“What must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30
We have a problem.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
We are ALL – every single one of us – sinners. We break God’s rules and can never measure up to His standard of holiness.
The bad news.
“For the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23a
Because we are all sinners, the payment (wage) for what we do (our sins) is death. This is a spiritual death and separation from God. We deserve death, which is spending eternity away from God and in hell.
The good news.
“But God proves His own love for us in the while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 8:28
The good news is that God gives us the answer to our problem: Jesus.
In His love for us, God sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, by dying on the cross in our place. We DID NOT deserve this. It was God’s gift to us.
We receive this gift by faith.
“But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23b
God’s gift to us is eternal life, where our sins are forgiven, and we live a life with God, not apart from Him. We have a relationship with Him here on earth, and when we die, we will go and be with Him forever in heaven. It is not something we can earn or work for. It is a gift we must accept.
What must we do to be saved?
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him form the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10
1. Believe in your heart (internal). When you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you are placing your trust in Jesus to save you from hell.
2. Confess with your mouth (external). When we trust Jesus to save us from death, we acknowledge that He is now Lord of our life. We have a relationship with Him, and let Him guide our life. This is how we show (externally) our faith: by confessing Jesus as Lord and surrendering to Him. People will see a difference in us.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
To call on the Lord means to pray in faith for salvation. Are you ready to pray and call out to Jesus to save you? If so, here is a prayer that you can pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I have done wrong. Will You forgive me of my sin? I believe that You died for my sins and were raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and place my faith in You. I give my life to You; and in the best way I know how, I will follow You. Will You come into my life and save me? Thank You, Jesus for saving me!
Amen.