Now, we turn to the New Testament record to provide us with the answer to this most important question, “What must we do to be saved?” If you compare these passages to the answers that many give to this question, you will find great differences. Although traditions of men are widely taught and accepted, they do not lead us to the truth we need to know in order to be saved. When we compare their answers with the New Testament, we are faced with a decision, “Do we continue in our traditions or do we submit to the truth as it is revealed in the New Testament?”
We begin with the words of Jesus Himself after He was raised from the dead. Then, we turn to the words of His apostles as they spoke, in the beginning, to the Jewish people.
Jesus Teaches His Apostles What We Must Do To Be Saved
After He was crucified for the forgiveness of our sins, Jesus was raised from the dead. During a forty day period, He appeared to His closest followers His apostles, and taught them what they were to tell people to do in order to be saved. Having been given all authority by the Father, Jesus was commanding them exactly what they were to follow.
MAT 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
MAT 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
MAT 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ”
LUK 24:44 ¶ Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
LUK 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
LUK 24:46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day;
LUK 24:47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
LUK 24:48 “You are witnesses of these things.
LUK 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
MAR 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
MAR 16:16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
The Apostles Preach What We Must Do To Be Saved
After Jesus ascended back to heaven, the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, spoke the gospel, for the first time, to thousands of Jews in Jerusalem. What did they teach about Jesus and what we must do to be saved? Shall we follow their words or the words of men?
The Holy Spirit gave them power to speak in foreign languages that they had not learned. Also, He guided them in the content of the words that they spoke.
ACT 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
ACT 2:2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
ACT 2:3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
ACT 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
ACT 2:5 ¶ Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
ACT 2:6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language.
ACT 2:7 And they were amazed and marveled, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
ACT 2:8 “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
They spoke about the prophecy (David who wrote about 1,000 years before Jesus) that Jesus would be raised from the dead.
ACT 2:22 ¶ “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know–
ACT 2:23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
ACT 2:24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
ACT 2:25 “For David says of Him, ‘I was always beholding the Lord in my presence; For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
ACT 2:26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; Moreover my flesh also will abide in hope;
ACT 2:27 Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
ACT 2:28 ‘Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.’
ACT 2:29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
ACT 2:30 “And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon his throne,
ACT 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.
ACT 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
They spoke about another of David’s writings that foretold of Jesus ascending into heaven. And, they cited as proof of His ascension their being able to speak in these unlearned foreign languages.
ACT 2:33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
ACT 2:34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord,”Sit at My right hand,
ACT 2:35 Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet. “‘
Their Conclusion
God has made Jesus, who they crucified, both Lord and Christ (anointed king). Based on these facts, all must submit to Him by repenting (changing their mind) of their sins and being baptized (fully immersed) in water in order to receive the forgiveness of sins.
Also, as we read, we find that those who believed in Jesus and repented of their sins were commanded to confess Jesus as the Son of God before others. Upon this confession, they were baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
In other words, put your trust and faith in Jesus and submit to Him, believing He has died for your sins and has been raised from the dead, sitting now at the right hand of the Father being Made Lord and King and submit to Him by turning from sins, confessing Him to be the Son of God before others and being baptized so that you may receive forgiveness of your sins.
ACT 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified.”
ACT 2:37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
ACT 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
ACT 8:35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
ACT 8:36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
ACT 8:37 [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]
ACT 8:38 And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him.
ACT 8:39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
What if we have been taught that we were saved when we said a prayer to God or when we were sprinkled as a baby or when we joined a denomination? Compare these teachings, with what you can read here and in your own Bibles. Is there any other way for us to be saved than to respond to the King according as He commands?
By Gary Hunt