What Must I Do to Be Saved?
“… suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were loosed. The jailer, awakening and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying: Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he, calling for a light, rushed in, and trembling, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas; and bringing them out, said to them: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:26-29)
The biblical account speaks to us of a great earthquake, of such a great upheaval that the foundations of the prison were shaken. I can imagine all that dust and the screeching of the metal doors that gave way to the force of that fierce phenomenon, which, without asking permission, threw them open and violently sent the heavy chains that held them flying. Yet the words of the jailer, his terror and trembling, did not come from the horror of that quake, nor from the consequences that would befall him if the prisoners escaped under his responsibility. Notice that his question was not asked in an attitude of merely inquiring, like someone who wants to be informed about a matter out of mere curiosity, but rather it was the desperate cry of a soul that, struck by the power of God, cried out for help, begged for a solution, because he understood that he needed a Savior.
When a person has been touched by God, and feels the wonderful impulse to seek and acknowledge Him, this genuine groan comes from his heart: “What must I do to be saved?” Men, in their eagerness to give weight to the things of God, and not to make them light, have devised methods and formulas to answer this question. Some say to the desperate soul: “Fix your life first and then come to the Lord”; others decree: “After you make such and such a sacrifice you will be able to approach God to be saved”; there are also those who say: “You have to join and be baptized in this church.” Some have even devised difficult methods, established steps, detailed studies, and instructions just to show you the way. But the apostles answered him simply: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). This phrase, so short and so simple, sums up the most extraordinary work a human being can receive: passing from death to life; from being far away to being near; from being an enemy to being a friend; from not being to being.
Salvation is the most powerful miracle that is worked in a person. But, despite the magnitude of this act, God does not complicate it, nor does He make it a painful and complicated process that requires something from us, for He knows that for us it is impossible. Can a dead man come back to life, or can someone who has not been conceived be born? In fact, faith is a gift of God that brings us to life. At this moment, I know you will ask yourself: Believe in what? Well, it is not in what, but in whom. The apostle also declared it to him: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the object of faith that saves us. Faith in itself does not save; rather, the object of my faith is what saves me: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Someone will say: “But who was Jesus Christ? Why should I believe in Him? Why not simply turn to God?” The answer to these questions is only one: God has determined for men a single way of salvation, and that way is not founded on works or methods, but on a person whose name is Jesus. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ goes beyond knowing that God exists; it is trusting and accepting, not only His existence, but His Word, and submitting myself to it. Man, unable to save himself like this jailer, sunk in the darkness of sin, is rescued through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the theme the four Gospels deal with, and it was the Word that Paul spoke to the jailer, and which, when he received it, also brought life to his household. It is also the same word that we now speak to you, at this very moment, so that you may know the gift of God. Therefore, if your heart feels the impact of God’s call, and you have the longing to follow and know Him, do not complicate something that God has made so simple. Come, let faith in the Son of God invade your heart and, in conviction, say the following prayer. Let me make it clear: the prayer is not what saves you, but believing what you are saying. So repeat these words aloud, for “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth one confesses unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
“Lord, I hear Your voice calling me, and my heart feels the desire for Your presence. I come to You, acknowledging that I have lived without You all this time, and that I have sinned many times and in different ways. I am a sinner. I cannot save myself, but You, knowing this, sent Your Son Jesus Christ to live a perfect life for me, to pay the penalty for my sins by dying for me, and to rise again to a glorious life in Your presence, for me. I accept this sacrifice, and in an act of faith, I surrender myself to You. Take my life, I give it to You, because I want to follow in Your footsteps. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.”
Welcome to the kingdom of heaven!
Beloved, if you have taken this step of faith from a pure heart, contact us. It is our desire to receive you as our brother or sister and to share together in the way of the Lord. We are waiting for you. Leave us your message, and we will respond as soon as possible.
