What must I do to be saved?

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”
(Acts 16:25-32).
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We have discussed and come to the conclusion that no man can see or enter the Kingdom of God without being born again. This understanding establishes the importance of the new birth. (John 3:3-6). One may ask: “How can I be born again, or what must I do to be saved?” People have answered this question in different ways. Let us examine some of the answers:

1. I KEEP THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. The Bible clearly teaches that no man can keep God’s commandments perfectly, in order to have access to heaven or God’s kingdom. James 2:10 says:

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.”

Romans 3:19-20 makes it very clear that no man can depend on the observance of the law to gain the favour of God.

2. I AM NOT A BAD PERSON
The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms that no man is good in the sight of God. Romans 3:10-12; 23 declares:

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God.

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”.

3. I AM BAPTIZED. It is important to know that water baptism is not a prerequisite to the new birth or salvation. The person who qualifies to be baptized is the one who has been born again. This means baptism plays no role in the process of salvation. Baptism comes after salvation, or the new birth. In Acts 2:41, it is clear that the three thousand who were baptized and added to the church had experienced the new birth. They had gladly received Peter’s message on sin, repentance and salvation. Once they had received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, they submitted themselves to be baptized in obedience to God’s Word. (Matthew 28:19).
No one should be baptized unless they have been born again. Please take time to read Acts 8:26-39.
Reflect on the question of the Ethiopian eunuch, and Philip’s answer in Acts 8:36 & 37.
“….See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?” (verse 36).
And Philip said: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”.

This portion of scripture shows clearly that one must first of all believe on Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour to be born again or to be saved from their sin.

Indeed, there are many responses people give to prove that they are saved such as those cited above. They sincerely believe in these for their salvation but they are sincerely wrong, as scripture has shown. So, what must one do to be saved? Many centuries ago, the desperate and trembling jailer, who had witnessed the power of God in the lives of Paul and Silas, sought to be saved and asked: “What must I do to be saved?

This account is found in Acts 16:28:31

“But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”

Oh, troubled and trembling soul, you can be saved today from your sins and be born into the kingdom of God, if you will believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, and receive Him into your heart as your personal Saviour and Lord. This is the whole Gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

I pray that the Lord gives you the understanding to do the needful, by receiving Jesus Christ as your Saviour and be saved. That is all you need to do to be saved, because Jesus did what needed to be done for your salvation on the cross. Shalom.

OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus, there are still many people who have not understood what it means to be saved, and they are trying to do their best to attain salvation. Let your Holy Spirit grant them the needed understanding that will lead them to you. May the saved be burdened to reach the unsaved with the message of salvation provided by you. Amen.