How to Be Saved: Our Part

The plan of salvation is that Jesus died for our sins, paying the price of death on our behalf. He made a way for us to be forgiven and become righteous before God. Because of this, we can now come boldly to the throne of God to obtain mercy and grace.

This is one of the roles that Jesus plays in the plan of salvation. But what is our role? This is where things can get tricky for some people, as there are many differing beliefs about our part in the plan of salvation.

Some believe that salvation is given by simply believing in God. Others say that repentance of sins is also necessary. Still, others argue that salvation comes through doing good works and earning it. There are many other beliefs about our role in salvation as well.

So, let’s set aside what we’ve been taught for just a moment. We are going to look at the Bible objectively to determine what (if anything) our part is in obtaining salvation. What does the Bible tell us we must do to be saved?

Even a Free Gift Requires You to Accept It

Have you ever had someone give you a free gift—maybe for your birthday or just because? You didn’t have any part in creating it, right?

Let’s look at it another way. Imagine I’m giving you one million dollars. You can pick it up at—oh, wait. No, I guess you can’t pick it up unless you play a part.

Okay, how about I wire the money directly into your account? Oh, sorry, I guess you would still need to provide your bank information.

Hmmm, alright, I’ll just put it directly in your hand. But now what? Don’t just stand there! What are you going to do with it? Oh, well, I guess it’s sort of worthless to you unless you do something with it, like holding or using the money.

Salvation works the same way. God is offering the entire world the free gift of salvation. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing required of us to receive it.

One belief shared by some is that everyone on earth will be saved because Jesus’ sacrifice was for everyone. However, this idea doesn’t hold up when compared to scripture.

We’ve already discussed in Unit 2 the wrath and judgment of God against the wicked. This wrath comes upon all who are unforgiven. Thus, the Bible makes it clear that some will be saved, while others will not.

It is painfully evident that this free gift isn’t forced upon us. God does not force anyone to be saved. He gives us the choice. Therefore, even though salvation is a free gift (as it was paid for by Jesus), we still have a role to play in receiving it.

How to Be Saved

Many people know that the Bible says you must believe. However, we cannot ignore the rest of Scripture. This one verse is not the complete message. The Bible reveals that there is more than just believing that a person must do to accept this gift.

In the very next verse, we read: “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.” This indicates they didn’t stop at telling them to believe. There was more said, though it’s not recorded here.

Thankfully, God has given us more than one verse to explain what we must do to be saved. Below is a list of the requirements for a person to be saved, along with the corresponding verses. Later in this unit, we will examine what each of these requirements means.

Remember, these are verses from the Bible. If you disagree with the requirements listed, then your disagreement is with God. The requirements for salvation are as follows:

1. Believe the Gospel

2. Repent

Repentance doesn’t just mean turning from unbelief to belief; it also means turning from sin to holiness. You can not turn to God without also turning away from sin. The two are in opposite directions! However, this does not imply that a Christian who falls into sin is lost or has not truly repented. We will address this in more detail in a future unit.

3. Confess

We will explore the meaning of confession in detail soon. But notice there are two things that must be confessed. First, we must confess our sin. Second, we must confess Jesus as Lord.

4. Be Baptized

It’s important to note that there is more than one type of baptism. The baptism mentioned here is not water baptism. This topic will also be covered in detail in a future unit.

5. Continue in the Faith

Falling into sin does not necessarily mean a person has left the faith. We will discuss this concept more thoroughly later.

These are the five requirements found in the Bible for salvation:

1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Repent of your sins.
3. Confess your sins and confess Jesus as Lord.
4. Be baptized.
5. Continue in the faith.

Grace and Faith

Salvation begins with belief, but it doesn’t end there. Belief and faith are not the same thing.

Faith is not merely another word for belief. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the substance and evidence of belief—meaning faith is a belief that produces something tangible and visible. There is proof that you believe.

While many boldly proclaim salvation by grace, they often misunderstand the nature of faith. Faith is not merely belief; it is a belief that produces works. Recognizing this helps us better understand the relationship between grace, faith, and the requirements for salvation.

Let’s Break It Down:

By grace are you saved – God extends grace to us. In His mercy, He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We didn’t earn His grace or deserve it.

Through faith – This means we believe, and that belief produces works (such as repentance). Without both belief and works together, a person cannot rightly claim to have faith. They may have belief, but that is something different.

Not of ourselves – Even with belief and works (which together constitute faith), we cannot change the fact that we have sinned and are destined for hell. No amount of good works can cover even a single sin.

It is the gift of God – Because of what Jesus accomplished, we can be free from the guilt of sin. This gift is not earned. Our good works do not earn it, and even our faith would be useless if God were unwilling to accept it. But in His grace, He is willing.

To sum this up, salvation is not achieved by our own ability or through works alone. It is by grace, which we accept through faith—a belief that produces works.

Works Aren’t Enough

This can be confusing for some. They think that if works are involved at all, then salvation is “owed to us” and no longer a free gift, as if we are “purchasing it.” But this is not true. Even with works, salvation comes by the grace of God, because our own works are insufficient to purchase salvation.

As the Bible says, our righteousness is as filthy rags. No amount of belief or good works can pay the debt of death we owe. One single sin is enough to condemn us to hell. Without God paying the price, we could never afford it. It is not about us.

Because of this, salvation must still be by grace. We only accept it by faith. Our works do not earn anything, and our belief does not earn anything either. We aren’t owed salvation!

It’s like a parent giving their child a gift. Imagine you went out and bought an expensive toy. Before giving it, you say, “I want you to do your homework.” Does their book report cover the cost of the toy? Of course not!

You paid the price. The child isn’t earning the toy—they couldn’t pay for it. You didn’t reduce its cost for them; you fully paid the cost.

The child’s homework is an act of love and obedience, trusting that you will reward them because you are honest and you love them. They’re not earning the gift; they’re simply doing what you ask to receive it. That’s different.

Now imagine if the child refused. What if they said no? What if they didn’t believe you loved them enough to give them the gift? What if they rejected it outright? That’s the difference between a child with faith and one without.

If we are unwilling to obey our loving Father, we lack faith. True faith produces works. But it is not the works themselves that pay for the gift—it is the pleasure of the Father to give it to us in love.

God saves us for the sake of what produces the works, not because of the works themselves. Love is what produces the works. As the Bible says faith works by love in Galatians 5:6

The Five Requirements of Salvation

As we’ve seen, the Bible provides five clear instructions for how to be saved. These steps are up to us to take. These are steps to ACCEPT the gift, not pay for it. I’ve listed the five requirements in the order they are carried out:

1. Believe the gospel.
2. Repent of your sins.
3. Confess your faith and Jesus as Lord.
4. Be baptized.
5. Continue in the faith.

Confession and baptism are closely tied together, and we’ll explain this connection in a future unit.

To simplify, you could say being saved is as simple as believing the gospel and acting on it—this is faith. If you truly believe, you will act on it through repentance and confessing Jesus as your Lord and Savior. From there, all that’s left is to continue in faith, following Jesus.

In the following units, we will explore each of these five requirements in greater detail. There are many misconceptions about each of these requirements. I want you to be clear about them.

Continue To Unit 3:3 – What Is Faith OR

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