“What must I do to be saved?” was the urgent question the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas after an earthquake brought the jail crashing down. Why did he ask that question? He thought he was doomed if his prisoners escaped after the earthquake, and when Paul told him they were all there he was filled with relief and hope. He knew that Paul and Silas had been preaching a message of salvation, a message of hope for the future, and he wanted to know about it.
We, too, want to be saved from death, to have eternal life, and we also would like to know how to get it. A young man asks Jesus, “Good master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus answers, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young man assures Jesus that he already does, and wonders if there is anything else that he might lack. Jesus tells him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” The young man goes away sorrowful because of his many possessions. The abundance of material goods most people have nowadays may cause some of us also to feel sorrowful for similar reasons. Is there a lesson here for us?
That young man was rich, and Jesus explains to his disciples that a rich man can hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven; that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye. When Peter asks Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” the Lord replies, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
We should be so thankful that God truly desires for us to be saved and has made it possible for us. Peter later writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promises as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God does not want us to fail. However, not everyone will be saved because it is easier not to follow the way to salvation. As Jesus warns, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Jesus also warns, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
What is required for our salvation? First of all, we need a Savior, because our sins separate us from God. Because of sin we are dying creatures and are helpless to extricate ourselves from the law, “The wages of sin is death.” Because our Heavenly Father wants us to be saved, He gave His son to make it possible: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We scarcely can comprehend that God gave His beloved son, and that our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life so we can be saved. Through his sacrifice, we can have our sins forgiven, our iniquities covered, be judged faithful and be given the gift of immortality at the judgment. How thankful we are that God and Jesus both want us to be saved!
As Jesus advised the young man, there is more required. We have to do our part. We need to respond to the call of God and, as Paul tells the Philippians, to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Salvation is conditional on our response and our attitude. We need to obey the commandments, as Jesus tells the young man, and we need to give up caring for the things of this life and follow our master by dedicating our life to him. We cannot presume that we are saved; we must remain faithful and constantly work at pleasing God, following Paul’s example, as he explains, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.’ Paul, a man chosen by God to preach to the Gentiles, was acutely conscious that he himself might be rejected at the judgment seat of Christ if he did not struggle continually against sin, as he explains, “but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.’
What about us? Do we want to be saved? How badly do we want eternal life? Do we really want to be in the Kingdom more than anything else in all the world? It is easy to say yes, but are we confirming our desire by our actions and thoughts? We know that many are called but few are chosen, and we want to be among those who are chosen.
First of all, do we obey the commandments? Have we been baptized? Do we attend the memorial meeting regularly? Do we do the Bible readings every day? Do we pray regularly? Do we share our faith with others? Do we search the Scriptures to refresh our understanding of God’s Truths? Do we support others, comforting those in need, helping our brethren and sisters with their burdens? Are we honest, responsible stewards, faithfully giving good service in our duties, serving our earthly masters as we would our Lord? Are we keeping our mind and body pure by thinking godly thoughts and not indulging in fleshly pursuits? We have a high calling, and we struggle to fulfill it, but God is merciful and will forgive us when we fail if we repent and ask forgiveness and continue seeking to serve Him in spite of our weakness.
Second of all, we need to develop a giving attitude of mind, as Jesus advised the young man. We need to care about the needs of others, using our material possessions to supply what they might lack. Our treasure should not be the money or things we have accumulated, but what we can do to serve our master by caring for his other children around us. As Jesus says, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
We must constantly work to bring our thoughts and actions under control, as Paul did, knowing that it is a continual struggle against sin. Choosing to seek first the Kingdom of God does not mean that we are spared hardship, but we have the support of our Lord to help us through our trials. We have the example of knowing how the Lord Jesus Christ endured the terrible pain he was suffering on the cross. Hebrews tells us “Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
To think that we shall be like Jesus with an immortal body that will never be tired or sick or die and we will be with our Lord for ever and ever is a hope that defies our wildest imagination. Let us do our part. Let us faithfully do what we must do to be saved. We cannot earn a place in the Kingdom, but God wants to give us salvation if we do our part. With Paul we say, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One