Freedom from the Bondage of Sin and Death: What Must I Do to be Saved?

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Freedom from the Bondage of Sin and Death: What Must I Do to be Saved?

I wrote and published the first version of this article in The Living Testimonies Magazine more than fifteen years ago.

Background

“What must I do to be saved”? That was the prison warder’s question in the Book of Acts of the Apostles 16:30, and it should be the question of every person who knows the truth, the unimpeachable truth, about the bondage of sin (and its numerous evil consequences) and eternal death in hell. The background to that question is found in the Book of Acts of the Apostles 16:16-31, which is reproduced below.

16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts of the Apostles 16:16-31 (New Living Translation of the Holy Bible)

The Meaning Of Salvation Through Jesus Christ

The English word “salvation“, in the context of this article, is the translation of the Greek word soteria (pronounced so-tay-ree’-ah). I define “salvation” simply as God’s redemptive provision through the vicarious or substitutionary death (atonement) and resurrection of Jesus Christ, by which a person obtains deliverance (or freedom) from the bondage of sin (and its numerous evil consequences) and from eternal death in hell.

The Book of Matthew in the Holy Bible presents the authentic historical account of the Birth of Jesus Christ and His divine mission of salvation for humankind. God’s angel revealed this mission to Joseph, the husband of Mary who gave birth to Jesus Christ through a divine process that did not involve the natural biological process of sexual conception.

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 (New International Version of the Holy Bible)

What You Must Do To Be Saved And Stay Saved

The basic things you must do to be saved, and stay saved, are outlined below. It is important to have a detailed teaching on the issue so that people can study and understand what it means to give one’s life to Jesus Christ through the deliberate act of repentance and the conversion that follows that decision.

Remember, or know, that the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord is the greatest and most important decision you can, and should, make in your life.

Believe The Existence Of Jehovah And His Salvation Plan

1. Believe (i.e. recognise and accept the incontrovertible fact) that only one God exists – the Creator of man and the universe Who is revealed in the Bible (Psalm 14:1; 53:1; Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 1:1).

2. Believe that every human being (without exception) is a sinner by nature and by action, as a consequence of the Fall of Adam (Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17; 3:1-24; Romans 5:12,13), and therefore lost. Acknowledge the fact that you are a lost sinner also.

3. Believe that God, in his Master Plan of Salvation, gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as a ransom, a scapegoat for the redemption of lost sinners through His vicarious death on the cross, and resurrection (Genesis 3:14, 15, 21; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 1:18-25; 20:25-28; 27:26-66; 28:1-10; John 3:14-21; Romans 10:8-11).

4. Believe that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, and in no one else, because there is no other name under heaven given to men by which humanity can be saved (John 1:1-3;3:14-16; Acts 4:8-12; 16:25-31).

Repent From Sin And Be Converted

5. Repent, confessing your sins to God, telling Him you are sorry for having committed them, and earnestly plead with Him to forgive you and save you from sin and its consequences (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 1:8-10; Luke 18:9-15). By faith, believe that God has forgiven you.

6. Sincerely beseech Jesus to come into your life as your Lord and Saviour, and by faith believe He has answered that prayer – the longing of your soul (John 1:12-14, Revelation 3:20).

7. Believe that you are now in Christ a new creation, converted, born again, forgiven, redeemed and saved, beginning to live a new life (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 3:1-8). Congratulations! You are now saved and you have eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

8. Establish your repentance by completely turning away from every sin and living a life of holiness (Matthew 3:4-12; 9:10-13; Acts 5:29-32, 11:15-18; 26:19; Hebrews 6:1, 2; Luke 13:1-5; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:9, 10; Ezekiel 33:13-16; Revelation 2:19-23; Ephesians 5:8); Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 6:1-23).

Guard Your Salvation And Avoid The Heresy Of The Doctrine Of Eternal Security

You now have to start following Jesus Christ daily as His disciple and learn to live for Him and serve Him throughout your life. Remember, the doctrine of eternal security which teaches that once a person is saved, that person is forever saved, no matter what the person does, is a heresy because it is totally contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible that is the ultimate authority for Christian doctrines and lifestyle.

Jesus Christ taught us in Matthew 24:11-13, for example, thus: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” [Emphasis added] A person’s final or ultimate salvation depends on how the person finished the race, either before the person’s death or before The Rapture of God’s people.

Depend On The Holy Spirit In Your Christian Walk And Join A Bible-Believing Church

9. Pray for the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, fill you, guide and teach you, and empower you to live a victorious Christian life, and equip you for God’s service (John 14:25, 26; 20:19-22; Acts 1:8; 2:1-21; Romans 8:1-17).

10. Prayerfully and sincerely ask God to lead you to a genuine Bible-believing Church (local congregation of fellow Christians), where you will be taught the Word of God according to the Holy Bible and share fellowship with the Brethren (Acts 2:1-4; 3:41-47; Hebrews 10:23-25). Be warned that many so-called “Churches” today are synagogues of satan (Revelation 2:9; 3:9) ruled by false Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors, Evangelists, Bishops, etc. (Matthew 24:1-5, 11-13; Luke 21:5-8; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Peter 2:1-3). Most of these false leaders can be identified by their fruits as taught by Jesus Christ about 2,000 years ago (Matthew 7:15-23):

They boast about their anointing. As a result, they emphasise miracles (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 10:17-20) at the expense of the true Gospel of salvation, repentance, godliness, holiness and how to enter Heaven (Matthew 4:17; 5:20; 6:33; 18:3; Galatians 5:16-25; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14). Jesus, the greatest miracle worker, taught His disciples to be more concerned about their salvation from sin (eternal life) than the miracles He performed through them (Luke 10:1-24). Miracles will always remain an indispensable part of the Christian experience, but God’s priority is salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life.

They emphasise material prosperity and comfort (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:15-34) at the expense of godliness and contentment (Luke 3:10-14; Philippians 4:4-13; 1 Timothy 6:3-11: Hebrews 13:5). Jesus warned of the absolute futility in acquiring material wealth at the expense of salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life. God, in His infinite love, cares for His children and will always provide for them.

They turn their Churches into their personal business empires, manipulate members of their congregation and their followers for the purpose of making money out of them and live extravagant lives instead of loving them and caring for their needs (Matthew 21:10-13; 2 Peter 2:1-22). God requires Christian Ministers to be shepherds of His flock who will care for, protect, and nurture, them – not wolves that will devour them (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28-31).

They love publicity and titles like the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked (Matthew 6:5, 28-33; 23:1-39) instead of living a life of humility as servants of God.

They are lords and high-handed over their congregation, instead of being loving and compassionate ministers or servants of God (Matthew 15:29-39; 20:20-28; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

Appreciation

Thank you very much for finding time to read this article. God bless you beyond measure and help you to make the most important decision of your life: to repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and LORD!

Request Further Help

If you have now repented (accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord) as a result of this article or you want to understand more about the salvation of your soul, please, click here to send us a message through the secure messaging system on this secure website that uses industry-standard encryption technology (evidenced by the secure padlock icon on the topmost left corner of this webpage). We will be most pleased to hear from you, and promise to respond as soon as possible.

27 January 2020