What Must I Do To Be Saved?

Acts 16:25-34

For every human being in the world today, there is no question more important than the one posed by the jailer in this passage, "What must I do in order to be saved?" This question is not the same as “how can a person be saved?” which is an academic question about doctrine. It’s a personal question to a soul who is overcome by their need to be saved from God. As we look to the passage, we see how the jailer was awakened by an earthquake. He ran to the jail, saw that all the jail cells were opened, and assumed the prisoners had escaped. He was overcome by fear and decided to kill himself in order to avoid being tortured and killed anyways. As he grabbed his sword, he heard a voice saying, “do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights and fell down before Paul and Silas in awe. He had some understanding of who the apostles were and what they were preaching, but this event led him to a personal crisis which caused him to come to terms with God. The jailer asked the question very personally, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” This simple answer drastically differs from all the religions of the world, which from one extent to another, offer complex plans on how one can work their way to their heaven. The verb being translated, “you will be saved,” is a passive voice verb, which means the subject is being acted upon by another. In other words, you will be saved by someone else; you do not save yourself. If you believe the message of Jesus, the savior saves you. Their answer is a matter of believing, not doing, in the sense of work. So what does it mean to believe? It is to sincerely trust and commit your life to Jesus, just as you would trust a plane and the pilot to take you to your destination. It’s not just believing in anything, it’s believing in the right object. There is no question in the world more important that what must I do to be saved? There’s only one answer, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.