What Must I Hear To Be Saved??
by Ian
McPherson
The beginning of the
Sinners must believe that Jesus
Christ Is the Son of God. The main part
of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 is to
prove that Jesus is the Son of God. One
cannot be baptized correctly if he does not understand who Jesus is. Peter showed that Jesus died on the cross, was
buried, arose from the dead, and now sits at God’s right hand (22- 33). When the Ethiopian confessed, “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God,”
he showed he had been taught these facts (Acts
Sinners must believe in the Godhead. Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Before a person can be baptized, he must be taught about the Godhead, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Peter taught the Jews in Acts 2 that Christ was delivered up according to the will of God and crucified by the Jews (23). He also taught that the Holy Spirit had been sent from Heaven to reveal the gospel (33), and the gift of the Holy Spirit was received at baptism (38).
Sinners must know about the
Sinners must understand that they
are lost in sin and need to repent. Those who heard Peter preach on Pentecost
day “were cut to the heart” by
the preaching of the Gospel (Acts
Repentance requires one to change
his religion and do good works instead of bad (Acts 26:20). If one is
following a religion which is not acceptable to God, he must change. Peter told the Jews to “Repent therefore and be converted that your
sins may be blotted out “ (Acts
Repentance also requires one to change his manner of life. When Paul preached to Felix; he “reasoned about righteousness, seif-controi, and judgment to come” (Acts 24:25). Certainly, Peter included these things in the “many other words” he preached on Pentecost. Paul’s powerful preaching to Felix caused him to be afraid. saHe was a sinner, but he was not willing to repent. History tells us that Felix’s wife, Drusilla, was married first to King Azius of Emeza, but Felix had persuaded her to divorce her husband and marry him. This is wrong according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 19:9; Romans 7:1-3). Therefore, for Felix to repent, he would have to leave his unscriptural marriage. Repentance is the hardest of all the commandments of God! We have no right to baptize anyone who is not willing to turn away from all his sins!
In order for a person to be saved,
he must hear the gospel for “Faith comes
by hearing and hearing by the word of God “(Romans
The steps to salvation are: (1)
Hearing the gospel of Christ; (2) Believing in Jesus Christ as God’s Son; (3)
Repenting of all past sins; (3) Confessing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God;
(5) Being baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:17; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:37; Romans 10:9, 10; Acts
2:41,47). The meaning of these steps
of salvation were certainly a part of the “many other words” Peter preached on
the Day of Pentecost (Acts
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