WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
By Nana Yaw Aidoo
“Three things make this the greatest question ever asked: 1) The value of the soul; 2) The fearfulness of being lost; 3) The length of eternity! No other question can possibly have serious or long-reaching implications! All must come to grips with this great question!” – Robert G. Dockery, What Must I Do to be Saved?
Salvation, my friends, is the passage from death to life (John 5:24). The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The end result of sin is death (Romans 6:23), which is a separation from God, who is the source of life (Isaiah 59:1-2). And since “all have sinned,” we are condemned to an eternal hell (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
God, by His foreknowledge, knew that man would sin and, as a result, put in place a plan to save man even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 3:9-11). Out of love, He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come and die for the sins of the world (John 3:16), thus turning the situation of the world into one of hope. Due to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, there is hope for the world to move from “death to life.” This makes the question, “What must I do to be saved?” the greatest question today. “The world has a misconception at this point. Religion is not primarily something which is ‘gotten,’ ‘felt,’ ‘received,’ or ‘realized.’ It is something done! ‘And why call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’ (Luke 6:46)… Action is necessary!” – Robert G. Dockery, What Must I Do to be Saved?
In answering this question, it is crucial to go into the book of conversions and look at three conversion accounts out of the many.
Account 1:
On the day of Pentecost, Peter, after preaching the first gospel sermon, was asked this question by the audience: “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter responded this way: “…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” (Acts 2:38). The listeners obeyed (Acts 2:41).
Account 2:
Persecution spread the disciples from Jerusalem, and Philip went to Samaria. The Bible records that Philip “preached Christ” (Acts 8:5) to the Samaritans. Those who believed Philip’s preaching were baptized, “both men and women” (Acts 8:12).
Account 3:
From Samaria, the Holy Spirit sent Philip to a desert to teach an Ethiopian proselyte. Upon reaching him, the Ethiopian was reading Isaiah 53 but didn’t understand. Philip, based on the passage, “preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35). After hearing about Jesus, the Ethiopian asked to be baptized (Acts 8:36). After the confession of the Ethiopian’s faith, “…both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him” (Acts 8:38).
In all these accounts, two things are common: there was preaching and there was baptism. Preaching is necessary because it’s the agency by which God saves (Romans 1:16). No one will be saved without faith (Hebrews 11:6), and faith comes by hearing the scripture (Romans 10:17). This tells us that Christians who have turned the “Great Commission” into the “Great Omission” are sinning against God and need to repent.
Peter put repentance before baptism. This is necessary, for the absence of repentance will lead a man to perish (Luke 13:3). The Ethiopian confessed his faith in Christ. This is also critical, for without confession, no one will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). And finally, there was baptism in all of the accounts.
Baptism is necessary because it’s at that point we contact the Savior’s blood (Romans 6:3); it’s at that point we are spiritually circumcised of sin (Colossians 2:11-13); it’s at that point we get into Christ (Galatians 3:27), where “all spiritual blessings,” including “forgiveness of sins,” can be found (Ephesians 1:3,7); it’s at that point we’re saved (1 Peter 3:21). The blood of Christ cleanses sins, and that blood is contacted in the watery grave of baptism.
Friends, these three accounts alone give us the answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?”
For one to be saved, he must:
- Hear the gospel
- Have faith in God and in the risen Christ
- Repent of all his sins
- Make that great confession that “Christ is the Son of God”
- Be baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins
When an alien sinner follows these steps, he will be saved and added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47).
Christ has given the invitation. He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Now is the time to say, “Yes, Lord, I come.”
God bless us all in the name of Jesus Christ.
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