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What Must I Do to Be Saved?

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

Our salvation is by grace through faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--not because of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). We could not work our way to heaven by good deeds. We can only receive the free gift of salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ.

While it is God alone who saves us by his grace, we need to respond to God's calling through faith in order to be saved. This response of faith is expressed through belief, confession, repentance, and obedience.

Believe and Confess

            "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the way to receive salvation. Faith is more than mental consent. It means complete acceptance, trust, and dedication of ourselves to Christ. Faith must also persist throughout our lives. If we make a life-long commitment to the Savior, he will save us as he has promised.

Not only do we need to believe and confess that Jesus is our Savior, we must also believe that the Bible, which testifies about Christ, is true. Furthermore, we need to believe in his only church, the body of Christ, because Christ has sent the church to preach the gospel of salvation and administer sacraments for salvation*.

* For a more detailed explanation, please read the series titled Holy Bible and Church.

Repent and Obey

Repentance means turning back to God. It is a necessary act of faith. A repentant sinner must leave his sinful life and determine to obey God's word. He must walk by the Holy Spirit and aim for purity and love in his life.

Obedience is the practice of faith. Without it, confession of the Lord's name would only be lip service. Although obedience by itself is not the basis of salvation, it demonstrates our faith in the Lord. The Lord Jesus said to a young man who asked about how to receive eternal life: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Matthew ).

Receive the Sacraments

Faith in the Lord also means accepting the sacraments. The sacraments, which are baptism, footwashing, and Holy Communion, are specific commands from our Lord that have God's saving effects. Christ washes our sins away in baptism. He offers us a part with him through footwashing. And he gives us his life through the Holy Communion.

The use of physical actions or elements for the salvation of the soul is beyond rational explanation. But they are required according to the Lord's own word. If we have not received the sacraments, or have not done so in the manner taught in the Bible, we need to receive them in accordance with God's Word in order to be saved.*

* For a more detailed explanation, please read the series titled Baptism, Footwashing, and Holy Communion.

 

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Publisher: True Jesus Church
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