Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 14
January 10, 1963
NUMBER 35, PAGE 4,8-9,12-13

"What Must I Do To Be Saved?"

Editorial

Robert H. Farish

Old, but not obsolete, is the question, "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?" Although not new, it is currently significant, and the correct answer is as vital as when the question was first asked by a lost man, and answered by an inspired apostle. It is imperative that every man realize the personal significance of the question.

Certain conditions must be present before the question will be a matter of personal concern. One must be conscious of his lost condition, that is, he must have personal conviction of sin and he must have conviction of the possibility of personal salvation. Putting it another way, the realization of the personal need of salvation, plus the realization of the possibility of personal salvation, must exist with any individual before the question, will excite much interest in that individual. One will be personally interested in the study of the question to the degree that it applies in his case. The possibility that satisfaction can be experienced in the knowledge that others can be saved is granted. But the fact remains that personal concern in the question must depend upon conviction of personal need and the possibility of personal salvation. Do you realize a personal need "to be saved"? Do you know that you can be saved? Are you interested in the question?

You Can Be Saved

The Bible says that you can be saved. Paul wrote to Titus that, "The grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men." (Tit. 2:11) You are included in this provision. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that it is not the wish of God that you perish. He is "longsuffering to you-ward not wishing that any should perish." (2 Pet. 3:9) Paul also wrote, "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved...." (2 Tim. 2:3, 4) This testimony is ample evidence that you can be saved. You can be saved, if your desire is strong enough. Wishful thinking, however, will not secure salvation for you.

(Isaiah, of old, gave assurance of the possibility of your being saved. He said, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be as crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it." (Isa. 1:18-20).

You Need To Be Saved

Salvation from sin is a universal need; it is a need common to every responsible person in all the world. The grace of God provided salvation for all men because all men needed it. You are one of the "all" that "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) You need the salvation from sin that is available to all men. No more emphatic affirmation of the fact, that you need to be saved, could be found than that found in the language, "There is none righteous, no not one." (Rom. 3:23) "Not one" person is righteous by his personal merit, hence, you need to be saved.

It is clear that the Bible teaches that salvation is a personal need of every responsible person and it is available to every responsible person.

It Is A Scriptural Question

The question is a scriptural question -- "Brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37); "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:20); "What shall I do Lord?" (Acts 22:10) are three places where the question is recorded. In substance, but in other language, it is expressed in other places. Any objections lodged against the question are to be regarded as objections against the Bible record. It is the natural question to spring from the tongue of every man when he is convicted of sin.

Grace And Faith

"For by grace have ye been saved through faith...." (Eph. 2:8) Grace is the divine part in salvation; faith is the human part in salvation. The grace of God provides salvation, but that salvation will never be enjoyed by any man who does not by faith appropriate to himself the provisions of God's grace. The question in no way minimizes the part that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have in man's salvation. It is concerned with the requirement of faith; it has to do with human responsibility. Grace is divine action; faith is human action.

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

"What" — this word appears in each expression of the question. Evidently, the ones asking the question thought that there was something that they must do. That they were correct in so thinking is seen in the response of inspired men when the question was addressed to them. Many modern preachers answer the "what" with the word "nothing." They will insist that there is nothing that man can do to be saved. The presumptuousness of such preachers should be apparent to all who consider the actions of the apostles of the Lord, under the same circumstances, and see how modern preachers disagree with the apostles. Every time an inspired man was asked the question, he answered by telling the querist "what" he must do. "To whom shall we go?" Shall we harken to modern uninspired men or to Peter, Paul and Ananias?

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

The "what" is a "must." It is essential to gaining the objective. It is not optional. It is not a "take or leave it" thing with little significance. Every thing found in the inspired answer is essential; one must do it to be saved.

The jailor said. "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:20) Saul was told to "rise and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:6) This was in response to his question, "What shall I do?" (Acts 22:10) Hence, it is concluded that what Peter told the people on Pentecost in response to their question, "What shall we do," was a must.

The Lord Jesus with all authority in heaven and on earth didn't deal with optionals or non-essentials. What he, through the apostles, told the people to do was essential. People need to be impressed with the seriousness of the failure to receive what the Lord says. It should be remembered that the Bible says, "To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:22)

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

It is not, what must God, Christ or the Holy Spirit do. Neither is it what the preacher, my parents, my neighbors or friends must do. It is what must I do to be saved? This is a personal thing which cannot be done by someone else for you. The personal nature of the question rules out the possibility of parents doing this "what" for their children. Have you done anything to be saved? Did you do what you must do?

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

'Do" — this little word involve', effort. It has already been seen that the effort is human effort. The Bible teaches that Christ is the Saviour, but that you must "do" to be saved. Nowhere does the human doctrine that you can do nothing to be saved, find support in the word of the Lord. The Pentecostians, the Philippian jailor, Saul of Tarsus were all told something to do. If there is nothing that man can do to be saved, what better time to correct the error than when these people raised the question as to what they must do! Bear in mind that "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11) If these and all others about whom we read in the New Testament must do something, in order to be saved, how can you expect to do nothing and be saved?

What Must I Do To Be Saved?

"To be saved" was the desire of the people who asked the question. As has been pointed out already, one must realize that he is lost before he will desire to be saved. The fact that the grace of God brought salvation to all men is proof that all men were lost, hence, all men need the salvation provided by the grace of God.

The Son of God came to earth "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) "It is he that shall save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21); "he died for our sins." (1 Cor. 15:3) These and many other scriptures set forth the fact that Christ is the Saviour. All who are saved will be saved by Christ. Is Christ your Saviour? He is your Saviour, only if you obey him. (Heb. 5:9)

"The grace of God hath appeared bringing salvation to all men." (Tit. 2:11) But this is not unconditional salvation, for only those who by faith appropriate the salvation will be saved. Christ said, "Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life and few are they that find it." (Matt. 7:13,14) This teaches the necessity of conscious human effort — you must enter by the narrow gate. Have you entered in by the narrow gate? Are you travelling the straitened way that leads to life? This language of the Lord positively refutes the idea that all men will be saved. It also contradicts the idea that human effort is not necessary to salvation. There is something that you must do to be saved.

He That Believes, Repents And Is Baptized Shall Be Saved

Christ's commandment to the apostles required them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. In connection with this commandment the conditions of salvation are given. The conditions that those, who heard the gospel preached, must comply with are belief, repentance and baptism; and the promise to those who did these things was, they "shall be saved," or in other language, receive "remission of sins." The conditions are learned from a study of the accounts of the commission given by the witnesses, Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Matthew wrote, "And Jesus came unto them saying, all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth: go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:18-20)

Mark's testimony is, "And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned." (Mark 16:15, 16)

Luke wrote: "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations beginning from Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46, 47)

The whole counsel of God, on the commission, as learned from the witnesses, is: the gospel was to be preached to every creature. The preaching was to begin at Jerusalem. Belief, repentance and baptism are the conditions that must be complied with by those who heard. These are the things that the hearer must do; and the goal or purpose is to be saved, or, as expressed by Luke, to have "remission of sins."

The first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ marks the time and Jerusalem is the place that the apostles, In obedience to the commandment of the Lord, began preaching the gospel. The second chapter of Acts gives the account of the event and the sermon preached.

Whosoever Shall Call On The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved

In the sermon recorded in the second chapter of Acts, the apostle quotes a prophecy of Joel as being fulfilled in the things which were happening then and there. The last statement quoted in the prophecy was the climactic declaration that "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2:21) The promise of salvation is for "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord." "Whosoever" - whether Jew or Gentile, whether rich or poor, whether educated or uneducated, whether capitalist or laborer, whether young or old — WHOSOEVER shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Who shall be saved? Answer: Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord. From this it is seen that "what" one must do to be saved is "call on the name of the Lord." But, who is the Lord who has authority to save? Who is the Lord on whose name one is to call to be saved?

The Lord

Immediately after announcing that, "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved," the apostle sets forth the Lord on whose name men are to call to be saved. He identified Jesus as Lord. He declared that God had approved Jesus of Nazareth by mighty works and wonders and signs. He further sets forth the fact that God raised him from the dead and that the resurrection of Jesus was in fulfillment of the promise that God made to David "that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne." (Acts 2:36) Surely the realization was beginning to dawn on the people that this Jesus was the Lord of whom the prophet spoke and promised, "that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The Holy Spirit, however, did not leave the conclusion for the people to infer but plainly declared through the apostle, "God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified." (Acts 2:36) This Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord on whose name men are to call to be saved. Jesus is Lord, he has all authority in heaven and on earth. But what is it to call on the name of the Lord?

How Do Men Call On The Name Of The Lord?

Many people make the mistake of limiting "calling on the name of the Lord" to prayer. That this is a mistaken idea, with deadly consequences to those who accept and rely upon it, is seen (from the words of the Lord. He said, "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46) Also, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21) From these passages it is evident that to "call on the name of the Lord" involves actions other than or in addition to verbal expressions. There is more to it than prayer. If to "call on the name of the Lord" were merely prayer, then those about whom the Lord spoke in the passages above would be saved, for the promise is that "whosoever" calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved and these were certainly addressing the Lord. But Jesus said that only those who "doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven" would enter the kingdom of heaven.

That to "call on the name of the Lord" is to do the will of the Father, as expressed by his Son, is also seen in studying the inspired narrative of the sermon preached on Pentecost and the actions of the people to whom the sermon was preached. Immediately upon hearing that God had made Jesus Lord, the people asked the question, "What shall we do?" They have already been told that "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved," and they have been told who the Lord is, but they need to know how to call on the name of the Lord. What shall they do to call on the name of the Lord is the force of their question. The answer is, "repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins...." (Acts 2:38)

"Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord" (Acts 2:21) is a generic expression of the human action necessary to be saved; "repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" is a specific expression of the human effort necessary to be saved. The distributives of the comprehensive expression "call on the name of the Lord" are repentance and baptism.

Parallel Statements

Below are some statements of human actions which lead to the same result, namely, salvation. The promise contained in each statement is "shall be saved" or the equivalent, "remission of sins."

"Believe, repent and be baptized (Matt. 28:18,19; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:46, 47) "Shall be saved."

"Call on the name of the Lord" (Acts 2:21) "Shall be saved."

"Repent ye and be baptized...." (Acts 2:38) "Remission of sins."

"Believe on the Lord Jesus...." (Acts 16:31) "Shalt be saved."

These are not different requirements for different people, but are simply different ways of expressing the same thing. In some cases the human effort necessary to be saved is expressed in a comprehensive way; in other cases, it is expressed in its detail. These are not different processes, but different ways of describing the same process. People "call on the name of the Lord" when they believe that Jesus is Lord, repent of their sins and are baptized according to the commandment of the Lord. This is also taught in the language of Ananias to Saul, "Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16) Saul trusted in the Lord; he had respect for his authority, as is seen in his actions. He "arose and was baptized." (Acts 9:18) That prayer does not fill the requirements of calling on the name of the Lord is seen in the action of Ananias' commanding a praying man to arise and be baptized. If prayer were all that is involved in "calling on the name of the Lord," then Saul had already done that before he was told what to do to be saved. It Is the will of the Lord that men repent and be baptized; men call on the name of the Lord when they obey the Lord's will.

Believe On The Lord Jesus And Thou Shalt Be Saved A pagan jailor asked the question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30) Here the question is asked by a Gentile, but the answer must require the same thing of him as was required of the Jews, "for there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks: for the same Lord is Lord of all and is rich unto all that call upon him: for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:12,13) This shows that the jailor must do the same thing to be saved as the Jew must do to be saved.

The jailor must call on the name of the Lord, the same Lord on whose name the Jews must call, "but how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?" (Rom. 10:14) One cannot call on him in whom he has not believed, hence, Paul told the jailor to "believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31) But the apostle Paul in his discussion of the order of calling on the name of the Lord not only showed that believing on the Lord was necessary before one could call on the name of the Lord, but that hearing the word of the Lord was necessary before one could believe on the Lord. Notice the order as outlined by the apostle — "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:13,14) Then in a concluding statement the apostle declared, "So then belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.' (Rom. 10:17) The apostle Paul followed the order, which he outlined in the Roman letter, in directing the jailor what to do to be saved. Immediately, after telling this Gentile to believe on the Lord Jesus, he spake unto him the word of the Lord. Why speak the word of the Lord unto him? The answer to this is that he could not believe on the Lord without hearing the word of Lord. After hearing the word of the Lord, the jailor could believe on the Lord. Believing on the Lord, he could then call on the name of the Lord. This he did, for the next statement is, "He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his immediately." (Acts 16:33) Notice that these actions of the jailor followed Paul's action of speaking unto him the word of the Lord. The action of washing their stripes is evidence of his repentance, while his action of being baptized is expressly stated. In the case of the jailor, as in the other cases of conversion, calling on the name of the Lord included doing the things which are authorized in the name of the Lord.

All That Call On The Name Of Our Lord Jesus Christ

When one becomes a Christian by calling on the name of the Lord, he does not cease to call on the name of the Lord. Members of the church are described as those "that call upon the name." (Acts 9:14) Paul referred to members of the church as they "that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:2)

As the Christian is classified as one that calls on the name of the Lord, it is important to know how the Christian calls on the name of the Lord. Putting it another way, what must the child of God do to be saved eternally? Peter, writing to brethren, calls upon them to make their "calling and election sure" and tells them how this could be accomplished. He tells them, "in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control; and in your self-control, patience; and in your patience, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness, love." (2 Pet. 1:5-7) He then gives the assurance "if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. 1:10,11) There is something for brethren, that is, those who have received "cleansing from his (their) old sins," to do to be saved eternally or as Peter expressed it, "entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." The child of God is to be taught to "observe all things whatsoever" Christ had commanded the apostle s. (Matt. 28:20) By observing these things the child of God grows in grace and in knowledge of our Lord. If he endures, that is, remains faithful unto the end, he shall be saved. (Matt. 10:22; Rev. 2:26)

When A Child Of God Sins, What Must He Do To Be Saved?

A case, in which a child of God sinned, is recorded in the eighth chapter of Acts. Simon the Sorcerer believed and was baptized. (Acts 8:13) And as Christ had said, "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," we conclude that he was saved. But after being saved from his past sins, Simon became guilty of other sin. What must he and all in like cases do to be saved? Does the child of God, who sins, have to believe, repent, and be baptized to be saved from his sins which he commits after becoming a Christian? No. The Bible nowhere tells the child of God to believe, repent and be baptized for remission of sins. But the Bible does tell the child of God what to do for forgiveness The case under study is an example teaching the erring Christian what to do to be forgiven. Peter told Simon to "repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray the Lord if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee." Here the conditions of forgiveness are repentance and prayer. John wrote: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Confession of sins involves repentance and prayer. One confesses his sins to God in prayer when the sin is against God and is not a matter of public knowledge. But when one sins against a fellowman, he is to confess to the one against whom he has sinned and also pray to God for forgiveness. When a child of God sins against another child of God, he is to confess to the one against whom he has sinned. Christians are to "Confess therefore your sins one to another and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." (Jas. 5:16)

From this study you should have learned that the answer to the question, 'WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? is BELIEVE, REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED UNTO THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS AND THEN TO FAITHFULLY SERVE THE LORD ALL THE REMAINING DAYS OF YOUR LIFE, REPENTING AND PRAYING FOR FORGIVENESS WHEN YOU SIN, WITH THE BLESSED ASSURANCE THAT, WHEN YOU DO THESE THINGS, THE BLOOD OF JESUS HIS SON CONTINUES CLEANSENG YOU FROM ALL SIN.

— Lufkin, Texas