What Must I Do To Be Saved?
By Robert A. Glass
In the city of Thyatira, Paul and Silas were preaching the Gospel and they healed a young damsel. (Acts 16:16) The town’s people became angry because they had used the girl to make a profit. “And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, beat them and threw them in jail. While Paul and Silas were inside the prison Jail, they were singing and praying to God. (Here they were in jail and they’re singing.) About midnight, an earthquake hits the prison and Paul and Silas are essentially freed. The Jailer sees this and draws his sword to take his own life. Paul cries out to the jailer, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” Paul just saved that man’s life. Watch and see how Paul will help him more.
The Relieved Jailer came in and asked the ETERNAL QUESTION. For thousands of years, for millions of people, for all of mankind...the question has been the SAME question. “What must I Do To Be Saved?” Today that becomes, “How do I get to Heaven?”
He did not ask what can I do? He asked what MUST I do? The word MUST is a direct imperative; there is no choice except deny Christ. There are things we MUST do. No if’s, ands, or buts, if we plan to be saved, there are things we must do to be saved.
Look at Luke 1:26-27 the angel Gabriel comes To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.(28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.(29) And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.(30) And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
(31) And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
That same Jesus is our savior and our path to Heaven. John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Plain and simple, Christ is the only way to Heaven. YOU AINT GONNA GET THERE ANY OTHER WAY. Christ built his church, Matt 16:18 “Peter, upon this rock I will build MY church. Pause for a question? Can we today get into the church that Jesus built in 33AD? Yes, we can...
We have to hear the word of God. Not just the nouns and verbs but hear and understand what is being taught. Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” So it’s not just hearing, but it’s hearing the word of God.
We have to believe what we have heard. These are not just words; they are the footsteps of Jesus and the plan of salvation. Jesus said, John 8:24 “For if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Belief in Christ is essential. There is NO other way.
We must repent of our sins. Jesus said in “Luke 13:3 “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Unless we repent, we perish. That is the consequence of SIN.
We must confess that Jesus is the Christ, The only begotten son of God. Jesus said in Matt10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (33) But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
We must be baptized. “Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. The eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Ro 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 1Pe 3:21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”
Today is the day of salvation. The Baptistry is prepared and ready and now is the time to respond to the Gospel. Shall we stand?
