How To Be Saved

When the warden of the prison in Philippi understood there was a God who was in control of the world, he was scared. He knew that he was not right with God, like his prisoners Paul and Silas were. He asked them "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30).

The answer was simple. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

Yes, it really is that simple. You don't need to do anything to make up for any of the sins you have committed in the past, and there is nothing you can do to earn God's favor. All God asks is that you trust Jesus. If you believe, you will be saved.

What Do You Need to Believe?

You need to believe there is a God who will respond to you.

• He who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb 11:6).

You need to believe in Jesus.

• "Unless you believe that I am He [the one the Father sent from above], you will die in your sins" (John 8:23).
• "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me" (John 14:6).
• "There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12).

You need to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and that He arose from the dead and was seen by many.

• Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. (1 Cor 15:1-8).

This isn't a complete list of the tenets of the Christian faith. I can't list them all and determine which of them are necessary for salvation and which aren't. You should believe all of the truth God has revealed to us in His word (the Bible), but it's not necessary to understand it all completely. No one does. God knows who has a genuine saving faith in Him, and who does not (2 Tim 2:19).

Notice also that 1 Cor 15:2 (above) indicates that it is possible to believe in vain. Some people think they believe, but they actually have so many misconceptions that it isn't really the God of the Bible that they believe in. That is a vain belief, and it will not save.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If your faith is genuine and your perception of Him is true, you will be saved, but don't assume that to be the case. Keep learning about Him, and make sure that what you believe matches up with what the Bible says. If it doesn't, you need to adjust your thinking. If you are genuinely seeking God, His Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13). He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him (Heb 7:25).

What Should You Do Next?

Works will not save you.

• For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast (Eph 2:8-9).

However, you will want to do things that will be pleasing to God once you have been saved.

• For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them (Eph 2:10).

Here are some things that the Bible tells us we should do:

• Pray
  • Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus (1 Th 5:17-18).
  • If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him (James 1:6).
  God wants us to look to Him for guidance, come to Him with problems and questions, and commune with Him on a regular basis. Start by thanking Him for your salvation because Jesus died for you.
• Study God's Word
  • Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn't need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth (2 Tim 2:15).
  God's word is truth. We will grow as we learn more about Him through reading His word, the Bible. It will take diligence and hard work to study the Bible and understand it, but God will bless our effort.
• Meet regularly with other believers
  • Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching (Heb 10:24-25).
  Look for a church that teaches from the Bible, and attend there regularly. We need help and encouragement from other believers in our daily walk with God.
• Remember the Lord
  • When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me." In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me" (1 Cor 11:24-25).
  These verses describe the service Jesus instituted at the last supper before He was crucified. It is sometimes called Communion, Remembrance, or the Breaking of Bread. His request was "do this in memory of Me," so look for a church that does this on a regular basis.
• Get Baptized
  • Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
  Baptism cannot literally save us, but it is a step of obedience that God asks us to take. It identifies us with Christ in His death and resurrection. It symbolizes being buried with Him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, we also might walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).

May God bless you as you seek to follow Him. Blessed are those who keep His statutes, who seek Him with their whole heart (Psalm 119:2).

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