"

You are not alone in your unrighteousness before God, for all of mankind is in the exact same position. Whether it be you, me, Priest, Pastor or Monk, we all have sinned (transgressed the laws of God) sometime, and thus are in need of redemption from the consequences thereof.

Romans 3:23

"for All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God."

It doesn't matter whether or not you feel like a sinner, God says that in "His eyes," we are all sinners. We may subconsciously think ourselves somewhat better than the next guy, but we (because of inherent pride) are egotistical, and thus deceive ourselves. The question is, are we willing to honestly accept God's appraisal of our spiritual condition, or in our vanity and arrogance, will we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are really a good person inside, and that God knows this? We can lie to ourselves thinking God would not condemn us, but if we look at ourselves "honestly," we will see that the truth is exactly as God's appraisal of us. We are all hypocrites, we all sin, and we all have gone astray that not one of us is really good enough to be worthy of the Kingdom of Christ. Understanding this is a sign that God is beginning to work Grace in our lives. This is evidence of God working within us, softening our obstinate heart to receive the truth.

Psalms 34:18

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

The Lord will Save those who are of a broken or truly sorrowful Spirit. For it is written, He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (james 4:6). If we humbly look at ourselves for what we are, we will know that we deserve to be punished for our sins against God, and that it is only by His Son that we will be delivered from the judgment that we so "rightfully" deserve.

Confession and Repentance:
Upon recognition of our spiritual condition, we are able to confess our sins, and God gives us repentance for our transgressions.

Acts 5:31

"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

2nd Timothy 2:25

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;"

We must acknowledge from the heart that we cannot do anything to save ourselves, and pray earnestly that God would have mercy upon us. We cannot get right with God by being baptized, by being confirmed, by joining a Church, by good works, or by living a generally good and moral life. For even what might be considered a good moral life is tainted by sin, and any sin at all is transgression against God. And it is this sin that keeps us separated from God. As long as we deny this, we are self-deceived and will not be in true repentance. We will forever remain under condemnation of God.

1st John 1:8-9

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

If we truly desire truth, we start with confession of our sins. And if we do confess our sins honestly before God (rather than man), in realization that this God is our only hope for Salvation, He is faithful to forgive us, and save us. Confessing to a Priest won't save us, and confessing to ourselves is merely a start, but confession to God about your spiritual bankruptcy and your need for His help, will bring His forgiveness. He has made that promise, and is "Faithful" to keep it.

Romans 10:9

"that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the Dead, thou shalt be Saved."

Again, what we saw in the resurrection of Lazarus, true belief from the heart about the nature of the resurrection in Christ. Christians are not ashamed of Christ, but confess Him openly to others, and confess their sins to God, who alone has the power to forgive them. We are forgiven by whom we have sinned against. If our sin is against God, then God alone can forgive those sins. They cannot be forgiven by a priest, a friend, or any man. For God alone can forgive sins against Him.

Mark 2:7

"Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?"

These Scribes and Pharisees had it right. But the problem was, they didn't understand that Jesus is God, thus He has power to forgive sins! And by His resurrection from the dead, we know in our hearts that those of us (who were once dead in trespass and sins) in Christ, have been raised up with Him unto new life. Our repentance (sorrow for, and earnest desire to turn away from sin) is an indication that we are being moved of God in the right direction.

Luke 13:3

"I tell you nay; but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

Without acknowledgment of sin, there is no repentance. And without repentance there is no forgiveness. But with that acknowledgement of our sins comes the understanding that we were slaves to it, and that only God could have set us free (John 8:34-36). We cannot loose ourselves by any of our good works, atonements, penance or charities. The nature of man is to try and rationalize away his own sin (comparatively with the sins of others) so that he appears somehow better in his own eyes, but we must never rationalize our sin. The fear of the Lord is to confess it "honestly" before God. Clearly we are guilty, and to confess this before God means that He will cleanse us of it. Because what is there to forgive if we rationalize and make excuses in claiming that we have not sinned? Then will our sins remain unforgiven, because it makes our going to God asking for salvation just hollow ceremonial words without any real substance. There must be recognition, confession, and true repentance, and not mere words.

Seek and Believe:
When we have recognized, made confession and repented of our sins (God willing), we will have belief that Christ alone can save us from the penalty of those sins. We believe that becoming acceptable in God's sight cannot be earned by doing the best that we can, being charitable, or following the law of the ten commandments. There is only one way to be acceptable in God's sight (according to God), and that is to trust that the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed you from our sin. He alone can lift us from the depths of our sin. And He alone can lift us to the heights of the Spiritual Kingdom of God. No Religion, no Minister, no organized sect, no Priest, no Pope, no system of doctrines, Penitence, ceremonies, pilgrimages or deeds of merit, are able to effectively take away anyone's sins. God says salvation is found in no other than Christ (acts 4:12). The cleansing of man's sins can be done only in Christ Jesus. He alone was made flesh, like unto man, that He could carry our sins in his body, suffer and pay the penalty for those sins. Therefore, He alone holds the key to our salvation. He is the only one who can give us the freedom from the debt that we owe.

Acts 10:43

"To Him give all the Prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins."

By his death in the flesh, He has gives us relief from the wages of sin (which is death). It was by the sacrifice of Himself that all this is possible. Thus we must "believe" in Him as our sin bearer, for there is no other name under heaven whereby men may be Saved (Acts 4:12). We seek the Lord with all our hearts, and He promises that He shall be found of us.

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask and it shall be given unto you; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you,
for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Jesus has made this faithful commitment. The reason so many seek and do not find, is because they are not seeking the 'true Christ,' but are seeking to enter into salvation by an alternative way where they can call themselves by His name (Christian), but they don't have to follow His Word. But that is not truly seeking the way, or truth, or light, that is merely seeking a name. To go our own way while professing His name, is not seeking Christ. True salvation is by the narrow way, through seeking the true Christ and following after his Word. It is not in following what is right in our own eyes or listening to the words of men. It is surrender to God's Word, not being in an adversarial relationship to it. Some people look at God's law as a burden, and they don't really want to surrender to it. But His Word is the Rock from whence comes our help, not a burdensome stone as many today see it. Truly seeking Him is manifested in our receiving the righteousness and truth of His Word. It most certainly is not found in the falling away from, or separation (apostasia) from it.

Luke 13:24

"Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many, I say unto you, will Seek to enter in, and shall not be able."

There are many ways to seek, but there is but one way to seek and to find. i.e., there is man seeking the glory of being under a name, and then there is man seeking the Lord. And Jesus has made the faithful promise that if we shall seek Him, He shall be found. Those are not idle words by Christ, it is the unadulterated truth. Only those with a heart softened and made right by the divine Father, will believe unto salvation and seek the Lord of the Bible. Professing Christians who are yet carnal, will seek a god of their own creation rather than the God revealed in scripture. Belief is from the heart, it is not just taking on a namesake.

Romans 10:10

"for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation."

We confess Christ as the only Saviour, believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is our Lord and 'personal' Saviour, and we lay all our burdens down at the throne of Grace. We let Christ carry them, because we are unable. And God (who cannot lie) is faithful to forgive us all our sins, for these are faithful promises. Come to the Lord in humbleness of spirit, casting off the pride of this life, and the Lord will abundantly pardon all that ask. Pride comes before a fall, but the humble (Proverbs 16:18) of spirit is near unto God.

Psalms 69:32

"The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God."

This is the Spirit of those who believe and truly come to God. Not built up (Psalms 34:18) with a haughty spirit or arrogant, but lowly and humble (as Christ our example). True Salvation is more than just confession of faith with our lips, it is confession of faith with our Hearts. This is the love of God wherein we believe in His Word, and use it as a foundation stone for our life. It is when His Word becomes a central part of us that we never "want" to sin again.

Psalms 119:10-11

"With my whole heart have I sought Thee; O let me not wander from thy commandments,
Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee"

This is repentance of the Heart. A belief in God's Word that is evidenced by a ready love for it. And this is manifested in an earnest desire to keep the Word of God, and do the will of God. Someone who says they believe in God, and yet will not follow or 'keep' His Word, is just kidding themselves.

1st John 2:4

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Keeping means to "guard from loss." In other words, to preserve it or not fall away from the faith. Those who won't keep God's Word, He declares that "the truth is not in them." Thus true belief is manifested in our earnest desire to obedience, and unbelief manifested in living in disobedience.

Receive your Blessing:
Once God has given you to recognize your sin, and you have repented, sought God, and believed on Him, then receive His blessing. Be baptized in His name by water, which is the outward sign of the inward cleansing by the Holy Spirit. So what does prevent you from receiving your blessing?

Acts 8:36

"And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"

Acts 10:48-49

"Can any man forbid Water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
and he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days."

The baptism in water is to illustrate that we have cast our burdens upon Christ, and been buried with Him in His death, and raised up with Him in his Resurrection unto New Life. As such, we signify that we have been cleansed of all our transgressions. We are a new creation washed from sin by His death. The baptism in water is a token of this spiritual cleansing by the Spirit.

There are two kinds of receiving spoken of in theology. They are Passive, and Participatory. Participatory would be described as, if someone was holding a gift and offering it to you, and you got up from your chair to accept it. That is participatory. Passive is, if someone were to walk up to you with a gift in his hands, reach down and open your hands, and then place the gift right into your hand, with no effort on your part. i.e., you have done absolutely nothing to receive the gift. Note that in both cases, there is the reception of a gift, but only one of these gifts was totally free. The cost of the participatory gift was your work in getting up and going to get it. So it wasn't totally free (unmerited, unconditional), you had to do (work) in order to receive it. By contrast, the Passive was unconditional, where you did absolutely nothing to merit it, and you spent no effort to get it. That's what "true" Grace is like. Unmerited favor.

True Christianity is in receiving the gift of God unconditionally, and unearned by anything that we have done. This is the only true "Sovereign Grace." Grace simply defined is the unmerited favor of God. It is a gift that we didn't merit by any work of our own. We received it by the work of Christ.

So when all these things that we have been discussing begin to happen in your life, God is beginning to draw you to Him. He is depositing His Grace upon us that we receive the blessing. Our receiving Him is a work done by God in us. It is not done for those who forsake His Word or who are at enmity with His Word, but only to whom God sovereignty chooses. It is by Grace alone, bestowed upon those brought into subjection to His Word. We recognize God's working within us for His Spirit witnesses with our spirit, and we must give God all the Glory, even for our doing. As indeed Paul is our example:

1st Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

If we receive the Blessings of Christ, we must give God the Glory. Receiving means surrendering our will to do "His will." As a child would listen and obey the word of His father, so we must receive the Word of Christ as humbly as a Child. Not as a prideful man who thinks that he knows more than the teacher about what is right and wrong, but as a child would trust and accept what his father tells him is right, unconditionally. What must I do to become saved? Receive the Kingdom of God.

Luke 18:17

"Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not Receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child, shall in no wise enter therein."

Receiving is a sign of accepting God's laws as our law. It is not the wresting or twisting of them, or the rationalizing them away, or the denial of their importance to us today. In truly receiving the Word as authoritative truth, we are drawn of God to receive Christ. In rejecting them, we have denied Christ. Those who believe are blessed, but no one will truly "believe" except God give them His faith that they will believe. But we should be careful to note that this does not take away man's responsibility for his sins, and his refusal to obey God's laws. We must strive to humbly surrender our will to the will of God, and that means accepting what the Word of God says, despite what we might believe is right in our own eyes. True Salvation is born of this humble Spirit of surrender, where our will is to accept His Word as authoritative and binding.

James 1:21

"Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to Save your souls!"

Those who hear and truly receive are born from above Christians, who are secured or 'Sealed' with the Holy Spirit of God. And they will bring forth the works of true Salvation. As the Bereans (Acts 17:11) who received the Word with joy and brought forth much fruit.

Mark 4:20

"And these are they which are sown on good ground, such as hear the Word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."

That we will receive God's Word is the evidence of true Salvation. Those not truly born from above will not have a heart to receive the love in truth (2nd Thessalonians 2:10), but wrest, twist, distort and ignore it, to their own peril. Carnal man, the man of the flesh, doesn't want truth, they want justification of themselves and their lusts and ideas. But to all who truly receive, to them He gives power to become children of God.

John 1:12

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

Conclusion: Know God and be Known of Him
What must we do to be saved? As Paul said to the Philippian jailer, "believe" on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. For then will we know God, and be known of Him. In summary, simple confession of the lips is not evidence of true Salvation, just as simply professing to be a Christian doesn't make one a true Christian. Even the Devils confess that Christ is the Holy one of God (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34), but this doesn't mean they are saved. Most false gospels will make confession of Christ, and yet they are no closer to salvation than the devils that they serve. Anyone can say the sinners' prayer, and be baptized in water, and profess salvation, but true salvation consists of being dead to sin, being baptized in the Spirit, and being born of God. True salvation is becoming a new creation wherein we love God, and our earnest desire is to do his will. All men sin, but having an "earnest desire" to do the will of God is the key phrase. If we don't have that true desire to keep His Word faithfully and to do His will, then we are deceiving ourselves. We need to examine ourselves, try ourselves, prove ourselves, that we make our calling and election sure.

2nd Corinthians 13:5

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves, know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates."

Always examine and test yourself by God's Word to make sure that the evidence is there that you are truly saved. Everyone has some sin in their lives, whether in thought or deed, because no one is perfect but God. But we must be sure that our earnest desire is to keep God's Word faithfully, and that we are not ignoring His precepts. Do we receive them, or do we turn to the right hand and to the left hand in order to avoid them? Do we make them our authority, or do we make the words of our teachers or Church leaders the authority? This is one of the tests of true salvation. This is how we know that we are truly in Christ, because His Spirit witnesses with ours. Thus the 'evidence' of this witnessing is that we will keep his Word, rather than forsake it. We will hide it in our hearts and bring it to remembrance (Psalms 119), that we remain faithful in time of trial. This is how we know that we truly know him, and are known of Him. The evidence (not the reason) is in our guarding from loss, the Word of truth. We will "keep" God's Word.

1st John 2:3-5

"And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.
But whoso keepeth his Word, in him verily is the Love of God perfected: Hereby know we that we are in Him"

The emphasis I make here is on the word, hereby! In other words, "this is how" we know that we are really in Christ. This is how we know that we are really saved. It's not by evidence of a Holy feeling, it's not by evidence of water baptism, and it's not by evidence of Church leaders, or feeling spiritual. It's by the evidence in our hearts, manifested in our desire to keep God's Word faithfully. It is the evidence seen in our love of God that we seek to do his will, and not our own. Keeping God's Word is not the reason for our salvation, for that would be legalism. But keeping God's Word is the 'evidence' of salvation. When we become truly saved, this sign is seen in our lives. Indeed, as Christ said, "a tree is known by it's fruits." If you are in a serious state of mind to faithfully follow God's Word and keep his commandments, then you have "evidence" of truly knowing Christ. And God declares in 1st John chapter 2 that without this evidence of reliance and guarding from loss His Word, man professing to know Christ is just a liar! Strong words by God for all to consider wisely.

What must we do to be saved, is believe and thus know Christ as we are known of Him. And the only way we can know Christ is by being born of God, whereby we risen with Him and known of Him. And the evidence thereof is that as a new creation, we will receive His Word as the ultimate authority of our lives. His will then becomes our will that we get a new found understanding of the words, "Thy will be done." Because as having Christ come to dwell with us, He works within us to will and to do (Philippians 2:13). This is the evidence we are saved and our salvation is secure. It is because we keep God's Word and believe with all our hearts that this is true and trustworthy.

What must we do to become saved? Recognize, Acknowledge, Confess, Repent, Believe, Seek, Receive, and Know! We don't grope along in darkness wondering about our salvation, nor do we take a wait and see attitude about our eternal destiny. God's sovereignty does not negate our responsibility. If we wait and do nothing, then we will someday have to stand before God and pay the wages for our sins. If we surmise that there is plenty of time to get saved, we better remember that "tomorrow is promised to no one." If we don't believe in Hell, then we can't call ourselves Christian because that makes Christ a liar. Now is the day of salvation, and now is the acceptable time of the Lord. When Christ comes again, or if you should die before that time, it will be too late to do anything about your fate. God declared, "on the day of your salvation, I helped you." In this we understand that this day is now. Confess your sins and make your commitment to Jesus Christ now, and you will be made alive with Him both now, and in eternity. Through the witness of His Spirit you will know that it wasn't because of your goodness that you believed and became saved, but because of His goodness to call you to believe, unto salvation.

1st John 5:13

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have Eternal Life, and that ye may believe on the Son of God."

Make your calling and election sure, seek God, and you will know that it is truly Him who was seeking you. Draw near to Him and understand that it was Christ who was drawing you near to Him. Seek to have life and know that it was His life that was calling you to this new life in Him.

1st John 4:19

"We love him, because he first loved us."

The testimony of the Spirit is in humbly receiving that you didn't choose God, you were in fact Chosen of God. God's Sovereign Grace will overwhelm you as a great Blessing, and you understand that it is what God did in you that made you stop and listen. Just as Paul's cry of his labor that it was, "not I, but the Lord which dwelleth within me," so we will come to understand these truths. What must I do to become saved? Trust in the lord and seek Him while He may be found, and then will you know that He sought you, and He called you, and He Chose you, and He worked within you for everything that is good.

Philippians 2:13

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Lay all your burdens down at the feet of the cross, and let Christ carry them for you. And when you stumble and fall, let Christ carry you, as it's the only way to finish the race. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight (Galatians 2:16). we can only be justified by the faith of Christ, through His work. May the Lord who is Gracious and merciful above all, guide you into the truth of His Most Holy Word, and draw you to understand that in all things, "His will be done."

Amen!

Peace,

Copyright 1998 Tony Warren
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Created 7/23/98 / Last Modified 12/3/99
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