What must I do to be saved?  How many times has that been asked, debated, argued over, defended, and distorted within Christianity?  The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been attacked from the very beginning of the early Christian Church and continues to be attacked today.  There are many groups, sects, non Christian Cults, liberalism & Emergent Church, and others who distort the gospel of Jesus Christ with adding works, traditions, teaching you must do such and such after accepting Jesus in order to be saved, and in the end twisting the Scriptures and the gospel message. 

The following is an article from our Salvation section called “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” and it is being shared here for those of you to read and share your comments below.  Does this resonate with you?  Does this offend you?  Does  this concern you?  What is the true gospel of Jesus Christ?  Feel very open to respond to what is shared below with comments, questions, etc.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

It has been said that most people in general believe in a God of some sort and believe that they one day will go to heaven known as the presence of God. However, no matter how sincere most people are, Jesus taught things from a different point of view. The apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Colossae to help them in understanding the importance of not being deceived with the ways of the world and for them to be rooted and established firmly in Jesus Christ. You may ask, “Who is Jesus Christ and what does that matter to me”? "What must I do to be saved"?   These are important questions and they will be answered.

 

Without Excuse

If people are honest with themselves they understand that they are sinful and are helpless of themselves. This truth is not insulting but rather enlightening to those who embrace the reality of life and who are open to receiving the message of hope and life in Jesus Christ. Consider the following:

“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” (Romans 1:18-23)

Throughout history people have denied the evidence of God and His power, and through that people have become fools. One of the most basic things in life that God is real is the evidence of creation. It is a fact that more scientists are coming to accept the God of creation rather than the foolish notions of those who accept evolution as the way of our existence. God not only has demonstrated His power through creation for us to realize but He has also been revealed within us. People either accept or reject the evidence of what God has done and revealed, and it is your choice to make.

 

What Sin is and it’s Consequences

Sin is a word that simply means “missing the mark of God’s perfection and holiness.” To put this in simple words all mankind is in a state of sin whether they realize it or not, and God’s love is for anyone to be saved from that state of sin and be set free and have the promise of eternal life.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 3:23 & Romans 6:23)

28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. 32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”              (Matthew 10:28-33)

“7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! 8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 "If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”  (Matthew 18:7-9)

“11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

The Bible teaches that sin is what separates us from being able to go to the holy presence of God, and that all who have not been spiritually born again will not be able to enter into the presence of God. God has given us His Divine Word so that we can know truth from error, and the truth is that there are eternal consequences to the decisions we make concerning the Gospel message. Those who come to know Jesus Christ personally and are born again will be saved from their sins, and they will not have to worry about going to a fiery hell or lake of fire.

 

God’s plan for mankind was to be free and have life but mankind fell and through that sin came into the world. God’s desire is for no one to be cast away into eternal separation but anyone to be saved. This is why Jesus Christ came some 2000 years ago to bridge the gap between God and man, and through Jesus’ atonement man can enter into the presence of God. Jesus taught you must be born again to be able to enter into the presence of God.

 

What does Born Again mean?

What does born again mean? Born again means having a new birth spiritually. This is when a person has accepted Jesus for who He is and what He has done. Jesus came to set man free from their sins and He did that by giving His life. Being born again is as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "a new creation."

“3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."“ (John 3:3-6)

Jesus teaches Nicodemus two points concerning being born again. First, Jesus teaches that a person cannot "see the kingdom of God" without being born again. The word "see" also means "to understand, to perceive." Jesus teaches that unless someone is spiritually born again they cannot understand the kingdom of God. If a person is not born again they will be led astray by the ways of the world and the ways of the demonic influence. Secondly, Jesus teaches that a person "cannot enter into the kingdom of God" without being born again. The word "enter" is addressing going to the very presence of God. Therefore, anyone who has not been born again cannot go into God's presence. (Referring to the heavenly realm)

 

Jesus in explaining to Nicodemus spoke in simple terms so he could understand better how to be born again and the consequences of this decision.

“16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

There are 7 things in these passages that are important to see:

1. 1.It was God who loved the world (mankind) so that people could be saved.
   

2. 2.God (The Father) gave mankind His Son (Jesus) as a sacrifice. This was the mission of Jesus according to the Scriptures and this was accomplished through His death and resurrection.
   

3. 3.This sacrifice is for anyone to be saved and receive eternal life. Many people think that God does not love them, but God demonstrated His love for us. Paul said, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
   

4. 4."God did not send His Son into the world to judge it." Many people do not realize that God is for them and wants people to be saved. God does not want people to be damned and to be sent to hell. (Eternal separation)
   

5. 5.Jesus came so "that the world might be saved." Jesus came with a mission to save people, but no one is saved by force. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament it is clear that God wants people to accept Him and follow Him. God gives people the choice to either receive Him or reject Him. God has revealed to mankind His Divine nature through creation, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speaking through men and women, through angels, through the Scriptures, and through Jesus Christ.
   

6. 6."He who believes in Him is not judged." The requirement for eternal life is believing in Jesus Christ as the One sent from the Father. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? To believe in Jesus means you accept not only what Jesus taught but also what He claimed about Himself. Jesus claimed to be, "The Son of God, The Son of Man, the Messiah, The Light, The Resurrection and Life, The Bread of Life, The Eternal One, The Lord of the Sabbath, The Good Shepherd, The Door, The Vine, The Lord, Equal with the Father, God, Our Judge, Origin of all creation." There are people who say they believe in Jesus but the Jesus they believe in is not the Jesus of the Bible. To have the wrong Jesus is wrong enough to be eternally separated from God.
   

7. 7.“he who does not believe has been judged already." All mankind is born with sin and it is only through the spiritual birth that this can be cleansed, and it is through the Gospel that people are set free and saved.
   

The True Gospel That Saves

The Gospel means simply the good news of Jesus Christ being the One who came to give His life for mankind to be set free from their sins and have a personal relationship with the God of all. Jesus Christ was the Son of God in the flesh and proved historically, prophetically, and Biblically that He was the Messiah, the Savior, and all who put their complete trust in Him will be saved. The following Scriptures are eternal life to those who receive the Word of God and accept Jesus as true Savior and Lord of their life, and turn from their own ways and turn to God.

“44 Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:44-47)

“1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”  (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life…Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:12 & John 8:24)

“27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:27-31)

 

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

The message is clear and simple. God has revealed the way to be saved and to be set free from sin, and it is through receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. What will you choose? Are you afraid? Are you not sure if God can forgive all your sins? Let go of your fears and trust God’s love for you and know that anyone can be saved and receive eternal life, for there is no partiality with God. Here are some Scriptures to help you come to receive Jesus Christ and after them a suggested prayer to help you.

“28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7-9)

“9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”” (Romans 10:9-13)

Suggested Prayer

 

If you want to know Jesus Christ personally as your Lord and Savior, turn from your ways, and follows what God has given us in His Word the Bible, then pray these words.

Dear God: I acknowledge I am imperfect and need to be saved from my sins. I want to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge Jesus dying on the cross and rising again for my salvation. I want to be born again, to become a new creation spiritually, and have newness & purpose in my life. Jesus come into my heart, my mind, and my life, and from this day forward change me from my ways to follow your ways. I thank you Jesus for loving me and giving your life for me, and I ask that you give me direction and strength to follow you. In Jesus’ name I pray these things, amen.

If you have prayed this there are a few things we wish to encourage you to do. Now that you have become a Christian and have received Jesus you need to get a Bible which you can understand in your language and read it daily. Ask God to give you understanding of what you are reading and to give you discernment from the lies of the world. You will need to find other Christians in your area to fellowship with so that you can get encouragement, prayer, and guidance. If you are not sure about which Church to attend contact us and we will find you a good Bible believing and loving Church in your area where you can grow spiritually. And if you have any other questions please contact us.

 

Scriptures used from the New American Standard Version