What Must I Do To Be Saved?

what must i do to be savedTo ask, what must I do to be saved, is to ask the greatest question ever uttered. It shows an interest in something far beyond this world and priorities shaped by eternal needs. You have asked a great question! The answer is not complicated, but it does have many facets so let’s get started.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Know the Truth

Truth must lie at the heart of your quest for salvation; else you are wasting your time. Jesus said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Everything we can know about how to be saved is found in Scripture and nowhere else. So our search must begin there, in the Bible.

A bit of caution is in order at this point. The commonly taught idea that all you to do is invite Jesus into your heart is not found in the Bible. It is not true. It is incomplete. It is a false teaching crafted by men with agendas known only to them. Ask for one Biblical example of a person saved by uttering those words. Truth is precious. Do not loose sight of it.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Know that You Are a Sinner

All have sinned; every one of us has erred so terribly that we cannot come before a pure God. The apostle Paul said it plainly: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). John confirmed it: “if we say we have no sin…the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

The result of that sin is an impenetrable wall between you and God. Isaiah says, “Your iniquities (sins) have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Yes, we are all sinners, but we are saved by the powerful hand of God. God’s plan to save was known even before the creation of the Cosmos. The Lord has a plan to bring you out of your sin and through that impenetrable wall of separation. There is a way to escape our sins and the judgment they bring.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Know Jesus

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Only in and through Jesus can eternal salvation be found. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” said Jesus in John 14:6. It was through an unfair, unjustified death that Jesus paid the price for our sins (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12-14).

After his death and burial in a guarded, borrowed tomb, Jesus rose from the dead. This extraordinary miracle confirms his place as man’s savior and as the head of the church. The resurrection also confirms the words he spoke, for surely God would not raise a false prophet! His plan of salvation is revealed by holy apostles and is in the Bible. There is no salvation apart from Jesus.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Believe Him and Confess Him

Seeking to be saved we must believe in Jesus and his teachings. Jesus Himself says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Faith in Jesus is essential to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

But the Christian life, that is, the saved life, is not secretive. The Bible further teaches that one must confess that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10; Philippians 2:11). The earliest Christians believed that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 8:37) and were then baptized.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Repent

The word “repent” or “repentance” is found dozens of times in the New Testament. It denotes a turning or reversal of course; it is a change of life. If a man truly comes into contact with Jesus, he will be changed. It does not matter where you have been or how deeply you have sinned; you can repent. You can change.

Repentance may be the hardest thing you ever do. It may require profound sacrifice. But repentance is essential to the new life. When people heard of the depths of their sin (they had crucified Jesus), they asked what they must do to be saved. They were told, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). While you will struggle and stumble with repentance, you will not be alone. You can rely on the power of God and the strength of your new Christian family.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? Be Baptized

Baptism is commanded. Jesus commanded it of his followers in Matthew 28:19. Peter commanded it of the very first Christians in Acts 2:38. The Ethiopian asked for it in Acts 8:36. Saul/Paul was commanded to be baptized and wash away his sins (Acts 22:16). After his conversion, he commanded that Cornelius’ family be baptized (Acts 10:48). Baptism is a command of the Lord just like repentance and confession.

But why is baptism so important? Baptism mirrors the death burial and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus. Consider Romans 6:3-11. This passage begins by assuming the baptism of the believers in verse 3. Note that it is baptism that places one into Christ, “…all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus…” All of God’s great blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 3:8-9). Therefore, we seek to be in Christ.

See also the link between Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection in Romans 6:6-11. Of course, we do not die physically. We die to sin. We no longer live in sin. We repent. Figuratively, we die. We are buried in baptism. Jesus was buried in a tomb but did not stay there. He arose! We do not stay under the water but we arise like Jesus.

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Baptism is not the only thing that saves, but it is essential to your salvation. Literally, baptism means immersion. Note Matthew 3:16 concerning the baptism of Jesus. “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately, he went up from the water…” Likewise, Phillip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8:39, “And when they came up out of the water…” There is no need to exit the water unless you are in the water. There is no need to be in the water unless you are immersing the believer. Sprinkling is unknown in the Scriptures and is an innovation of men apart from inspiration.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? – Live Faithfully

The Christian life is not a life of perfection but forgiveness. We all stumble. Peter did, Paul did, I do, you will. The Lord calls us to live for him. 1 John 1:7:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

The beauty of this passage is that Jesus’ blood keeps on cleansing us from our sin! The only provision is that we walk in the light. We strive every day to serve the Lord with all our strength.

This brief article only scratches the surface. You surely have many questions. Please contact me directly, and I will personally answer your questions. You have asked the greatest question of all, what must I do to be saved. It demands an honest answer.


Please follow us on Twitter @Preachers_Study. Contact Bryant at [email protected].

Site Footer

Sliding Sidebar