So, since we sin and Jesus died upon the cross for us, we should learn what God desires from us so that He can give us the salvation, which we desperately need. How is this accomplished? By entering a relationship with God once again. How do we do that? This is where our part comes into play concerning the grace of God. God provided the means, and we offer our acceptance of God's grace by obedience.

Upon learning of our need for salvation, and we definitely need salvation if we want to enjoy Heaven, we must learn what God expects from us. The simplest answer is "FAITH". This faith is not just a belief but also an active living faith that causes us to act in obedience knowing that if we do our part with the intent of pleasing God, then God will respond by saving us. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Obedience to the commands of God is required for this to happen. So what commands are we to obey? (John 6:29,40; John 14:15; Matthew 28:20)

I already said that faith in Jesus, as the Son of God is important because we must recognize that ONLY through Jesus the Christ can we be saved. (John 14:6; Ephesians 1:7-10).

Another thing we must do is to repent of our sins. It was our sins that separated us from God and so we must determine to change our ways and not do those sins anymore. Repentance is also composed of the sorrow that we should feel knowing that we were not pleasing to God, but our repentance changes that, so that we will do everything in our power to serve God and keep His commandments from now on. (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30)

Another component of our salvation is our willingness to declare to the world that Jesus has become the Lord of our lives. Sometimes we make a verbal confession before men, and that is because Jesus asked us to. But our everyday life must be one of which the people around us know that we have a relationship with God. This is the best way to confess Jesus as Lord, by living godly in this present world. (Matthew 10:32; Titus 2:12)

Now, many people discount baptism as being essential to salvation, and their reasoning is that it is a work (and works do not save). Well it is a work, but it is also a command of God and Jesus. So how can someone NOT obey God and still be right with God? It cannot be done. Baptism is our act of faith that submits to the command of God. By that action we have allowed God to enter our lives and our aim and goal from this time forward is to be pleasing to God. (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21)

Baptism coupled with our obedience to His will is what puts us into this relationship with God. It cannot happen any other way. But that does not end our quest for salvation. This baptism only puts us into the relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. What we must do to insure the hope of our salvation is remain obedient to all the word of God. That means we must study and learn about God's will and we must apply the principles of His word to our lives. (Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 3:27; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 John 1:7)

God never promised a life of ease when we become a Christian, but God does provide a hope beyond compare. An eternal existence in Heaven with God that will be joy everlasting, free from sorrow, pain and all the bad things that occur in our feeble existence upon this earth. 1 Peter 1:3-4; Philippians 3:10-14;Revelation 21:4)

So now the question comes about, do we have to do this alone? Yes, nobody can do this for us. We must obey God ourselves for nobody can obey for us. It is one of those "do it yourself" things. But do we go through our relationship with God alone? Of course not. That is why God set up His church. By becoming active in your local church of Christians, you can assist each other to get to heaven. I know that every church that I have been associated with, had the goal of everyone helping everyone else get to heaven. God was sure wise to establish a church where this could be accomplished.

If you have not obeyed the gospel message of Christ and submitted to Him, you must recognize that you are lost and in need of a savior. You must make the choice for nobody can make it for you. If you are not in a relationship with God right now, you cannot possibly enter a relationship with Him after your life is over, and that can happen anytime. So before it is everlastingly too late, please inquire with the words "what must I do to be saved" and do them.

To be sure, we must look to God's word and see what the Bible tells us about how we can and must be saved. (2 Timothy 2:15: 2 Timothy 4:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; John 12:48-50)

By Carey Scott

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