What We Must Do To Be Saved
- Richard Selke
- Oct 13
- 4 min read
October 15, 2025
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At some point in our lives, we all ask deep questions: Why am I here? What happens when I die? How can I be saved?
Nearly two thousand years ago, a man asked that very question: “What must I do to be saved?” His question, and the answer he received, still hold the key to hope, freedom and eternal life today.
After the Lord was crucified, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the Apostle Paul and his companion, Silas, traveled to the city of Phillipi in Macedonia to share the Good News of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:16-34).
There they encountered a slave girl possessed by a spirit who could predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners by fortune-telling. Day after day, she followed Paul and his group around shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” (Acts 16:17, NIV)
Finally, Paul got fed up with her, so he commanded the spirit that possessed her, “’In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her.” (Acts 16:18, NIV)
When Paul cast out the spirit, her owners were furious that their source of income was gone. They dragged Paul and Silas before the authorities, who ordered them to be beaten and thrown into prison.
That night, their feet fastened in stocks, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains fell off.
The jailer woke up, saw the open doors, and feared the prisoners had escaped. Knowing he’d be held responsible, he drew his sword to take his own life. But Paul cried out, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16: 28, NIV)
Trembling, the jailer fell before Paul and Silas and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30, NIV)
They answered clearly and powerfully: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, NIV)
That night, the jailer washed their wounds, was baptized along with his whole family and rejoiced because he and all of his household had come to believe in God.
Charles Wesley, an Anglican cleric and a prolific hymnwriter, wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. He may have been thinking about Paul and Silas’s story when he wrote these words from “And Can It Be,” a hymn that stirs hearts with gratitude for God’s amazing grace:
“And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died he for me, who caused his pain?
For me, who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”
Later in the hymn, Wesley captures the moment of spiritual freedom every believer experiences when faith in Jesus replaces slavery to sin:
“Long my imprisoned spirit lay
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.”
These words are not just poetry – they are testimony. They could easily have been spoken by the Philippian jailer that night – and by anyone today who believes in Jesus and is set free from the prison of sin.
The Gospel is simple yet life-changing:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to know all the answers. Salvation is a gift – offered freely by grace through faith in Christ.
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!
QUESTIONS
Have you ever asked or wondered, “What must I do to be saved?”
What would it mean for you today to believe in the Lord Jesus?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, we believe that You are the Son of God. Thank You for dying for our sins and rising again to give us life everlasting. Please forgive us, free us and fill us with Your Spirit. Help us to follow You all the days of our lives.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24, ESV
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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