Vol. 8, No. 5, 1991

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Every person who has read the account of the Apostle Paul's life remembers the event well. Paul and Silas set in a jail cell singing. At approximately midnight "a great earthquake" shook the foundation of the jail and the door to their cell fell open.

The prison guard awoke from his slumber, realized what had happened, and supposing Paul and Silas to have escaped, prepared to kill himself. Just then Paul called to the jailer telling him to "do thyself no harm: for we are all here."

It was at this point an interesting conversation took place. The jailer "called for a light" and entered the jail cell asking Paul a very interesting and insightful eternal question - a question that every honest person has had at one time in their life. The question: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

It was at this point Paul gave the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:25-31).

If it were necessary to keep the Old Testament dietary laws, the Sabbath and the feast days, etc., to gain salvation this would have been a prime opportunity for Paul to have explained this. However, the only requirement mentioned by Paul was to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."

What About Works?

Should a Christian never do good works? Of course not. As Paul explained in Ephesians 2:8-10 we are saved first by faith, and even the faith is not of ourselves it is from God. "Not of works, lest any man should boast."

It is Verse Ten that explains the works. It says that we are first saved by believing on Jesus and then the works are a natural outgrowth of our being saved.

As Paul said, "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." If we are Christians, we find ourselves first "in Christ Jesus" for the purpose of being "unto good works."

Barking Dogs

An example that may help to explain this is the dog that barks at the moon. Suppose you were to set on your porch and bark at the moon all night. Would the action of barking cause you to become a dog? Of course not.

A dog barks at the moon because it is his nature to bark. The action of barking does not cause the dog to be a dog any more than the action of you barking at the moon would cause you to become a dog.

So it is with Christians. The action of doing "good works" does not cause one to become a Christian. A Christian is a Christian because of their faith and trust in Christ, not because of their "good works."

When a person gives their life totally and completely to Christ by believing in Him for Salvation and placing no necessity on their own actions (keeping of the feast days, sabbath or dietary laws), that is when they have truly trusted Jesus and Him alone for their salvation.

Until that point they have trusted "another Jesus" as Paul warns about (2 Cor. 11:4). Until that point they have trusted a "false Christ" of which Jesus warned (Matthew 24:24).

It Is Finished

Remember when Jesus was on the cross and he said, "It is finished" (John 19:30)?

Either he did everything necessary for our salvation, and He was correct when He said "It is finished," or He was lying, and it is up to us to do certain things in order to gain salvation.

As Paul observed, if we can do anything to earn our own salvation, then Christ died in vain (Galatians 2:21).

In whom will you place your faith? The Savior who said it is finished or a man or organization that explains salvation is dependent upon your keeping the Law?