What must I do to be saved?

Transcription:

​What must I do to be saved? This is a question that has been asked many times, and it is a question that many are asking today. There is a need for salvation because the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10, NKJV). Later in the same chapter of the Roman letter it says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NKJV). The apostle Paul tells us of the consequences of sin, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, NKJV). The previous verse points out that God offers eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. How can we be saved and obtain eternal life is a question that only the Bible can answer.
The Bible has given to man a plan or way to be saved. This plan is often referred to as the “plan of salvation.” There is not just one thing that man is required to do to obtain salvation and eternal life, but a series of steps to become a Christian, or child of God. Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8 24, NKJV). Jesus said we must believe in Him, or we will die in our sins. How can we believe in Him if we have not heard about Jesus? The apostle Paul said, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14, NKJV). One must first know about Jesus before he can believe in Jesus, and this is made possible by a study of Jesus in the Bible or listening to the teachings about Jesus.
The knowledge of Jesus will cause one to believe in Him. The apostle Paul said, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). Remember an earlier verse cited when Jesus said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8 24, NKJV).
We must also repent of our sins, the sinful life we have lived. Isaiah the prophet said, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2, NKJV). Our sins have separated us from God; therefore, we must repent of our sins. Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, NKJV). When the people asked what they should do about their sins, the apostle Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, NKJV). 
We must confess our faith in Christ before we can be baptized. Jesus stressed the need to confess our faith in Him before we are baptized. Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32, NKJV). The Bible records the actual confession of the man from Ethiopia when he requested baptism. “Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37, NKJV).
There is one final step that must be taken before one becomes a Christian and is added to the church by the Lord. Jesus commanded all to be baptized when He gave what is known as the “great commission.” “18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV). The apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost not only told the people to be baptized, but the purpose of baptism is for the “remission of sins.” “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, NKJV). The apostle Peter also points out that baptism saves us in 1 Peter 3:21.
When a person completes these steps in the “plan of salvation,” he or she becomes a Christian, a child of God. The Lord will then add them to the church. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47, NKJV). I would like to add one more verse of a Christian’s life after baptism. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4, NKJV). The Christian is a new person, and the life of sin has been washed away by the water of baptism.
If you would like to become a Christian, or if you have a question of how to become a Christian, please feel free to contact us. We will be glad to assist you on your journey to salvation.