"What Must I Do to Be Saved?"
Step 1: Hear the Gospel and Recognize Your Condition
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Step 2: Have Faith in God
You must have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
Step 3: Repent of Your Sins
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, it will not save you either. You must obey the gospel.
Step 4: Confess That Jesus Christ is the Son of God
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
Step 5: Be Baptized for the Remission of Your Sins
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Step 6: Be Faithful Unto Death
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)
What Must I Understand to be Saved?
The Bible clearly teaches that every responsible person has free will. People have the ability to choose whether to obey God’s word or not. God showed His grace to all men (Titus 2:11; John 3:16; Romans 5:8) by sending His Son to die as a sacrifice for sin. However, even though God is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. 3:9), Scripture clearly teaches that not everyone will choose to be saved.
If salvation is a choice to be made, then perhaps it would be well to ask, “What must I understand to be saved?”
I must understand what sin is: The New Testament word most often translated “sin” means, “to miss the mark.” Sin is, by definition, transgressing or breaking one or more of God’s commandments. When responsible people choose to sin, sin creates a stain on their soul that can never be removed by merely “doing good.” When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden because of sin, there was nothing they could do to repair their broken relationship with God. Sin leaves an individual hopeless, helpless, and under the righteous judgment of an angry God (Gen. 18:25; Psalm 7:11).
I must understand what Jesus did: Here is where the “good news” begins. God, knowing that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), sent His only Son into this sin-sick world to pay that price. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross, He was offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin (Heb. 9:28). Only His blood can wash away the stain of sin, and only His blood can make things right between God and man. When we were most hopeless and helpless, God made a way out — now that’s good news!
I must understand what repentance is: Repentance is a change of heart, brought about by a change of mind that leads to a change in action. To repent means that one chooses to “put to death” things that are sinful and to “put on” things that please God (Col. 3:5-17). If I am a thief, repentance means that I choose to steal no more. If I am an adulterer, repentance means that I choose not continue in that sin any longer. Wherever I find sin in my life, I find a need to repent. Peter told the crowds on Pentecost to: “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). Repentance is essential to salvation.
I must understand what confession of Jesus means: To “confess” means to, “speak the same.” Our words are not to be spoken lightly, for we will give account for them one day (Matt. 12:36). Thus, when the Scripture commands us to confess the name of Jesus (Romans 10:9-10) in order to be saved, we should realize the implications. We are saying the same thing about Jesus that He said — that a person who was despised, rejected, and put to death is in reality the King of kings. To confess Him is to admit our own inadequacy and need for forgiveness, and to admit His inherent greatness.
I must understand what baptism is for: To be saved, one must understand the purpose of baptism. Romans 6:3-4 speaks of water baptism as a burial, a uniting, and a raising with Christ. Baptism is the point in time at which an alien sinner comes into contact with the saving blood of Jesus Christ. Many denominations these days teach that one is saved before baptism, and that baptism is merely an, “outward sign of inward grace.” That is not what Jesus and the apostles taught (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:20-21, etc.). In order to be saved, one must understand that baptism is for the remission of sins. It is not an event that occurs after salvation — as one preacher was fond of saying, “You’ve got to get in the water to get to the blood of Jesus.” - John Baker
Fairest Lord Jesus
Congregational singing by Kleinwood Church of Christ in
Spring, Texas during their annual singing
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