What Must I do to be Saved? by Victor Ojo
I want to share an interesting story with you. Thousands of years ago, there lived a man called Paul. He was an apostle of Jesus Christ who traveled from place to place preaching the gospel. One night, a man appeared to him in a vision, beckoning him to come and help them in Macedonia. The next morning, Paul decided to travel to Macedonia to preach the gospel. He and his team arrived in a city called Philippi in Macedonia. On their arrival, things were going smoothly. They had met a few people whose hearts God opened to receive Jesus as they preached the gospel. One of them was a woman named Lydia, who not only received the gospel but also accommodated Paul and his team in her house.
One day, as Paul and his team were walking in the city, they met a damsel who was possessed by a demon but was a soothsayer, foretelling people’s futures to make money for her masters. She began to follow Paul and his team for many days, proclaiming that they were servants of God who showed the way of salvation. One day, as she continued in the act, Paul was grieved and commanded the demon to come out of her. The demon left the damsel, but this made her masters really mad at Paul. They reported them to the authorities and charged them with false allegations. The city was turned against them; they even got beaten by the soldiers and put in prison. The jailer, acting on the orders of his superiors, put them in the deepest portion of the jail and ensured their hands and feet were chained.
At midnight, Paul and Silas woke up to start singing and praying. Suddenly, there was an earthquake, the prison doors opened, and every prisoner’s chain got broken. When the Jailor woke up from his sleep to discover the prison doors had been flung open, he drew out the sword and attempted to commit suicide. However, Paul shouted to stop him by letting him know they were still in prison with him. The jailer then fell to the ground, afraid, and asked Paul, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”. This was Paul’s response;
The Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house.
Is it really this simple? Do we only have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved? Yes! But did you notice the phrase “the Lord Jesus Christ”? The Apostle Paul did not say, “The Prophet Jesus Christ”, “The servant of God Jesus Christ, or “The miracle worker Jesus Christ”. Therefore, if you want to be saved, you must know what you must believe about Jesus to be saved.
Romans 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
You have to believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead, and you have to confess Him as Lord. To confess Him as Lord is to surrender yourself to Him. It is to say, like Paul, “It is no longer I that lives, but Christ now lives in me”. You hand over your entire life to Him and receive His life, permitting Him to live through you. This is how you will be saved.
God wants to save you from your unending struggles with sin, sickness, and any form of poverty. To believe in the Lord Jesus means you acknowledge your sins and repent of them, thereby coming to the end of yourself and receiving grace to live above sin.
This is the gospel! If you believe, confess these words: “Lord Jesus, I believe that you died for my sins and resurrected the third day for my justification; I repent from my sins and confess you as my Lord; therefore, all my sins have been blotted out, and the Holy Spirit now dwells in my heart. Amen”. Congratulations! You are now a child of God and on your way to fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.
I advise you to join a local church and be committed there so that you can receive further training towards spiritual growth. You can also explore other resources available on our website towards experiencing an ever increasingly deep relationship with God. Most importantly, observe your quiet time by reading your Bible and praying every day. Jesus loves you!
