This morning as I walked I listened to a wonderful podcast by Dr. Adrian Rogers, (http://www.lwf.org) entitled, “The Simplicity of Salvation”. The text for the sermon was taken from Acts 16 which tells of Paul and Silas preaching in Philippi; the crowd being incited to riot; the missionaries arrested, stripped, beaten, flogged and thrown into prison. With the other prisoners listening, Paul and Silas begin to pray and sing hymns. A violent earthquake shakes the prison so severely the doors are opened and all the prisoners’ chains are loosed. Fearful, the jailer awakens, runs into the prison and believing the prisoners have escaped, draws his sword to take his own life. Quickly, Paul assures the jailer everyone is still there. It is after all these events the jailer asks, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
What a powerful story! Imagine the thoughts that must have been rushing through the minds of the other prisoners who had been listening to the prayers and songs of Paul and Silas. Consider the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the heart of the jailer who sees everything that has taken place and realizes immediately something supernatural has happened here; contemplate the conviction in his heart and the need and desire to know more. “What must I do to be saved?” The answer, simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31.
The word “saved” in the Greek is sozo and means to deliver, to heal, to make whole. But from what is it that we are to be saved? We are to be saved from the penalty of sin which is eternal death; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” John 3:16, NIV. Jesus paid the sin debt in full when He died on the cross for our sins. He conquered death which was evidenced by His resurrection.
Romans 3:23 states we have all sinned. To be a morally good person is not enough; Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteous acts are as filthy rags before a Sovereign God. Most of us know sin is what we do wrong but sin is also NOT doing that which is right. In short, what goodness there may be in humanity without God is sin.
It takes but one sin to keep you out of heaven. Think of it this way, if you were hanging by a chain over a deep ravine and only ONE link of that chain broke you would still plunge to your death in the abyss below. Peter, preaching redemption through Jesus in Acts 4:12, NIV, says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Willingly confess the Lord—the Master; Jesus—the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, and you will be saved. Believe—emotionally commit and surrender yourself today to Christ and you will be saved. AMEN!
God Bless!
