I want you to hear me clearly today: God has never left you in the dark when it comes to knowing how to be saved. You’re not wandering blindly through life, hoping you’ve done enough or guessed right. No, God’s word—His Scripture—is a light, and it reveals exactly what He wants from you and what you must do to receive eternal life.
I want you to see that throughout the Bible, God gives you examples of how He has saved people at different times in history. These stories—like King David’s confession, the tax collector’s humility, the thief’s last cry to Jesus—are not just for inspiration. They teach you powerful principles about salvation: about grace, about humility, about the desperate need to recognize your sin. But I must urge you not to stop there. You can’t rely on principles alone when what God has given are commands that are specific, binding, and necessary for your salvation today.
Salvation is always by God’s grace—always. You can’t earn it. Paul made that clear when he wrote, “By grace you have been saved through faith… not of works, lest anyone should boast.” I want you to hear that deeply: it’s a gift. You didn’t create the gift. You don’t deserve the gift. But God offers it to you.
Yet, even as grace is freely given, God doesn’t force it on you. He calls you to respond—and to respond rightly. And here’s where I need you to understand: the way people were saved before Jesus died is not the same way you are called to be saved today. Those people lived under a different covenant, a different law. The commands that applied to King David or the thief on the cross were never intended as the final word on salvation for you, living on this side of the cross.
Yes, you can learn humility from David’s cry, “I have sinned against the Lord.” You can learn repentance from the thief who said, “We receive the due reward of our deeds,” while turning to Jesus in faith. But if you stop there, you’re missing what God has commanded you to do today.
Let me be clear: after Jesus died, rose, and ascended, a new covenant began. His New Testament came into force, and with it, new instructions for all who seek salvation. The Bible says, “For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” The law of salvation was nailed to the cross, and something new began.
So what must you do now? Not simply cry out like the thief. Not simply pray as David did. You must hear the message of Christ. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. You must confess your faith in Him before others. You must repent—truly turn away from your sin. And then, yes, you must be immersed in water—baptized—for the forgiveness of your sins. That’s not a tradition. That’s not symbolic. That’s the command from the risen Christ through His apostles.
That’s how people are saved today. Not by imitating the methods of those before the cross, but by obeying the clear commands given after it.
I want you to see the difference. And I want you to know it matters. Misunderstanding this could mean misunderstanding salvation itself. And that’s something too precious to get wrong.
So, I’m inviting you—no, I’m urging you—to search the Scriptures. Not just for stories of faith, but for the commands God has given you right now.
