“What must I do to be saved?”   You Came to the Right Place. 

If you’re wondering, you’re not the first person who has asked the question.  Prayerfully, you wont be the last.  Each and every human that has ever been alive will have to come to this most important question at some point in life.  You may be 5, 15, or 50, and the question may burn.  The good news is God gave a detailed writing for His plan in the Bible!

First, we must HEAR that God has a plan for salvation.  (Romans 10:17, John 8:32)  Perhaps you are here today reading and hearing these Words for the very first time.  Perhaps you have heard it before, but have not made Him Savior of your life.   In either case, you can no longer say you have not heard.   At this very moment, you have a decision to make.

Once we have heard of God’s plan, we must begin to try to understand it.  We must yield ourselves to the leading of Holy Spirit, that Voice which calls us all into our need for salvation.  He will begin to speak ~ and we must begin to listen.  That voice will “sound” inside of us, causing our spirit to perk and pay attention.  It will probably come with an uneasy feeling, one of sadness over our plight.   He begins to show us our current condition, one of sin.

Now, we must ADMIT we are sinners and need a Savior.  Romans 3:23 says “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23 tells us “the wages (payment) of sin is death.”  This means that none of us are righteous enough, no matter how good we may be.  Sin must be payed for.  Our sin.  To have that sin covered, we first have to ADMIT that we are sinners.

When Holy Spirit brings us to the understanding that we are sinners in need of a Savior, now we must understand Who that Savior is.  Throughout the Bible, its inspired writers give us a picture of exactly Who Jesus Christ is.  The Bible doesn’t end there.  Today, He continues to speak, showing Himself through miracles, signs, and wonders all around us.  Our part in salvation requires a work in our hearts.  It’s a progress.  After we HEAR the Gospel message, and ADMIT we are sinners, we must BELIEVE Jesus is Who the Bible says He is. John 3:36, John 3:16. Romans 5:8, and Ephesians 2:8-9, all show us that we must BELIEVE.  

What must we BELIEVE?

*Jesus was born of virgin birth. (Luke 1:26-38)

*Jesus lived a sinless life.  (1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

*Jesus is God’s Son.  (John 3:16, Matthew 3:17)

*Jesus died on a cross, shedding His blood to ransom our sin.  (1 Peter 2:24-25, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3)

*Jesus descended into hell to take the keys of death, hell and the grave from satan.  (Matthew 12:40, Revelation 1:18, Hebrews 2:14)

*Jesus arose from the grave on the third day.  He did not stay dead.  (Mark 16:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:3)

*Jesus did all of these things to fulfill God’s plan for salvation.  (Titus 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:9, Romans 6:23)

*Jesus ascended to His Father after His resurrection and a time on earth with His disciples.  (Luke 24:50)

*Jesus will return for the saved ones.  Those who are “dead in Christ” shall rise first, those who are still alive will rise to meet Him in the air.  We will reign with Him forever.  (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

If we believe these things, it should bring us to the next step, a very crucial part of our salvation.  Now we must talk to God about the things we believe about ourselves and His Son.

We must CONFESS to God in prayer.  This means we must plead guilty as charged (I am a sinner in need of a Savior), asking God for His gift of salvation.   (Romans 10:8-9, Romans 10:9-10)  We must CONFESS that we believe in Jesus as God’s Son, and that He came to die and live again, fulfilling God’s plan for our salvation.

We must REPENT of our sins to God in prayer  (Luke 13:3, Romans 10:9-10).  This means we must not only admit our sin, but turn from it.  There must be a change in the way we live, walk, talk, and act.  TRUE REPENTANCE requires change!

We must BE BAPTIZED according to Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:26-27, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3.  This is an outward showing of an inward work. Baptism shows we are buried with Christ and raised to new life, symbolized by the immersing in water and bringing back out of it.  Baptism is a picture.   The “old man” (who we used to be) has died, and a “new man” (You are a New Creation!) is born.

After we have followed the Biblical guidelines for salvation, we must RECEIVE His gift fully and walk out His plan for our life.  After salvation, our work begins.  Our daily walk with Christ should reflect the changes in us.  Colossians 1:10 tells us to walk worthy of His price tag, to be fruitful, and be ever learning more about Him.  We have to walk believing that He is with us always, ever present, and make Him Lord of our life.  He must become the most important thing to us.  His commands should govern our daily choices.  We should crave His Word, studying often to become more and more like Him.  Others should be able to look at us and see Him.  They should know there is something “different” about us, especially from the world around us. 

We have a command now to “Go and tell.”  (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, 2 Timothy 4:2, John 15:16)  This brings us right back where we started ~ and this is how we continue the good work He began.  Isn’t it wonderful to know that now YOU and I get to be a part of that great ministry?  Our assignment and privilege now is to tell everyone we meet what we know about Him so they, too, can HEAR the Word and God’s Plan for eternal salvation!

If you have prayed and asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior and are striving to make Him Lord of your life, you have made the most important decision you will ever make.   Your eternal life has now begun!