What must I do to be saved?

Acts 16:29-32   The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house (NIV).

   Paul proclaimed what Jesus taught, which is recorded in places such as John 11:25, which is that in order to be saved, a person must believe in Jesus.  Jesus saves.  Jesus is the One who died on a cross as the substitutional atonement for the price of sins.  Jesus is the One who offers mercy and grace to all.  All you need to do is believe in Jesus.
   Tragically even today there is much contention between various Christians about this subject.  Even among Protestant Christians there are some who advocate water baptism as a necessary work for salvation.  Now in this passage, the family was quickly baptized, yet Paul did not say this act was necessary for salvation.  Water baptism is important; Jesus commanded it.  Yet water baptism is not a work which brings salvation.
   Now Acts 2:38 does seem to make the requirement for salvation to be repentance and water baptism.  Yet the first of two great Bible interpretation rules is to take a verse in the context of the passage, and in Peter’s great sermon, he is primarily addressing Jewish people.  “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem…” (Acts 2:14 NIV).  “Men of Israel, listen to this…” (Acts2:22 NIV).  “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this….” (Acts 2:36 NIV).  I think the emphasis here is not on the requirements for salvation rather on the special need of many Jewish people who had rejected the genuine Messiah to repent and to realize Jesus is the Messiah.  They needed to know that baptism was now for them as well, even though it was not a requirement under the Mosaic Law and was usually only an act done by Gentiles who were converting to Judaism.
   And if you do not agree with my exegesis here, know that Dwight Moody did not ignore Acts 2:38 in the book originally entitled Sovereign Grace (1), yet in that same book he makes it completely clear that “works” do not proceed salvation and that salvation is a free gift: “We work from the Cross, not to it.  We work because we are saved, not in order to be saved.  We work from salvation, not up to it.  Salvation is the gift of God.” (2)
   Lastly, to be thorough, I note some get into the issue of whether believing is a “work.”  Taking the Biblical context of the word “works,” believing in Jesus is not a “work” since it is receiving a gift, though it obviously is not an utterly passive activity.  There is still a personal decision to be made.
   Dwight Moody sure did not think believing in Jesus is a “work” by the Biblical definition: “The question is: Will you let Christ come in and save you?  It is not a question of whether He is able.  Who will open their hearts, and let the Savior come in?” (3)
   But some people argue the reason faith is not a work is because it is a gift of God, along with grace, since they incorporate both grace and faith in interpreting Ephesians 2:8.  They go on to conclude only the elect are given faith, the same elect who were predestined to be given grace.  Yet even people of other religions have faith which was not given by God.  The fact is faith alone is not the key.  The key for salvation is the object of the faith being Jesus.  Jesus saves!  And everyone is offered that salvation, and everyone has the capacity to accept or reject God.
   Also some people argue faith is a necessary “work” being needed to not just turn to Jesus but also to produce addition works which are also utilized to gain salvation.  Yet the proper interpretation of Ephesians 2:8 teaches that salvation is a gift, one a person can receive by doing no less or no more than believing in Jesus.
   Now be forewarned, believing will result in a radical transformation.  To believe is to receive, and to receive Jesus is to be changed forever.  However that change, as a person is indwelled by the Holy Spirit, will bring the goodness of God, starting with eternal life with Jesus, the One who made salvation possible.
   I love writing about Jesus.  Frankly, I treasure this blog.  Yet though I have been following Jesus for 25 years, and though I have done many things for Him, and though I have devoted my life to Bible study, and though I have read 103 Christian books, there was a time when I did not follow Jesus, when I did nothing for Him, when I did not know hardly anything about the Bible, and when I had not read a single Christian book.  Yet I started to learn some things about Jesus and about my own need for forgiveness when I started going to church in a historic brick building in Virginia called The Falls Church in the summer of 1989.  That church was filled with a bunch of caring Christians.  And then on April 15, 1990, when I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail on that Easter Sunday, after spending time thinking about Jesus as I hiked since it was Easter, I became convicted Jesus is the way to eternal life, and I did believe in Jesus.  Jesus, my Savior, Lord, and my best Friend has been with me ever since.
   The decision is yours.  The decision about whether you will be saved is not determined by your parents.  The decision about whether you will be saved was not predetermined by God, who offers grace to all, not just a select number of people (see 1 Peter 3:9).  The decision about whether you will be saved is not based on what you did or did not do this week.  The decision about whether you will be saved is your choice: you can believe in Jesus.  Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7 NIV).  What is the context of this verse?  The context is His offer of life with Him forever.
   See what resulted from the jailer believing in Jesus: “…he was filled with joy…” (Acts 16:34 NIV).  Even in this fallen world where there is daily tragedy and pain, there can be joy in the heart of the person who believes in Jesus, because for the person who has been saved, Jesus will always be with him or her forever.
Hunter Irvine

(1) Dwight L. Moody, God’s Abundant Grace
(1891; repr., Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 51.

(2) Dwight L. Moody, God’s Abundant Grace
(1891; repr., Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 20.

(3) Dwight L. Moody, God’s Abundant Grace
(1891; repr., Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 52-53.