What Must I Do To Be Saved?

When the frightened jailor asked Paul and Silas this question in Acts 16, he revealed a lot about the natural man's false concept of salvation. When faced with hardship and impending judgement, men always want to do something to get right with God. My Father-in-law who served in Korea and later retired as a deputy sheriff told me he knew of two places where everybody always worried about being right with God: In a foxhole and in a jail cell. This jailor sincerely wanted to do something to merit or earn salvation. Most religionist would have gotten this man to say the "sinners prayer", baptized him, and got him into a local church. But we see the wisdom of God's servant Paul in dealing with this lost man. Instead of instructing him to do something, Paul commanded him: "BELIEVE ON the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."(Vs.31) Paul wasn't encouraging this sinner to a bare historic faith in Christ as the Messiah who came, lived, died, rose again, and is now in heaven. Paul commanded this sinner to look to Christ ALONE for life and salvation, to rely upon Christ and trust Him alone, fully expecting peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life based on Christ's righteousness alone. Paul not only commanded him to believe, HE TOLD HIM ALL ABOUT THIS PERSON HE WAS TO RELY UPON- "And they spake (preached) unto him the WORD OF THE LORD."(Vs.32a) We see in this action the beautiful consistency of God's Word. Paul wrote: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."(I Cor.1:21) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(Rom.10:17) Paul wasn't telling his hearers to have faith in their faith. He didn't say believe IN the Lord Jesus Christ, he said, "believe (rely, rest, trust) ON the Lord Jesus Christ." Our faith must be in Christ as our representative and substitute, who in our name and nature as God-Man fulfilled ALL the conditions of our salvation by establishing a RIGHTEOUSNESS that demands the salvation of all those He represented. This RIGHTEOUSNESS or HOLINESS is ours by imputation (to legally charge to a sinners account), and EVERYTHING Christ did for those He represented is just as much legally theirs as if they themselves had done it. When Christ loved God perfectly with all His heart, mind, soul, and strength, and when He loved His neighbor (including His worst enemies) as Himself, it was legally charged to the account of all God's elect when Christ cried, "IT IS FINISHED". This judicial act is evidenced by their believing ON Christ as their only hope. WHAT A SAVIOUR!! Have you BELIEVED ON this Christ as your ONLY HOPE of salvation. If you have, YOU'RE SAVED! If you haven't, God help you to believe.