How can I be saved?

 


Scripture: Acts 16:25–34

In today’s M'Cheyne Bible reading, the passage from Acts invites us to reflect deeply on the nature of salvation. Paul and Silas, though unjustly imprisoned for the Gospel, chose to pray and sing hymns in the darkness. While their bodies were confined within stone walls, their souls remained profoundly free. Suddenly, a violent earthquake struck, and the foundations of the prison were shaken. The very core of their confinement gave way, the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

At that moment, the jailer—a man who was physically free but spiritually bound—prepared to take his own life, fearing the prisoners had escaped. However, Paul and Silas did not see the open doors as a mere escape route; they waited for a divine sign. Paul cried out, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" Stunned by this grace, the jailer asked the most vital question of human existence: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

The jailer had likely been moved by the sound of their prayers and praise. In his moment of crisis, he realized his desperate need for total salvation—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Paul’s response was beautifully simple: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Salvation is not an arduous or complex task. We are invited simply to believe in the Son of God, who descended to this earth, bore our sins upon the Cross, and rose again on the third day, proving His victory over death. To be saved is to welcome Him as the Lord of our lives.

But how can we, in our brokenness, even begin to believe? John Wesley explains that it is through Prevenient Grace—God’s grace that goes before us—that our hearts are even made capable of responding to Him. Even before the jailer asked his question, God’s grace was already at work through the earthquake and the hymns.

The moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, we experience Justification (being declared righteous). However, we must remember that salvation is not merely a one-time "conversion event"; it is a dynamic process. In the Wesleyan tradition, we understand this journey through three stages: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.

  1. Justification: We are called children of God through faith.
  2. Sanctification: Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we grow daily in love and holiness. Wesley emphasized this "Christian Perfection" not as flawless behavior, but as a heart entirely motivated by love for God and neighbor.
  3. Glorification: The final completion of our salvation in the heavenly kingdom.

A few days ago, a member of our congregation shared a desire to understand salvation more deeply. This is a beautiful starting point. Giants of faith like Martin Luther and John Calvin began their own spiritual revolutions with this very hunger.


Pray for... 

Today, I pray for those who may still be seeking the assurance of their salvation.

I also pray for those currently wrestling in the "middle" of the journey—the process of Sanctification. 

May we live today as witnesses of the Gospel, bearing the fruits of a saved life, as we hope for the final Glorification that awaits us in heaven.

 

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