This is what the Philippian jailer asked Paul in Acts 16:30. Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” But what exactly does “believe in the Lord Jesus” mean? To understand that, we must grasp these truths:
1. God is holy and cannot look approvingly on sin.
- “…HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY” (Revelation 4:8b)
- “Your eyes are too pure to see evil, and You cannot look on trouble...” (Habakkuk 1:13a)
2. Man is sinful and separated from God.
- “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
- “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God...” (Isaiah 59:2)
3. Because God is just, man deserves to die physically and spiritually.
- “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23a)
- “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)
4. Man can never save himself, even through “good,” religious works.
- “…all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment…” (Isaiah 64:6a)
- “He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy…” (Titus 3:5)
5. In His astonishing love, the Triune God made a plan in eternity that involved Jesus Christ, who is God the Son coming to pay for His people’s sin by dying on the cross, bearing God’s just wrath.
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
- “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities … and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
- “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
6. You must repent, by the power of God, and trust only in Christ to save you.
- “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away…” (Acts 3:19a)
- “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
- “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12)
- “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have that life.” (1 John 5:12)
7. Salvation is a free gift which can only be received as such, and never earned.
- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Is this hope yours? Then why not today? Why not now? None of us is
guaranteed another second, let alone another day! Turn to Christ, believe in Him, trust in Him alone as your Lord and Savior, call on Him to save you and be your Lord. Talk to one of our elders or deacons; we would love to explain to you the way of salvation and life in Christ, and to encourage you!
Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation.