"What Must I Do To Be Saved?"
(Acts 16:30)
1) CONVICTION
The Holy Spirit uses the gospel of Christ to bring deep conviction upon your soul. You experience the terrible feeling of being separated from God. Some people say conviction is the worst feeling they have ever experienced. Someone once said, "the pains of hell got hold upon my soul." Conviction is the state of being lost; without God; separated from God; undone; without hope. It is a suffocating, sin-sick feeling. Whenever the Holy Spirit brings conviction upon your heart (makes you know in your heart that you are a sinner) you should seek God for Salvation.
"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom that thou persecutest. It is hard far thee to kick against the pricks." (Acts 9:5)
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:
but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (II Cor 7:10)
"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalms 34:18)
2) DRAWING OF YOUR HEART
After the deep convicting power of the gospel of Christ is felt, the Holy Spirit draws your heart to God our father. Without conviction, and without God's drawing power, you cannot be saved. You cannot make yourself be saved. ' Only God can do this. You must completely submit yourself to God and allow him to do all the work No human can interfere; this experience is between you and God. Only God knows your heart.
"No man can come to me, except the father (God) which hath sent me draw him." (John 6:44)
"And he said, therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my father." (John 6:65)
"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us:whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things that were spoken of Paul." (Acts 16:14)
3) HUMBLE YOUR HEART AS A LITTLE CHILD
Once you have suffered the pains of conviction and you feel God drawing your heart, you must humble yourself as a little child. Little children are humble. They are dependent upon others to teach them what is right and wrong. You must depend upon God to teach you and change you. Only when you realize that you can do nothing for God will you become truly humble. Upon humbling your heart, you must REPENT of your sins and your sin of unbelief.
"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 18:1-6)
"And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted...Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein..." (Luke 18:9-18)
4) REPENTANCE
There can be no salvation without true repentance. God looks upon your heart (soul). He expects a complete unreserved trust in him. First you must REPENT (regret with great godly sorrow, to be sorry to God with much hurt inside; to ask for forgiveness); trust in the Lord with all of your heart, mind, and soul.
"I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
more than over ninety and nine persons, which need no repentance." (Luke 15:7)
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)
"Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." (Acts 8:22)
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30)
"And saying Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt 3:2)
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3)
5) GOD'S FORGIVENESS (MERCY)
When you have truly repented to God, he will forgive you of all your sins. You can only truly repent if you are humble and sincere. God is a merciful God. He said he will cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. Jesus made this forgiveness possible by dying on the cross for our sins. Through the blood of Christ, we are forgiven.
"And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." (Exodus 34:6)
"Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt 5:7)
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Ephesians 1:10)
"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy...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." (Micah 7:18-19)
Please read Chapter 17 in Luke. It tells about Jesus teaching forgiveness. Also read Matthew 18:21-35. Again, Jesus speaks of forgiveness.
6) GOD'S GIFT OF SALVATION
God is truly a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. God grants his gift of Salvation to those who have truly repented. When he grants his gift of Salvation you will truly feel a salvation experience. He replaces a heart of stone with a heart of love, joy and peace. These feelings are truly heart-felt! The Holy Spirit will reveal it to you if you have been saved. The gift of Salvation is given by God, and God alone. No one can tell you that you are saved. It is an experience between you and God. He is the only one who knows your heart. There is a witness (proof); God's Spirit bears witness with our spirit when we are his children. His Spirit will let your spirit know if you are saved. God is all-powerful and all-know¬ing; He doesn't rely on someone else to tell you when you have been saved—He does it himself! Salvation is God's gift through Christ to save our souls. It is a gift that we do not deserve, and we can do nothing to earn it.
"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man shall boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:23-24)
"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 1 will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26) (Also Ezekiel 11:19)
