What Must I Do to Be Saved?

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

The most important question anyone can ask is this:
What must I do to be saved?

That question was asked in Acts 16.
The Philippian jailer, trembling, cried out to Paul and Silas:
Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

He did not ask, What must I do to be rich?
He did not ask, What must I do to be happy?
He asked the one question that matters for eternity.

One day, every one of us will stand before God.
And on that day, the only question that matters is this:
Am I saved?

1. Why We Need Salvation

Romans 3:23 says, All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin is universal.
It touches every person, every family, every life.

Isaiah 59:2 says, Your sins have separated you from your God.
Sin creates a wall between man and God.
And Romans 6:23 says, The wages of sin is death.

Without salvation, we are lost.
Without salvation, we are hopeless.
Without salvation, we are condemned.

Imagine a child lost in the wilderness.
Alone. Hungry. Frightened.
That is man apart from God.

This is why salvation is not optional.
It is urgent. It is essential.

2. The Source of Salvation

Some think salvation comes from good deeds.
Some think salvation comes from money, religion, or reputation.
But the Bible says otherwise.

Ephesians 2:8–9 declares:
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Salvation does not begin with us.
It begins with God.

John 3:16 tells us why:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Acts 4:12 says:
Nor is there salvation in any other.
There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Only Yeshua saves.
Only His blood redeems.
Only His cross delivers.

3. What One Must Do to Be Saved

The Bible gives us a clear pattern.
It is not faith only.
It is not works only.
It is obedient faith.

(a) Hear the Gospel

Romans 10:17: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
You cannot believe what you have never heard.
The gospel must be proclaimed.
The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah.

(b) Believe in Yeshua

John 8:24: If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
Belief is more than mental agreement.
Belief is trust. Belief is obedience.
Hebrews 11:6 says, Without faith it is impossible to please God.

(c) Repent of Sins

Acts 2:38: Repent and be baptized in the name of Yeshua the Messiah
for the remission of sins.
Repentance is a change of heart.
It is a change of direction.
Luke 13:3: Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

(d) Confess the Messiah

Romans 10:9–10:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Yeshua,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.

Confession is allegiance.
Confession is loyalty.
Confession is saying, He is my Lord.

(e) Be Baptized

Mark 16:16: He who believes and is baptized will be saved.
Acts 22:16: Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins.
Romans 6:3–4:
Buried with Him in baptism.
Raised to walk in newness of life.

Baptism is not just water.
It is the moment sins are washed away.
It is the moment we enter into Messiah.

(f) Live Faithfully

Revelation 2:10: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Baptism is the beginning, not the end.
We must remain steadfast.
We must walk in the light.
We must finish the race.

4. The Urgency of Salvation

2 Corinthians 6:2: Now is the accepted time.
Now is the day of salvation.

The Philippian jailer obeyed the same hour of the night.
He did not wait. He did not delay.

Life is uncertain.
James 4:14: What is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and vanishes away.

If you were in a burning house,
you would not wait until tomorrow to escape.
You would run for your life today.

So it is with salvation.
The time is now.

Conclusion

The jailer asked: What must I do to be saved?
The Bible answers clearly:
Hear the gospel.
Believe in Yeshua.
Repent of your sins.
Confess His name.
Be baptized for forgiveness.
Live faithfully until death.

This is not man’s plan.
This is God’s plan.
This is the way of salvation.

Friend, if you have not obeyed this gospel—
do not delay.
Your soul is too precious.
Eternity is too long.
And God’s grace is too great to ignore.