One of the greatest questions someone could ask is, “What must I do to be saved?” The question even appears in the Bible (Acts 16:30).
What have you been told? What have you done? Have you been saved?
Seriously reflect on the first two questions. Your answers could often be different from others’.
The last question can only be yes or no. Have you been saved?
To answer accurately, we must ask another question.
From what do we need saved?
Before His death, Jesus warned the unbelieving leaders of the day, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24, Unless otherwise stated: Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Used by permission. All rights reserved).
In our culture, it is common to fear death. However, it is not physical death we need to fear. It is dying in sin. Sin separates us from God (Is 59:1-2). First John 1 compares living in sin with walking in darkness, and says, “If we say we have fellowship with [God], and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
No one can be in a good relationship with God and be in sin. The fair payment for our sins is death (Rom 6:23). Since we can’t be together with God if we are in our sins, this death is not just physical, it is a spiritual and eternal separation. It results in a condemnation to a place initially prepared for the devil and his angels for their punishment (Matt 25:41-46; Jude 6; 2 Thess 1:6-10).
So, the consequence of dying in sin is what makes death utterly terrible. Paul said it this way, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:56-57).
Therefore, when we are asking how to be saved, we are asking how we can be rid of the disastrous consequences of sin. We need our sins to be forgiven. When does that happen?
Before we find this point, let’s observe several things the Bible says are necessities for salvation.
John 3:16; 1 John 4:10– God’s love, the giving of His Son, and belief
Romans 10:9-15 – Hearing the gospel, believing, calling on the name of the Lord, and confessing Jesus
Luke 13:1-5; Acts 17:30 – Repentance
I Peter 3:20-21 – Baptism
Ephesians 2:4-10 -Mercy, grace, and faith
James 2:14-26 – Works
These are all presented as having some part in the life of the saved. If you take any one of these away, you do not have a full, biblical picture of what goes into salvation.
Jesus is said to have offered Himself as “one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb 10:12). It is evident that His death, alone, does not save. Otherwise, there would be no call for anything else, like believing, repenting, etc.
But at what point is sin taken care of?
John offered glory to Jesus, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev 1:5).
Paul acknowledged that in Jesus “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:14).
To be forgiven, our sins must be washed by the blood of Christ. But how? This is an abstract concept. Jesus’ blood was shed almost two thousand years ago. Since we can’t literally touch it to be cleansed, where do we see the figure for when it happens?
Baptism.
When Peter convinced a crowd in Pentecost that Jesus was the Christ, they asked what to do. He said “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38, 39).
What Peter was doing was just like what Jesus said before He ascended into heaven. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).
We can identify if we have or have not been saved by comparing what we have done in our lives to the Word of God. Can you see where the Scriptures say you have had your sins forgiven?
If not, consider the question Ananias asked when Paul was seeking what to do since he had come to believe in Jesus.
“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
Have you been saved?
Van
