Calvary Baptist Church

Calvary Baptist Church, Grenada, MS

Holding to the truths embraced by Baptist for centuries.

Chapter Four

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

We make much of this subject. It is right that we should. I make no apologies for it. I am glad that we do. I glory in it.

I want to present God's answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?'' (Acts 16:30) so that if there is one reading this who really wants to know the answer, he may be saved before putting down this article.

There are many lost people in the world. Many millions who are lost will never know enough about this matter to even ask this question. There are people who are lost who think they are saved. Anyone who is depending on anything of merit that he himself does is lost. Some are lost but they are indifferent about the matter. This is a large majority. Some know they are lost, but will not give much attention to their greatest eternal interest. They keep too much engaged with the things of this life to give themselves opportunity to get down to this all-important matter in real earnest. Then, there are those who, like this Philippian jailor, ask this question in dead earnest.

The answer Paul and Silas gave to this question was, (Acts 16:31) "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." This was the answer to the question. This is the answer now. This is the only answer. This is the full answer. Paul and Silas gave the jailor this as the answer to his question, but they had not discharged their duty to him. This lost man did not know who Jesus Christ was and what He had done to save sinners. He could not believe

in the Lord Jesus Christ unless he learned about Him. (Romans 10:17) "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". He could not believe in Christ until he learned about Him.

Some so-called Christian workers seem to think that all a preacher needs to do to get people to believe in Jesus Christ is just to tell them to believe and then beg, urge, plead, and then 'pray them through' to faith in Christ. No, it does not come that way. Notice what the record in Acts says, (Acts 16:32) "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." "Spake unto him the word of the Lord." Why did they do that? They had told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. So they proceeded to give him the facts about the Lord Jesus Christ that he might believe.

Lost people are urged to believe, they are persuaded, coaxed, begged, threatened, and prayed for; when what they need is to be taught who Jesus is and what He has done to save them. And this is exactly what Paul and Silas did, and this is what I shall endeavor to do, assuming that someone is reading this who really wants to know what to do to be saved. Certainly I will tell you "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!" Now I shall try to show you from the Word of God who Jesus Christ is and what He has done to save lost sinners. Paul said that he preached to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 2:2) "Jesus Christ and Him crucified.''

The angel Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the long promised Son of David, and that He would be born without a human father. The same angel revealed the same thing to Joseph, the betrothed husband of Mary. She was told that her Son would be the Son of God. This (Luke 1:35) "Holy Thing'' which would be born of her "shall be called the Son of God."

John, in the opening verse of his Gospel, wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Then in the 14th verse of the same first chapter we read. "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the

glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." Again we read (John 8:58) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'' Jesus continues His testimony, (John 11:25) "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live", and (John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

It is recorded that God the Father spoke from heaven at the baptism and at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 3:17, 17:5) "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. In Colossians 1:19 we learn, "For it pleased the Father that in him (Jesus) should all fulness dwell," and again (Col. 2:9) "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." These Scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, that He is Immanuel, "God with us''.

Thus far I have preached the Word of the Lord as to who Christ Jesus is. Now, we shall see what He has done to save the sinner who believes in Him. (John 3:14, 15) "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." Also, (Matthew 20:28) "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Turn to the Word of the Lord in the Epistles and read, (Romans 3:24-26) "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood . . . to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." (Galatians 3:13) "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;" (I Peter 2:24) "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.''

This One who died for our sins rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven. (Matthew 28:5, 6) "And

the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." He is seated at God's right hand and is making intercession for us. He is our Advocate, our Great High Priest. (Hebrews 12:2) "Jesus . . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 10:11, 12) "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God." (I John 2:1, 2) "…And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world." He is coming back to earth again to redeem His purchased possession. (I Thessalonians 4:14-17) "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we, which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them, which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

I have here set forth a little of God's testimony concerning His Son. I believe I have given enough, if you think it through and get the mind of God concerning His Son, for you to believe in Him unto salvation. If this testimony does not bring you to faith in Him, get your New Testament and read for yourself until you have filled your heart and mind full of the wonderful facts about our wonderful Saviour. Read the Gospel of John as a starting point.