Thought For The Week

The most important question a person can ever ask is, "What must I do to be saved?" The gospel accounts and the book of Acts are full of examples of people who asked this important question. The rich young ruler asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said, "Give to the poor." (Luke 18:18) A lawyer asked Him, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The response was to love God and your neighbor.(Luke 10:25) The people, tax collectors, and soldiers all asked, "What shall we do?", in which Jesus gave them all instruction to go and do good. (Luke 3:10-14) The people who heard Peter’s sermon were moved in their hearts and asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter responded, "Repent and be baptized." (Acts 2:38) The jailer of Philippi brought out Paul and Silas and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "(Acts 16:30) By these examples and more, we can easily see that God requires us to "DO" something in order to receive salvation.

Through the scriptures we learn that [we] are saved by God’s great love, mercy, and grace through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus Christ. (Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:4-5,8) Once a person learns that spiritual salvation is available, they must act in faith to receive God’s wonderful gift. Acts of obedience have always [been] required by God, even Jesus had to obey the Father’s will. "Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:8–9)

Jay Launius – 2023 Maud church of Christ Maud, Texas