THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? What Must I Do...? This is a very good question everyone should ask. It pertains to the eternal destiny of the soul-eternal life. If you are not a Christian, not born again, Jesus would say: "...Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). What is meant by "being born again"? It means to be reborn-experiencing a rebirth. In other words, BE CONVERTED-MADE OVER! "...that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19). Who needs this new birth? Every man or woman and every boy or girl who has come to years of accountability needs to be spiritually born. In chapter 53, the prophet Isaiah, moved by the Holy Ghost, portrayed the suffering of our Lord Jesus for the sins of mankind several hundred years in advance. In verse six he says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to is own way,..." Jesus made it very plain to Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel, when He said "...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD" (John 3:3). He also told him it was a spiritual birth. Its operations are by the Holy Spirit. JESUS INVITES "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). All who are sin sick and tired of their load of sin are invited to come lay it down at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and "receive the atonement" (Romans 5:11). Jesus suffered, shed His blood and died on the cross a "...propitiation (self sacrificial death) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). We must feel the guilt of our sins-and that Jesus bore the agony in our stead. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). No matter how great a sinner you may be, there is hope for you. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). "...These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)" (Revelation 7:14). The Bible teaches us that all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But man is not in a hopeless condition, for God commands all men every- where to repent (Acts 17:30). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This means that where we have wronged our fellow man, we shall confess and acknowledge our sin-also make restitution, where needed. In Luke 19, we read of Zacchaeus and how he restored fourfold to any from whom he had taken by false accusation. This repentance, confession and restitution is all a part of our coming to the Lord Jesus with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. We also read, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). Believing and acting-faith and works-go hand in hand. "Behold, I stand at the door (door of the heart), and knock (call): if any man hear my voice, and open the door (we must answer His call and open our heart's door), I will come in to him, and will sup with him (have sweet fellowship), and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). What a glorious state and condition it is to have forgiveness of our sins and "...peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (Romans 5:1). It is the beginning of heaven on earth. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1). Lusts of the flesh and of the eye, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17) and works of the flesh as mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21, are outside the realm of salvation. Whereas the fruit of the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:22-26 have the "...promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). |