In Acts 2:37 (NIV) we find one of the most pointed questions in all of scripture. Some men had just heard Peter preach. Their hearts are convicted by his message. And so they approach Peter and the other apostles and ask, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Their question is a question of destiny, of salvation. They were asking Peter how they should go about making things right between God and themselves.
What must I do to be saved?
Since the time of Christ men and women have continued to ask this question. People ask, "How do I become a Christian?" or, "What must I do to be saved?"
Over the years churches have sought to answer these questions in different ways. A while back, one of my brothers started worshiping at a new church. He really fit in well there, but after a time the members of that church started questioning whether he was a child of God. They drew a line in the sand and told him clearly, "Until you speak in tongues, you cannot be saved. Until you have a spiritual experience just like the rest of us, you don’t have the Holy Spirit. You aren't a Christian."
A few years ago after doing a funeral I was riding in a car with a funeral director. He was carrying the conversation and was telling me about his beliefs. He told me that as a young child his priest always drilled the same message into him, "If you want to be saved, just obey the ten commandments and you will be fine."
Many of you listen to Christian radio stations on a regular basis. The majority of radio programs end today with a standard invitation. "If you have been moved by the message today and want to give your life to Christ and become a child of God just do this one thing. Right now get down on your knees and say this simple prayer. It is that easy."
If you were someone seeking a relationship with God, imagine how confused and frustrated you would be. Some churches say you only need to believe certain Bible facts to be saved. It is all about knowledge. You are saved by knowing and believing certain truths. Some churches say you need to have a specific experience, a call of God. One lady told me that God literally spoke to her on the radio and told her what to do. Some churches say you just need to offer up a sinner's prayer. Other churches say you just need to be baptized and all will be fine. Many churches say you need to work, work, work, and earn your salvation. A growing number of churches say, "Don’t sweat it. Everyone will be saved regardless. Your destiny is secure!"
The question in Acts 2:37 (NIV) is so simple, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And yet our answers are so confusing, complicated, and just plain false at times. If you were in the shoes of someone who was coming to Christ for the first time whose answers would you listen to?
Everyone thinks he is right, you know! The Methodists have their way. The Lutherans, Baptists, and Presbyterians have another way. The Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelical Free Church, and Pentecostals have still another way. One’s likely to develop spiritual schizophrenia in our day just trying to sort it out! Is it any wonder that people throughout our land have begun turning their backs on organized religion and tuning us out?
What is biblical Christianity?
The genius of our church and of our background as part of the Restoration Movement is that we sought to restore simple biblical Christianity. Our conviction is that God has clearly shown us the way to be saved by sending his one and only Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to earth to show us the way home to our heavenly Father. Throughout his ministry Jesus said as he did in John 14:6 (NIV), "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus opened up a pathway for us to experience an eternal relationship with God. He is our trailblazer. Our leader. Our guide. Our scoutmaster. Our pioneer. He forged the path for us. He mapped the territory. He set an example for us that we should follow in his steps.
Jesus beckons us, "Come, follow me. I am the way. I am the truth. I’m life!" Jesus summons us to follow him in his overall way of life because it is his way and his way alone that gets us to the heavenly Father.
In Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." By the grace of God alone, Jesus has opened up this narrow pathway to the Father. But now it is up to each of us to enter onto this pathway and stay the course.
So the question is asked, "What must I do to be saved?" And the simple answer is given. Follow Jesus Christ in his overall way of life. He is the way. In scripture Jesus calls upon us to follow his example and take five basic steps in order to be saved.
First, Jesus calls on us to believe.
Our first responsibility to God is to love him with our minds. We believe. We do not need to send our minds packing on vacation in order to become a Christian. In fact we first learn to love God with our minds as we encounter his truth. Remember that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus reaches out to us with the truth about our condition. We are sinners. We live in rebellion to a holy God. We break his eternal law. We ignore his will. We usurp his rule in our lives. But because of his great love for us, God reached out to us and built a bridge to us. He opened up a pathway through his one and only Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus reaches out to us with the truth about himself. He is God’s Son. He came from heaven to earth to show us the way. He came in the flesh and dwelt among us. And with his life he paid the penalty for sin. That penalty is death. He died on the cross in our place and took on God’s judgment for us. He did this so we could have life to the fullest. On the third day after his death he rose from the grave, clearly demonstrating and proving God’s power over sin and its consequence which is death. And Jesus ascended into heaven to the Father’s right hand, proving to all of us that we too can have victory over death through his resurrection from the grave. Jesus promised us that one day soon he will return again. The next time he returns he will not come to bring salvation. Rather he will come to judge the earth.
Jesus reaches out to us with the truth about life and death. In John 3:36 (NIV) Jesus says, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." There is no middle ground. Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son does not have life.
With our minds we make a clear choice. Jesus calls upon us to embrace to truth.
Second, Jesus calls on us to trust.
Our second responsibility to God is to love God with our souls. We trust. Many people stop their spiritual journey down the path after believing, not realizing that belief in and of itself is insufficient. In James 2:14-19 (NIV)James asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds. 'Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that— and shudder."
Friends, it is one thing to intellectually believe in Jesus Christ. To believe him to be the Son of God sent in the form of man to save the world from sin. It is quite another thing to actually begin trusting Jesus Christ with your very soul.
Early this week Bob Esperum and Jason Gordon were adjusting the speakers to see if they might improve our acoustics in this auditorium. Bob had this gigantic hydraulic lift with a small cage that catapulted him up to the ceiling where he could do his work. It was a pretty neat toy! I watched him go up and down time after time. After watching him I became fully convinced of the machine’s capabilities. "Yeah Bob, it sure gets you up there fast! Sure is a nice toy. You’re having too much fun. I believe brother." But when Bob finished he said, "Okay Jon, now you go up." It was at that point that I had to move beyond mere belief and put my life on the line and trust that goofy machine to do everything for me that it did for Bob. And it was a lot of fun, but I’ll be the first to tell you that I only went up once in the coo coo nest. And I didn't do anything too crazy while stuck up there!
Yes, Jesus wants us to believe certain truths, certain facts. But head knowledge doesn’t do anything for us until we take a step of faith and trust Jesus with our souls.
Third, Jesus calls on us to repent.
Our third responsibility is to love God with our will and our desires. We repent. Repentance refers to the action of turning away from sin and turning toward God. When John the Baptist announced Jesus' arrival he said in Matthew 3:2 (NIV), "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
When the men in Jerusalem asked Peter and the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?", he told them in Acts 2:38 (NIV), "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Later in Acts 3:19 (NIV) Peter said, "Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." In Acts 26:20 (NIV) the apostle Paul is describing his ministry to King Agrippa and he says, "I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." It is ironic how many people believe in Jesus Christ’s identity and entrust their souls to him, while at the same time refusing to set their affections on pleasing him. We want to have it both ways. We want all the trimmings of heaven and we crave God’s forgiveness, while at the same time continuing in stubborn rebellion! James 1:22 (NIV) says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." 1 John 1:6 (NIV) says, "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."
Friends, God doesn’t just want our minds and our thoughts. He wants to be in the center of our desires. He wants us to align our wills with his will. He wants a relationship where we live to please one another. There can be no relationship where a spirit of stubborn rebellion and disobedience persists!
Fourth, Jesus calls on us to be baptized.
Our fourth responsibility is to love God with our bodies. We are to be baptized. Early in his ministry as an adult, Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. John the Baptist was floored and he questioned Jesus in Matthew 3:14 (NIV). "But John tried to deter him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' " In other words John might have said, "Jesus, you are the Son of God. Why do you want to be baptized? Can’t you skip this thing? It makes me so uncomfortable. Won’t God save you anyway? Surely he would."
But Jesus looked into his eyes and said plainly in Matthew 3:15 (NIV)," 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented."
Jesus saw baptism as a necessary requirement of righteousness. It was essential. In Mark 16:16 (NIV) he says, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." In Matthew 28:19 (NIV) Jesus commands us, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
If ever there was someone who could have not been baptized, it was Jesus. And yet, he did it. One of the most common questions I get today is, "Do I have to be baptized?" Many people come to me refusing to be baptized, while at the same time seeking the assurance of salvation. I rarely hear the word baptism even mentioned on radio programs anymore and when I do it is usually in a derogatory way. And yet we must remember that for centuries baptism was as much a part of the conversion process as was faith, repentance, and confession.
In the book of Acts everyone who came to Christ was baptized, time after time. It was necessary for them to publicly pledge their allegiance to the name of Christ. It was necessary for them to submit themselves in obedience in the waters of baptism. "Yeah, but Jon, do I have to be baptized? Is it necessary? Is it essential?" And my question is, "Name one command of Christ that is not essential. Name one command of Christ that is optional. Name one command of Christ that God would shrug his shoulders over if you disobeyed it. Disobedience is dangerous." Our question should be, "When do I get to be baptized? Can I be baptized now?"
Our baptism is a pledge of our allegiance to Christ. It is like a wedding ceremony where we say "I do" to everything God offers us in Christ. It is signing on the dotted line and entering into the new covenant. And it is something that all of us must do. And our baptism is something we must choose for ourselves. Our baptism is our decision, not our parents', and not our church’s.
Fifth, Jesus calls on us to confess.
Our last responsibility is to love God with our hearts. We confess. Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV) tells us, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Our love for God must find its way to our lips. Out of the overflow of our hearts, our tongues confess our first love. When I married Lara, shhhh... I kept it a secret. I didn’t tell anyone for years. No! When I married Lara, we called all our friends and family and neighbors and acquaintances together, and we had a big celebration. We had pictures taken. We published our engagement and wedding announcements in our home papers. We wore wedding bands and we told the world!
In Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV) Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."
And so there are five steps we must take down the path of life. We believe. We trust. We repent. We are baptized. We confess Christ.
What about grace?
So where does grace fit into all of this? Aren’t we saved by grace and not by works? Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."
Friends, grace carved a pathway and established a road to us from God’s throne. Grace came from heaven to seek and to save us from our sins. Grace rescued us. Grace built a bridge over the great canyon of rebellion that still separates many of us from God.
But that doesn’t preclude us from taking responsibility and taking the steps that Christ commanded us to take. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength. We must love Jesus with our mind, and believe Jesus is the truth. We must love Jesus with our soul, and trust him with everything for eternity. We must love Jesus with our will, and repent (turn away) from sin. We must love Jesus with our body, and submit our bodies in the waters of baptism. We must love Jesus with our heart, and confess him as Lord.
Brothers, what must we do to be saved? Love God and follow in the steps Jesus laid out for you. Enteron to the narrow path and never turn away in disobedience.