So, You Want To Be Saved?!?

David Battle

First and foremost, you must understand that Jesus “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (Hebrews 7:25). The phrase, “to the uttermost” means “completely.” Therefore, the understanding is that JESUS COMPLETELY SAVES.

“Completely saves” identifies the saving power of Jesus both, 1) in the earthly realm (while we yet live in these natural bodies on earth) and 2) in the heavenly realm (the promised inheritance of eternal life with Christ).

Before we can even anticipate the heavenly realm of salvation, we must enter into the earthly realm of salvation recognizing that Jesus Himself said “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5), the heavenly realm.

Born of Water and of the Spirit

Being “born of water and of the Spirit” or, as summarized by Jesus, “born again” (John 3:3, 7), is a good place to start your understanding of what it takes to be saved. In His conversation with Nicodemus, as recorded in John Chapter 3, Jesus was setting the stage for what was prophesied to come for ALL of mankind who desired to be saved. Jesus, in fact, criticized Nicodemus for not understanding the prophetic significance of what being “born again” was all about by asking Nicodemus, “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (v.10).

The prophetic significance of the two-part “born again” requirement that Nicodemus should have understood was Ezekiel’s two-part prophecy of: 1) water for cleansing, and 2) God’s spirit being put in man. Ezekiel’s words were these:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 

Nicodemus should have also understood the Old Testament practice of water cleansing referred to as “a water of separation” which was specified as “a purification for sin” (Num. 19:9). 

While baptism was not an Old Testament practice, cleansing with water was and we, as a sacrifice dying to sin, have our sins remitted (washed away) through baptism. Water baptism is the “born of water” component of the two-part “born again” requirement.

Remission of Sins/Born of Water

When we are baptized, it is for the remission of sins as commanded by Peter in Acts 2:38. Upon hearing the sermon preached by Peter, after the pouring out of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, the people asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do [to be saved]? (v.37). Peter then answered, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (v.38). 

Peter’s answer was in concert with Jesus’ instructions to His disciples prior to His ascension (10 days prior to the day of Pentecost) in which He said, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). In this verse, Jesus spoke in the third-person about Himself when He said, “in his name.” (This is one of the four recorded scriptures of “The Great Commission” given by Jesus to His disciples. The other scriptures being Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:15-17, and Acts 1:4-11.)

Remission of sins is vital in the saving process and is only accomplished when one is baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” So vital to the point where, after Cornelius and his household had received the Holy Ghost, Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord” (Acts 10:48). Also, so vital that upon Paul’s instruction, the twelve disciples of John, the Baptist, “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5). Even those who believed at Samaria “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16). 

In all three examples above, these individuals all received the gift of the Holy Ghost evidenced by them speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance and were then considered “born of the Spirit.”

What Sins Are Remitted? And, What Happens To Sins That Are Remitted?

Upon being baptized (born of water), both, the sin of Adam and the sins we’ve committed are forgiven, washed away. As David explained, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). We are all born sinners and take on the transgression of Adam, (Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned). We must also remember these words of Job, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).

From the Old Testament example of “a water of separation: it is a purification for sin” (Numbers 19:9), we can extrapolate (extend the application or conclude) from other examples of scripture that our sins are forgiven, they are washed away, they are separated from us and they are never to be remembered by God. Here are our prophesied examples of remittance of sin in scripture:

Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

What Is My Status Once I’ve Been Baptized (“Born of Water”)?

First and foremost, there is no hard and fast rule as to when one is baptized and at what time they receive the Holy Ghost (see the section on “Repentance” below). Scripture gives examples wherein people were baptized first and then they received the Gift of the Holy Ghost later (Acts 8:12-17, 19:5-6). Scripture also give example were people received the Holy Ghost prior to being baptized (Acts 10:44-47). 

It is recommended that as soon as a person come to the realization they need God in their life and make that crucial decision to repent, they should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. When we are baptized, we “are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). 

When our sins have been remitted we begin the journey of a NEW LIFE. Scripture says, “we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) with the key word being “SHOULD.” Whether you receive the Holy Ghost prior to baptism, after baptism or while you’re being baptized, you must be taught how to walk in this newness of life. In these modern day times, your best options are threefold, 1) Bible Class, 2) Sunday School Class, and 3) self-study. In all three of these, it is God who opens your understanding and “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). That road to guidance into all truth begins with the learning of the word of God in which we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) thereby learning how to walk in your NEW LIFE.

With both, born of water and born of the Spirit, we are born again into Christ and we are consider by God as “a new creature,” a “new man” (2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new).

Gift of the Holy Ghost/Born of the Spirit/Speaking In Tongues As The Spirit Gives The Utterance Peter concluded his answer in Acts 2:38 admonishing them that they would “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,” which beforehand he had told them that what they had witnessed was “that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16); God “pour[ing] out of [His] Spirit upon all flesh” (v.17). This Holy Ghost is the thirst quencher that Jesus spoke of when He said, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). It is no wonder, when a person is filled with the Holy Ghost, tongues erupt out of them; an utterance given only by the Spirit itself. 

Speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance is not something that has eroded over the years as some would have us to believe. When I received the Holy Ghost, I spoke in a language that I did not know nor that I had ever learned, it was the Spirit of God that gave me the utterance. This was the experience of all those in scripture as characterized in the book of Acts which gives us the historical account of the New Testament church. It happened to them and millions of people throughout the world since then. Paul declared, “forbid not to speak with tongues” (1 Cor. 14:39) for he himself knew the importance as well as the significance of speaking in tongues. The key to speaking in tongues is that, it is the Spirit of God that gives the utterance. 

There is, however, confusion over this Spirit generated phenomenon of speaking in tongues. For clarity, let us understand that speaking in tongues serves the following three (3) purposes:

It is the undeniable scriptural evidence of a person receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost in which both Jews and non-Jews all spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:4, 8:18, 10:46, 19:6).

It is for self-edification (1 Cor. 14:4) “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him” (v.2). To one’s understanding speaking in tongues “is unfruitful” (v.14) but to one’s spirit it is a mystery (v.2). It is also “for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not (v.22). Paul cited that, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (v.18). He further emphasized that, for his personal edification, he prayed in tongues as well as sang in tongues (1 Cor. 14:15 I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.).

It is one of the gifts of the Spirit which is acted upon alongside the gift of interpretation so “that the church may receive edifying” (1 Cor. 14:5). Paul also established the proper protocol for the gift of tongues when it is to be exercised in the church (1 Cor. 14:27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.). The gift of tongues does not negate it’s undeniable scriptural evidence of one being filled with the Holy Ghost nor it’s use for self-edification for one after they’ve been filled.

The gift of the Holy Ghost does not come upon a person solely because they confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Nor does it come upon a person because they accept Jesus as their “personal savior.” Receiving the Holy Ghost is a byproduct of repentance. Peter began his three-part answer for what is required to be saved with the instruction to “repent” (Acts 2:38). 

Repentance

To repent, one changes his or her mind from sin and changes his or her purpose from serving Satan to serving God. True repentance/change comes when the burden of sin and separation from God is realized in a person, as was experienced by the multitude on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart,). We, thereby understand the scripture that says, “godly sorrow [that] worketh repentance to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Scripture foretold of God’s recognizing the godly sorrowful, the truly repentant person:  Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 

Isaiah 66:2 …to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God, and God alone, who knows the heart and mind of every person, fills the repentant person with His Spirit when, and only when, they’ve met His conditions for infilling. No one can give another person the Holy Ghost and no one can claim to have it outside of God’s requirement for receiving it. No measure of works and/or servitude will grant one the saving grace of God which has been extended to mankind by and through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So, You Want To Be Saved?!?

The crowd on the day of Pentecost wanted to be saved. So did Cornelius and his household; so did Saul of Tarsus who became Paul, the apostle; so did the twelve disciples of John; so did the Ethiopian eunuch; and so did the multitude of people of Samaria. The prevailing question echoed in these biblical accounts is similarly the same as was asked on the day of Pentecost, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Every person who hungers and thirst for a saving relationship with God are asking this question. And, the answer has not changed over the approximate 2,000 years since the question was first asked, the answer and result of obeying the instructions being:

Acts 2:38-41 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [40] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

You too can be saved by adhering to the mandates of scripture referenced and those exampled in this article.