What must you do to be saved?
Jonah 2:9 “But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’ (NIV)”
First is to understand that you are saved by grace (the grace of God) through faith (trust in His grace); not by working for salvation (eternal life with God), or attempting through any form of punishment, abstaining, isolation or any other form os self sacrifice to gain salvation or forgiveness of sins (that which breaks fellowship with the Spirit). Salvation is a gift to us by God through Jesus Christ. There is nothing anyone can do beyond believing upon Jesus Christ to be saved.
The book of Acts chapter 16 30–31 (NIV): “…and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
And in Romans 3:21–24 (NIV we learn: “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in h Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.“
And again in Romans 10:9–13 (NIV) “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame. ’For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And finally in Ephesians 2:8–10 (NIV) we are told: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
And, if you have a difficult time believing who Jesus claims to be it becomes even more profound since God wishes all to be saved for in John 14:9–14 (NIV) “Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?’ Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Salvation is a gift, not something you need to strive for. Jesus has paid the ultimate price for the sins of the world; for each and every one of us, past, present, and future. Once you have believed and been filled with the Holy Spirit you repent (top doing what you were) and confess to the Lord your sin and know they have been forgiven you. Sin breaks fellowship with the Holy Spirit and others, forgiveness reestablishes that fellowship.
I close with this prayer hoping you will adopt it for yourself:
Lord, let my eyes see what you direct; let my mind understand what you have it look at; let my ears hear your voice and obey;
let my heart be filled with your love and overcome with joy; let my hands reach for the hem of your garment to be healed; let my feet move along your directed path for me; let my mouth speak of your good news and proclaim your forgiveness, and let my studies be a search of you and your will for me. Amen!
Mike,
8 December 2021
The Christian Underground Journal
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