We all must answer this question: What must I do to be saved? As Christians, we believe that there is a definite answer to that question. We have to repent, confess Jesus as Lord, and follow him. We’re going to talk about why we need to be saved in this post and how the process of salvation looks.
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Hi friends! I’m Cayce Fletcher, and this is A More Beautiful Life Collective. I’m here to walk hand in hand with you as we grow in grace, build with purpose, and live beautifully.
This post is part of our series on Systematic Theology. So far, we’ve covered Theology Proper, Bibliology, Angelology, Theological Anthropology, Hamartiology, Christology, and now we are discussing Soteriology, or the doctrine of Salvation. In the last post, we discussed the doctrine of Atonement along with 15 theories of Atonement. In this post, we are going to look at different types of grace and our role in the justification process.
What must I do to be saved?
In the book of Acts (chapter 16), Paul and Silas are thrown in jail because they rid a slave girl of a demon who had tormented her. Because of the demon, the girl had made her owners quite a bit of money, for the demon was able to tell the future. Once they lost this moneymaker, they unfairly accused Paul and Silas, and the courts sentenced them to prison.
While in prison, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and suddenly there was an earthquake. At that moment, the doors of the prison flew open. I can imagine if I were in that situation, unfairly accused and potentially facing death, I would be tempted to run far away from that town.
But Paul and Silas didn’t. The jailer who was in charge of them was ready to kill himself because of the grave trouble he would be in for losing his charges. But, Paul and Silas yelled out, “Wait, we’re here!”
Because they stayed in prison, the jailer’s life was saved. And, he immediately asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
This is a question we all should contemplate: What must I do to be saved? The very status of our souls depends on it.
Why do we need to be saved?
Because Paul and the other prisoners stayed in the jail, they saved the jailer’s life. But, the jailer knew that true salvation wasn’t just staying alive. He knew that he needed something more. He was still in need of saving.
To get to the point of asking ‘What must I do to be saved?’, we have to come to terms with the fact that we need a savior.
In our modern times, people feel like they are justified in their actions as long as they are ‘being true to themselves.’ Unless they are hurting someone, they feel like anything they do is okay as long as it feels good.
However, our feelings are not a good gauge of what makes someone righteous.
We need a savior because we are deserving of wrath due to our sin. The beginning of Romans sums this up. God created us to glorify him. But instead of glorifying God, we turned to our lusts and desires.
Instead of being righteous, Romans 1:28-32 says, “28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
We were created to be in a relationship with God, but we exchanged that relationship for our own sinful passions. Our unrighteousness cannot coexist with God’s righteousness. When we sin, we are committing an act against God. God is a holy and righteous judge. He instituted a law when he created the cosmos. When we transgress against that law, we are deserving of judgment. This is why Romans 3:23 says, “We’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
The Reformed term for this condition of mankind is Total Depravity. We are biased against God in our current state unless we are saved.
Because of original sin and our own selfish desires, we have fallen short. In the Old Testament, people offered sacrifices to God to atone for their sins, but these sacrifices had to be offered up daily because the people continually fell back into their sins. Under the new covenant, we have a new and better way. We cannot achieve the righteousness God requires on our own. We cannot pay for our sins on our own.
But, I think I’m a good person. Why do I still need saving?
The doctrine of Total Depravity may grate against our modern ears. We see non-Christians donating to charity, seeking justice for the poor, and creating nonprofits to do good work. We also see non-Christians striving to be good parents and just decent people. Are these people not saved?
Grace is ‘the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.’ God gives grace to all of us, but in different forms. Universal grace is the grace God gives to all living creatures. He gives General Common Grace to all of mankind. Covenant Common Grace is the grace he gives to those who live within a covenant he makes with them (like the Adamic and Noahic covenants). As believers, we have received a special grace that goes beyond this covenant common grace. We receive grace through Jesus Christ.
Common Grace is something that mankind has received that allows for the following:
- God is good to all through his creation. The sun rises and falls. The harvest comes each season. This is the goodness and blessing of God.
- Sin is restrained both individually and in society. Sometimes, though, God releases this restraint and gives people over to their evil desires completely.
- This restraint means that non-Christians are kept from sinning; they can be ‘good’ people. This restraint also means that there can be a good society through the grace of God.
Does Common Grace save you?
Common Grace can allow humans who are totally depraved to be able to do good actions. But it doesn’t make you right before God.
Why?
Because right actions cannot by themselves pay for the transgressions that were already committed. God requires holiness, and we cannot pay for our sin through our own holiness. Instead, it requires a sacrifice that acts as a repayment, a reparation, or a cleansing for our sins.
Often, people think that if they do enough right actions, ‘they can squeak into heaven.’ But, truly, it doesn’t work like that. We don’t live under the Old Covenant of priestly sacrifices. And, we have no way to pay for our sins ourselves.
So, no common grace – and our own righteousness – is not enough to save us. So what is?
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What must I do to be saved?
The jailer in Acts 16 recognized that he needed to be saved, and he was looking for answers: What must I do to be saved? Paul and Silas responded in verse 31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation.
This idea is repeated throughout scripture:
- John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- Acts 4:12 – And there is salvation in no one else [other than Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- John 5:24 – Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
- John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
- Romans 10:9-10 – Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
- John 1:12 – But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
- Hebrews 7:25 – Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Because of the priestly office that Jesus holds, he is able to mediate between us and God. He offered himself as the sacrifice for our sins and continues to function as the go-between us and God.
We discussed how we are saved in the last episode on 15 theories of atonement. But the long and short of it is this: We are saved through Jesus’ work on the cross.
Process of Salvation
If the last episode focused on how we are saved – or justified – before God, this episode focuses on the answer to that question I asked in the beginning: What must I do to be saved?
Do we have to do anything?
As we’ve seen in our discussion on common grace, the answer to that question is a resounding ‘Yes!’
But what does this process look like?
The process of salvation can be found in the verses above.
The long and short of it is this: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul and Silas responded in the same way in Acts 16:31: “They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’”
This faith is the sum of the process of salvation. Through faith alone, we are humbled and made right before God. It’s not what we have done; it is what Christ has already done.
Our belief leads to right actions and transforms us, but it is important that we don’t add any other heavy loads to what the scripture already tells us. Through faith, we are saved.
The Steps of Salvation
The Roman Road of Salvation is a key tool in explaining salvation to someone. These aren’t necessarily ‘steps’ to salvation in the sense of a process you must follow, but instead, they are a guide through some of the questions we’ve discussed here.
- Recognition of Sin – Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
- Deserving of Punishment – Romans 6:23a:“For the wages of sin is death.”
- Christ paid the penalty – Romans 6:23b: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Belief is Required – Romans 10:9: “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.” Romans 10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- Justification & Peace with God is Promised – Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
My Personal Statement of Faith, Soteriology, Part 2
Because of humankind’s sin, we need a savior. We all have the ability to do good through common grace, but none of us is completely right with God because of our propensity to sin. What must we do to be saved? We must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. That will lead to justification before God and peace with God.
Now you try: What must I do to be saved?
What do you believe about salvation?
- Why do we need a savior?
- What is required of us for salvation?
- Why is belief in Jesus crucial to salvation?
I encourage each of you to work through your own doctrine of salvation as you consider the questions above. You can get the free guide, Theology Made Simple, to consider each of our 10 core doctrines we’ve been studying on the blog.
In the shop, you’ll also find “Knowing What You Believe”, our personal statement of faith creation guide, where you can create your own statement of faith. You’ll also find Building Our Foundations: An 11-Week Systematic Theology Study.
Knowing What You Believe: A Christian Theology Workbook to Help You Grow in Faith
A guided Christian theology workbook to help you explore 10 core doctrines, reflect on your faith, and write your personal statement of belief.
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Until next time, keep creating a life you love and cultivating your heart for God.
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