What must a person do to be saved? Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” But what does that mean? Is it agreeing with facts, or something more?
For me to describe how to be saved, consider this account of how God saved me.
When I was 10 years old a friend asked, “If you died would you go to heaven or hell?” I didn’t know, but I went home crying and told my mom I was afraid to die.
She told me how Jesus was crucified and punished for my sin, read John 3:16 and said if I asked God to forgive me, He would.
We knelt beside my bed and she asked God to save me. I didn’t pray. But I remember love and peace flooding my soul. My fear was replaced with great joy. I was changed forever.
That night I began reading Scripture. I loved God and prayed constantly. I cherished going to church. My thoughts centered on God, Jesus, the Spirit and Scripture. I knew God saved me.
Forty-two years later my experience is just as real. At age 10, God convicted me of sin, revealed Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and as a result, I believed (Rom. 10:9–10).
Prayer didn’t save me, God did. Walking an aisle in church didn’t save me, faith in Christ did. Being baptized didn’t save me either. But I was passionate about being baptized like Jesus.
The circumstances surrounding salvation may differ, but how God saves is always the same — “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Salvation is the result of God’s call (John 6:40). Salvation always involves God’s call and our response. God always saves those who desire to be saved.
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