"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30).
Every human being is a sinner and stands in need of salvation. Through the centuries many people have realized this fact and have asked, "How can I be saved?" Christianity proclaims that God has provided salvation through Jesus Christ. However, the question remains, "How can I receive the salvation that Jesus Christ provides?"
We believe the Bible provides the answer to this simple yet vital question. The goal of this book is to find the biblical answer to the question just posed, and to discuss the many issues arising out of this subject. We will attempt to lay aside the doctrines of men and man-made denominations and see what the Bible itself teaches.
The Bible emphatically declares that all human beings are sinners. "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Proverbs 20:9). "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6). "There is no man that sinneth not" (I Kings 8:46; II Chronicles 6:36).
The first three chapters of Romans affirm that both Jews and Gentiles stand condemned in God's sight. Those who did not have the law of Moses are condemned by conscience, and those who had the law of Moses are condemned by the law (Romans 2:12-16). In short, all mankind is under sin (Romans 3:9). "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10; see Psalm 14:1-3). All the world is guilty before God (Romans 3:19). "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Because of this, all mankind is under the sentence of death. "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15).
Not only does each man need salvation, there is nothing man can do to save himself. No amount of good works or adherence to law can save a man. Ephesians 2:8-9 proclaims, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." This means salvation is a free gift from God. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ made this free gift of salvation available, and the only way to receive salvation is to have faith in Jesus and in the sufficiency of His sacrifice. Of course, saving faith in Christ includes obedience to His gospel and application of His gospel to our lives. (See Chapter 2 - Grace and Faith for further discussion of grace and faith.)
We must stress that salvation can come only through faith, and that faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus asserted, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). He also said we must believe He is God manifested in the flesh as our Savior. "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).
Why is reliance upon Christ absolutely necessary? Since all men are sinners, the holiness of God demanded that He separate Himself from sinful man and also required death as a penalty for man. God chose to bind Himself by the principle of death for sin. Without the shedding of blood (the giving of a life) there can be no remission or release from this penalty (Hebrews 9:22) and no restoration to fellowship with the holy God. (See Ephesians 2:13-17; Colossians 1:19-22.) The death of animals is not sufficient to remit the sin of man (Hebrews 10:4), because man is much greater than the animals in that he was created in the spiritual, mental, and moral image of God (Genesis 1:27). Neither can an ordinary man become the substitutionary sacrifice for another, for all deserve eternal death for their own sins.
In order to provide a suitable substitute, God manifested Himself in flesh through the man Jesus Christ. Christ is the only sinless man who has ever lived, so He was the only One who did not deserve to die and who could be a perfect substitute. Therefore, His death became a propitiation or an atonement - the means by which God can pardon sins without violating His holiness and justice (Romans 3:23-26). God does not excuse our sins, but He has inflicted the penalty for those sins on the innocent man Christ. This substitution avails to us when we place our faith in Christ and apply His gospel to our lives. Thus the substitutionary, atoning death of Christ was made necessary by (1) the sinfulness of man, (2) the holiness of God, and (3) God's law requiring death as the punishment for sin. This is why there can be no salvation outside Jesus Christ.
At the outset, we should establish what we actually mean by the word salvation. In general, salvation can refer to any kind of deliverance, preservation, or liberation. In a theological context, it means deliverance "from the power and effects of sin." [1] From the Bible it is apparent that salvation has past, present, and future aspects. We can say we were saved, meaning that at a past point in time we received forgiveness of sin, freedom from sin's control, and power to live for God. For example, Paul said, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).
We can also say we are saved, because we presently enjoy forgiveness of sins, power to live for God, and freedom from the power and effects of sin. Thus Paul said, "By grace ye are saved" (Ephesians 2:5). The resurrection and life of Christ effect present salvation. Not only did His death purchase past salvation from sin, but His life provides present victory over sin through His Spirit that dwells in us (Romans 5:10; I John 4:4).
In another sense of the word, however, salvation is still future. We have not yet received final and complete deliverance from all the curse of sin. We still live in this sinful and imperfect world, have mortal bodies, have the sinful nature within us, face temptation, and have the ability to sin. Our salvation will be complete only when we receive glorified, immortal bodies like that of the resurrected body of Jesus (Romans 8:23; Philippians 3:20-21). At that time we will no longer be subject to sickness, pain, the temptation of sin, or the possibility of death (I Corinthians 15:51-57). This last stage in God's salvation plan for us is called glorification (Romans 8:30), and it will occur when Christ comes back for His church (I Thessalonians 4:14-17; I John 3:2). Thus the Bible often speaks of salvation as a future event: "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved" (Acts 15:11). "For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11). "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28).
Obviously, the three tenses of salvation are closely related. Future salvation will come only to those who have experienced past and present salvation in this life. Those who are saved in the present have full assurance of salvation in the future. However, a one-time past experience does not automatically guarantee future salvation. We are responsible for keeping our salvation until the end. Just as we have received past salvation through faith in Jesus, we will receive future salvation only if we continue to live by faith in Jesus. We can forfeit our present salvation and our promise of future salvation by a voluntary return to sin and unbelief. The link between past and future salvation is continuance in present salvation.
Many scriptural passages emphasize this truth. Jesus taught the absolute necessity of abiding in Him and keeping His commandments (John 15:1-14). He said, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). "Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). In this last verse, "believeth" is in the present tense, implying that continued present belief is necessary.
Likewise, Paul said the gospel of Christ is "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth… For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17). Salvation will come to those who move from faith to faith, to those who continue to live by faith.
Paul also stated, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). This does not mean we can save ourselves by our own plan or earn our own salvation. Rather, it means we must consciously abide in and keep our salvation. We should view salvation with awe and respect, realizing we can lose it if we do not value it. We should be watchful of Satan's tricks and timid of doing evil.
Many other verses give similar admonitions. "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (I Timothy 4:16). "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off" (Romans 11:22). "I declare unto you the gospel… By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain" (I Corinthians 15:1-2). Many other passages teach that we can lose salvation through unbelief and disobedience. (Galatians 5:4; I Timothy 5:12; Hebrews 12:14-15; James 5:19-20; II Peter 1:10; 2:1; 2:20-21; Revelation 3:5).
In short, we have not yet received all the eternal benefits of salvation, and therefore our future salvation is still a hope. "We are saved by hope," and we have "the hope of salvation" (Romans 8:24; I Thessalonians 5:8). The hope of future salvation is more than a mere wish, however, for we have the promise and assurance of salvation if we continue to walk in the gospel. The one way to obtain eternal salvation is to find present salvation from sin in this life.
This brings us to the question: How can we be saved from sin in this life? Let us look at three crucial New Testament passages relating to this subject. The first passage we will consider comes from the ministry of Christ. The other two passages are the only two places in the New Testament church where someone asked how to be saved.
John 3 records an important conversation between a Jewish religious leader named Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus came to Jesus one night and acknowledged Him as a teacher from God. Jesus replied, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nicodemus did not understand this, for he asked the Lord how a man could be born a second time from his mother's womb. Jesus explained, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Jesus was pointing towards a new age in which the kingdom of God would soon be revealed, and every person who wished to enter that kingdom would have to be born again, that is, born of water and the Spirit.
What is the kingdom of God? How does it relate to salvation? The words themselves express the sovereign rule of God in the universe. In analyzing this concept more closely, we find that the kingdom of God has both present and future aspects, just as salvation does. In the present tense, the kingdom of God is the rule of God in the hearts of men. Jesus came preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand (Mark 1:14-15). Once, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. He replied, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21). This aspect of the kingdom came into existence when God sent His Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers. Thus Paul said, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). The present aspect of God's kingdom actually consists of the riches of His eternal kingdom temporarily come down to this world through the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 6:4-5).
The kingdom of God also has a future aspect in that one day God will completely destroy all opposition to His rule and will display His kingship in every facet of the universe. His kingdom will come physically to this earth in the thousand year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4-6). It will be established throughout eternity by the judgment of all sinners and by the creation of a new heaven and a new earth without sin. Sin is rebellion against God, so God's kingdom will find perfect expression only when all sin is judged and eliminated.
The Book of Revelation describes the future aspect of the kingdom. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). In that day, voices will proclaim, "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Revelation 19:6). Jesus will be "King of kings, and Lord of lords" and will occupy the throne throughout eternity (Revelation 19:16; 22:1-3).
Applying Christ's words in John 3 to the concept of the kingdom of God, we find that one must be born again in order to partake of either its temporary, present manifestation or its eternal manifestation. No one can have the spiritual rule of God in his life until he is born of water and the Spirit. No one can have joy, peace, and righteousness in the Spirit until he is born of water and the Spirit. No one in the present age can enter into God's eternal kingdom - the new heaven and the new earth - unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
In short, the Lord's words to Nicodemus tell us how to be saved. Present salvation consists of freedom from the dominion and penalty of sin, and this simply means entering into the present aspect of the kingdom of God (submitting to His rule and receiving His righteousness). Future salvation consists of eternal life free from sin and its consequences, and this simply means entering into the future aspect of the kingdom of God (the new heaven and new earth that will be free of rebellion against God's rule). The question, "How can I be saved?" has the same answer as the question, "How can I enter the kingdom of God?" The answer of Jesus Himself is, "You must be born again of water and the Spirit."
In Acts 1 Jesus gave His disciples last minute instructions just before His ascension into heaven. He told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, namely the baptism of the Holy Ghost. About 120 disciples obeyed Him and gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.
Acts 2 records that on the Jewish feast day of Pentecost the promised Spirit baptism came. Soon, many people in the city began to gather around the disciples, attracted by the supernatural sound that had accompanied this first outpouring of the Spirit as well as by the foreign languages supernaturally being spoken by those who had just received the Spirit.
Peter seized the opportunity to preach to the crowd. Standing with the other eleven apostles, he began to explain what had just happened and proceeded to preach about Jesus. He proclaimed to the multitude that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, was both Lord and Christ (Messiah).
When the crowd heard this, they began to feel guilt and conviction of sin, for undoubtedly many of them had demanded the crucifixion of Jesus less than two months before. Consequently, they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). As the context shows, they were asking, "How can we receive forgiveness for our sin? How can we correct the wrong we have done in rejecting Jesus and crucifying Him? How can we now accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah?" The essence of salvation is receiving forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ, so their question simply meant, "What must we do to be saved?"
Here is the answer that Peter gave, with the support of all the apostles: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). In our search for a biblical answer to the question of how to be saved, we must attach great significance to this verse. It is a plain, simple, unambiguous answer to a direct inquiry. It is an answer that had the full endorsement of all the apostles. It is the climax of the first sermon of the New Testament church - the first sermon preached after the outpouring of the Spirit. As The Pulpit Commentary states, "We have in this short verse the summary of Christian doctrine as regards man and God." [2] In short, Acts 2:38 is the authoritative answer of the apostolic church to the question, "What must I do to be saved?"
We find only one other situation in the New Testament church that directly poses the question, "What must I do to be saved?" Acts 16 records that the magistrates of Philippi, a city in Macedonia, jailed Paul and Silas for preaching the gospel. At midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison and opened the doors. When the jailer awoke and realized what had happened he assumed the prisoners had all escaped. Apparently faced with the penalty of death for allowing this to happen, he decided to commit suicide. As he drew his sword, Paul shouted, "Do thyself no harm: for we are all here" (Acts 16:28). When he heard this, the jailer called for a light and went to investigate for himself. He came trembling and fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas, realizing that they were the ones responsible for the miraculous earthquake. He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:30-31). The Bible further records, "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house" (Acts 16:32-34).
In this passage, Paul and Silas told the jailer that the path to his future salvation was through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Presumably the jailer was a Gentile and did not know very much about God. Unlike the Jews on the Day of Pentecost he probably did not understand terminology such as repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost. Furthermore, this was a crisis situation with no time for a long sermon or a detailed explanation; he needed to be shown the right direction quickly. Paul and Silas told him in the most simple way possible how he could receive future salvation, namely, by believing on Jesus instead of on pagan gods and idols.
At this, the jailer took them to his home and gave them the opportunity to speak to his whole household. They did not stop with the general statement quoted above, but they preached the Word of the Lord with specificity. As a result of their message, the jailer was baptized that same hour and received an experience that caused him to rejoice. One translation says, "He leaped much for joy and exulted" (Acts 16:34, TAB). All of this happened when he believed on the Lord and the Word of the Lord.
It is very instructive to study the Greek word translated as believe in this passage. It does not denote merely mental understanding and assent but asserts absolute reliance and adherence. (See Chapter 2 - Grace and Faith.) The biblical definition of belief includes acceptance of God's Word and obedience to it. The publisher's foreword to The Amplified Bible explains that the phrase "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" really means "to have an absolute personal reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour." Consequently, The Amplified Bible translates Acts 16:31 as, "And they answered, Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ - that is, give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping and you will be saved; [and this applies both to] you and your household as well."
In order to gain a better understanding of this passage, we should examine the significance that Peter attached to the phrase "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." On one occasion he explained that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost the same as the Jews who "believed on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 11:15-17). Thus he linked faith in Jesus Christ with receiving the Spirit. Paul taught that the kingdom of God includes joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). Although it is not specifically stated in Acts 16 that the Philippian jailer received the Holy Ghost, the reference to his joy may indicate that he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. (See also Acts 8:39.)
We have discussed the biblical answer to the question, "How can I be saved?" in light of the three most prominent passages on the subject. The Bible uses different language in each passage. Since the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God, we know it does not contradict itself. Since God wants everyone to find salvation, we know the Bible must be clear and unambiguous on the subject. Therefore, despite differences in wording, the three passages we have analyzed cannot be contradictory or confusing. Instead, we must believe that each answers the question correctly. In other words, each gives the same answer in different terms, from different viewpoints, and in different situations, but it is the same answer nonetheless. Let us briefly demonstrate how this is so.
When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus He was not answering a direct question about salvation. Instead, He was describing God's plan of salvation for the future New Testament church that was about to come into existence. The Spirit was not yet given at that time and would not be given until after Christ's ascension (John 7:39; Acts 1:4-5). Christ's purpose was to give Nicodemus information and to motivate him to believe in His person and mission (John 3:16), not to impart the Spirit to him immediately.
The situation on the Day of Pentecost was different in that Peter gave a direct answer to a direct question about salvation. The Spirit had been poured out, so Peter did intend for his answer to give explicit instructions and to produce an immediate new birth. His listeners were Jews and Jewish proselytes, most (if not all) of whom had heard about Jesus of Nazareth. Since they were well acquainted with religious concepts and terminology, Peter was able to give them a precise, thorough answer in a single statement.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas confronted a man who knew little if anything about God. He had just attempted suicide. He was recovering from the fright of an earthquake and was awestricken in the presence of the supernatural. They answered his question in a simple, general way that would be understandable and reassuring. They let him know that the way of salvation is through Jesus Christ. Then they explained the gospel in detail to him and his household.
The differences in these three passages stem from the different situations, but the content of each is consistent with the others. Two passages speak of water baptism, and the third refers to the birth of water. Two passages speak of the work of the Spirit in salvation, and the third describes an experience that caused rejoicing, which is experienced when a person receives the Spirit. Only one of the three passages explicitly mentions repentance and only one explicitly mentions faith in Christ, but many other verses teach that both faith and repentance are prerequisites to salvation.
We conclude from these three passages that salvation comes only through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith will lead to water baptism in the name of Jesus (birth of water) and to the baptism of the Spirit (birth of the Spirit).
Other verses that mention salvation support this conclusion. For example, it is stated that salvation comes through: (1) the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12); (2) confession of Jesus as Lord, belief in His resurrection, and calling on His name (Romans 10:9-13); (3) grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9); (4) repentance (II Corinthians 7:10); (5) sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:13); and (6) obedience to Christ (Hebrews 5:9).
We can view salvation from two complementary, not contradictory, points of view: (1) It has a minimum requirement, namely, the new birth; (2) It is a process of progressively appropriating God's grace throughout a continual life of faith and holiness. We will see both aspects fulfilled in our lives if we are to inherit eternal salvation.
From start to finish, our salvation rests on faith in Jesus Christ. If we have faith in Him we will repent of sin, be baptized in His name, receive His Holy Spirit, and continue to live a holy, Christian life by faith. In this way we will receive both present salvation from sin and future salvation from all the eternal consequences of sin.
The next few chapters will examine all the above elements in detail. If some have already experienced salvation as explored in this book, we hope they will understand the importance and necessity of what they have received. They should learn exactly what has happened to them and why. If some have not been baptized in the name of Jesus or have not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we ask them to read with an open mind, open heart, and open Bible. We do not wish to minimize or deny what God may have already done in their lives; however, we want them to see the importance of the birth of water and Spirit. It is biblical, it is for us today, and God wants everyone to experience it. The new birth is not something strange, nor is it difficult to receive from God. Rather it is a privilege that every Bible-believing person can and should enjoy.
All of us should seek to draw closer to God at all times. We should seek to know more about Him and to be more and more obedient to His Word. We must let God lead us further and further into the truth of His Word. We must seek to receive everything God has for us today.
Instead of dwelling so much on the question, "Do I have to receive this?" we should ask, "Can I receive this?" If God has something more for us that we have not received, or if God's Word reveals something that we have not yet obeyed, then we should not be distracted by a debate over whether it is necessary or optional. Instead, we should seek to receive all that God has for us and seek to obey all that God's Word teaches. This is the attitude of one who truly has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.