What Must I Do To Be Saved

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"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:31). Yes to be saved we must believe in Jesus. Yet one must consider that really believing in someone includes being confident and trusting of that person. If a friend would tell you they believe in their teacher you naturally would understand them to mean that they are confident of their teacher and what he teaches.

To be saved one must not only believe in Jesus as their redeemer but as a true teacher. In seeking how to be saved we obviously should look to Jesus and what He taught about being saved. The following paragraphs consider some of the basic teachings that Jesus gave about finding God and being saved.

Jesus taught that we should seek God and continue to pray even when things look dark and impossible (Luke 11:5-13, 18:1-8). Jesus taught that if we come to Him He will in no wise cast us out (John 6:37). Jesus taught that we must put Him first in our lives and die to our pride and selfishness. Yet Jesus also promised that as we lose our life for His sake we really will find our life (Mat 10:39, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33, John 12:25)!. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" Jesus obviously did build a great bridge between us and God without which we could not be saved. Yet Jesus also clearly revealed that this saving bridge is only accessible to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Jesus said "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Mat 7:21). "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:21). Jesus also said those who hear His saying and don't do them are like a foolish man that built his house on the sand that ended up in ruin (Matt 7:26-27,Luke 6:49). How absurd it is to claim salvation by believing in Jesus while yet evading or rejecting His teachings!

Although in being saved we must accept Jesus as our Lord and master as well as our personal Saviour, yet we can be assured that He is a good Lord and master. Jesus said He came to set captives free, said the truth will make us free, and said He came that we "...might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (Luke 4:18, John 8:32&36 John 10:10)! Jesus said all valid commandments hinge on loving God and loving our neighbor. Many Scriptures advocate this good principle. God has a good plan for us.

Thus to be saved be honest with yourself. Seek God with all your heart, and do what you know to do. Ask God to give you a living faith in Jesus which is a faith that really saves. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38). Jesus speaking of Apostle Peter's faith, spoke of how Peter's faith in Jesus was created by a revelation from God rather than only man's teaching, and then greatly blessed Peter (Matt 16:16-19). When God gives this faith to a person he is changed, is born anew, and receives a sense of eternal values that before simply was not there. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor 5:17). "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. {2} Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col 3:1-2)

Obviously our works alone could not span the great gulf that sin and satan brought between God and man. Only Christ's substitutionary death could bridge that gulf and save us. Yet if we do not honestly seek God and honestly endeavor to follow Christ's teachings and plan for our lives, obviously Christ's bridge alone will not save us. Although our works alone cannot save us, obviously they must be included in being saved.

The great gift of salvation although conditional, yet to a great extent can be considered a free gift, since our part in being saved is so small and all we need to do is really what we should do for our creator anyway.

Yes believing is important, yet what we believe is just as important! May we believe in Jesus and believe everything He taught and find a place with Him in the next world. God bless and farewell.

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