“What Must I Do To Be Saved?”

Acts 16:25-31

25. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

27. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30. And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

T

he question under consideration is the same one that we have been asking since this series was started. We continue to ask it because many seem to have no hint concerning what they need to do to be saved—and very few really investigate. We live in an age when it is just as easy to “bluff” being saved as it is to be saved.

It is no secret that there are varying opinions as to what is necessary for salvation—even amongst those who have undergone the experience. The controversy includes what exactly it is that the Lord either does or does not want.

The fact of the matter is that what we must do to be saved is not up to us. Once we have received instruction in salvation and know what it is that the Lord expects, we need to be sincere enough to seek the Lord and do as He says.

Man finds “true” salvation “elusive” because it is hard for the human being to break the habit of trusting himself. Therefore, as long as man resists his spiritualization, it will be impossible for him to be saved.

The fact that the Lord requires us to trust Him (and never again ourselves) after salvation is a pretty strong indication that we cannot be trusted. This should be neither a surprise nor an insult, for we have lived with ourselves long enough to know that we will “fool” ourselves every time.

Generally, we are deceived into believing that we are “not so bad.” The devil very conveniently allows us to “skip” the worst incidents of our lives and to focus only upon our “better” days. The fact of the matter is that the “bad” in us is more plentiful than the “good”—and all that we have to do to prove it is to check our “history.”

The primary reason for our “poor life performance” is that the lives that we live are dedicated to pleasing ourselves. With that as a life mission, how likely is it that one will be interested in “doing right” by others?

Deception concerning one’s spiritual life is also rampant and part of the greater plan of the enemy to “neutralize” as many of the potential people of God as possible. When you live in a “sanctified fantasy world,” either by ignorance or by choice you will be unlikely to look to correct any “deficiencies” in your life. But, you see, what the devil never tells hapless man is that unlike our own minds, the Lord’s “record keeping” is flawless. From the moment we took our first “sanctified” breath, He has kept a perfect record or our deeds and behavior. With this in mind and knowing our fleshly selves as only we can, “now” would seem to be the optimum time to ask, “what should I do to be saved?”

Most often, we do not realize that we are on the “wrong side” of God when we utter our opinions concerning what is and is not necessary for salvation. This is not surprising, concerning the plethora of preachers spouting their opinions about what salvation is. The problem is that those opinions are taught as truth rather than opinions, thereby qualifying as deception of the worst kind.

Most of us are “clueless” concerning the requirements of God, for our view of ourselves is that we are human beings, we understand our “rights” and “privileges” as human beings; how we should be treated and what we want—and that is all that we know and “good enough” for us. But you see, we also want to be that “human being” and go to heaven—and that will not happen. We already know why, because scripture tells us “...flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom...” So, to get to heaven and avoid hell, one will have to live the life—and scripture proves that that life cannot be the life of the fleshly being.

So, we are “stuck,” as it were, in a “bind.” We know that we must become more than we are now in order to get what we want, but we don’t seem to be able to do it. The reason that most of us cannot seem to advance in salvation is because we are not open to “direction.” Particularly when we hear something “new” to us, since it is not our “pronouncement” we have a tendency to say that we don’t “understand,” and therefore, cannot accept it. But if we can simply bring ourselves to a place of accepting what God says, triumph will be manifested in our lives.

“What must (we) do to be saved?” The answer is to become disinterested in oneself and interested only in that which will be pleasing to the Lord. If we are unable to do this, we will struggle to be saved and will remain miserable. Actually, we have an obligation to live for the Lord because of the fact that He purchased the life.

In all situations and circumstances, that which must come first is Jesus! The life that we live must be lived for the praise of God—not for self. That life must be directed toward the One Who saved us no matter what it costs, be that “cost” physical, emotional or literal.

If we could only learn to totally refuse the devil, we would find that he would begin to “hassle” us less frequently. You see, the greatest point he wishes to prove is that no one is totally devoted to the service of the Lord. When he finds one who is true, he will still torment him, but less frequently.

By now, we should be “fully persuaded” that it is not enough simply to be baptized in Jesus’ name. That initial act of “conscience” is of no profit if one is unwilling to reckon himself as dead. For you see, the “life” granted through salvation is activated only through “death”—the death of the “flesh” (human spirit, human being). As long as one remains alive in his original state, he can never be alive in Christ.

“What must I do to be saved?” is a question that anyone can ask. The character and sincerity of the one asking it will be revealed in his response to the answer. Evidently, the old adage of “Be careful what you ask,” is true.