— LESSON 4 —
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
The Philippian Jailer stood before Paul and Silas, trembling and terrified. The events of the evening had caused him to realize something—he was a sinful man. In his current state, he stood condemned before Almighty God. He was lost, but He didn’t want to remain that way. He longed for forgiveness, and he sought redemption and salvation. So he asked the powerful preachers the most important question of his life; “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Through the ages, many a soul has likewise inquired, “What must I do to be saved?” Indeed, there is no greater question. Sadly, this eternally important question is often met with answers invented by man rather than those found in God’s Word. We are not interested in man’s ideas; rather, we want to know how God’s Word answers this question.
In this lesson, we will search the Scriptures to explore:
DO I NEED A SAVIOR?
Many people in the world today deny the need for a savior. Some living generallygood lives – they obey the laws of the land, they are kind, they help others, they are “good people” – believe they are safe with regard to their destiny. Others donot believe in the existence of heaven or hell or that man has an eternal soul, and, therefore, an eternal destiny. Thus, for the question, “Do I need a savior,” to even be relevant, we must first be like the Philippian Jailer and come to the realization that we need saving.
Looking to God’s Word, we see that man and God have differing ideas of “good.” Yes, many people live generally good lives, but does that make them holy? The Scriptural answer is, no. God is perfect (Psalms 18:30) and holy (Psalms 99:3, 5). Even the best of humanity cannot make such a claim. All men have sinned at some point and are guilty in the sight of God. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Even if a person sinned only one time his whole life, that would be enough to make him a sinner (James 2:10).
What is the consequence of becoming a sinner? Romans 6:23 declares, “… the wages of sin is death.” Thankfully, the verse goes on to say that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When we commit sin, we earn for ourselves spiritual death, which is eternal condemnation. Since all have sinned and the wages of sin is death, then, yes – we all need saving and we all need a savior!