Salvation, or mercy implies a doom or punishment to escape from. Without Hell there is no salvation. Salvation is an act of mercy by God. Therefore it is important to know what our attitude should be when expecting to receive mercy. So we ask with all seriousness, What Must I Do To Be Saved? Look at Bible School Sermon 64 - Trusting In Mercy:
The Conditions Of Salvation
All of the conditions apply, not just the first one which we all know. We all know we cannot have salvation without the death of Jesus as an atonement for our sin. But what does this actually mean?
1. To receive Salvation, we must acknowledge the huge sacrifice made for us. God gave up his Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. To be saved therefore, we must believe in Jesus Christ THE SON OF GOD. Sermon 64 says:
"30 … (our sins are) wholly removed by the atonement of Christ."
2. If we did not have to acknowledge Jesus, then everyone would be saved. This is the difference between the saved and the lost. To be saved therefore, we must change our heart and really be sorry and be grateful. How many people are not sorry for anything, and do not accept Jesus. They are not grateful for him. They have not received Jesus, so they cannot be saved. So the second point is, To receive Salvation, WE MUST REALLY REPENT. Sermon 64 again:
"31 2. A second condition is that we repent. Certainly no sinner has the least ground to hope for mercy until he repents. Will God pardon the sinner while yet in his rebellion? Never. To do so would be most unjust in God — most ruinous to the universe. It would be virtually proclaiming that sin is less than a trifle — that God cares not how set in wickedness the sinner’s heart is; He is ready to take the most rebellious heart, unhumbled, to His own bosom. Before God can do this He must cease to be holy."
3. People hardly understand repentance. But what does repentance imply further? It is the same as to confess our sins. Therefore, to receive Salvation, we must CONFESS OUR SINS. Sermon 64 continues:
"32 3. We must confess our sins. “He that confesseth,” and he only, “shall find mercy.” Jehovah sustains such relations to the moral universe that He cannot forgive without the sinner’s confession. He must have the sinner’s testimony against himself and in favor of law and obedience.
33 Suppose a man convicted and sentenced to be hung. He petitions the governor for pardon, but is too proud to confess, at least in public. “May it please your Honor,” he says, “between you and me, I am willing to say that I committed that crime alleged against me, but you must not ask me to make this confession before the world. You will have some regard to my feelings and to the feelings of my numerous and very respectable friends. Before the world therefore I shall persist in denying the crime. I trust, however, that you will duly consider all the circumstances and grant me a pardon.” Pardon you, miscreant, the governor would say — pardon you when you are condemning the whole court and jury of injustice, and the witnesses of falsehood; pardon you while you set yourself against the whole administration of justice in the State? Never! never! You are too proud to take your own place and appear in your own character; how can I rely on you to be a good citizen — how can I expect you to be anything better than an arch villain?
34 Let it be understood, then, that before we can trust in the mercy of God, we must really repent and make our confession as public as we have made our crime.
35 Suppose again that a man is convicted and sues for pardon, but will not confess at all. O, he says, I have no crimes to confess; I have done nothing particularly wrong; the reason of my acting as I have is that I have a desperately wicked heart. I cannot repent and never could. I don’t know how it happens that I commit murder so easily; it seems to be a second nature to me to kill my neighbor; I can’t help it. I am told that you are very good, very merciful, he says to the governor; they even say that you are love itself, and I believe it; you surely will grant me a pardon then, it will be so easy for you — and it is so horrible for me to be hung. You know I have done only a little wrong, and that little only because I could not help it; you certainly cannot insist upon my making any confession. What! have me hung because I don’t repent? You certainly are too kind to do any such thing.
36 I don’t thank you for your good opinion of me, must be the indignant reply; the law shall take its course; your path is to the gallows.
37 See that sinner; hear him mock God in his prayer: “trust in the mercy of God, for God is love.” Do you repent?
38 “I don’t know about repentance — that is not the question. God is love — God is too good to send men to hell; they are Partialists and slander God who think that He ever sends anybody to hell.” Too good! you say; too good! so good that He will forgive whether the sinner repents or not; too good to hold the reins of His government firmly; too good to secure the best interests of His vast kingdom! Sinner, the God you think of is a being of your own crazy imagination — not the God who built the prison of despair for hardened sinners — not the God who rules the universe by righteous law and our race also on a Gospel system which magnifies that law and makes it honorable."
4. If we confess our sins, but still do not try our best to repair whatever wrong we have caused, then we are not sincere. To receive Salvation, therefore, we must be sincere, and REPAIR THE WRONG we have caused in the best possible way. This is called RESTITUTION Sermon 64:
"39 4. We must really make restitution so far as lies in our power. You may see the bearing of this in the case of a highway robber. He has robbed a traveller of ten thousand dollars, and is sentenced to State’s prison for life. He petitions for pardon. Very sorry he is for his crime; will make any confession that can be asked, ever so public; but will he make restitution? Not he; no — he needs that money himself. He will give up half of it, perhaps, to the government; vastly patriotic is he all at once, and liberal withal; ready to make a donation of five thousand dollars for the public good! ready to consecrate to most benevolent uses a splendid sum of money; but whose money? Where is his justice to the man he has robbed? Wretch! consecrate to the public what you have torn from your neighbor and put it into the treasury of the government! No; such a gift would burn right through the chest! What would you think if the government should connive at such an abomination? You would abhor their execrable corruption.
40 See that man of the world, His whole business career is a course of over-reaching. He slyly thrusts his hands into his neighbor’s pockets and thus fills up his own. His rule is uniformly to sell for more than a thing is worth and buy for less. He knows how to monopolize and make high prices, and then sell out his accumulated stocks. His mind is forever on the stretch to manage and make good bargains. But this man at last must prepare to meet God. So he turns to his money to make it answer all things. He has a large gift for God. Perhaps he will build a church or send a missionary — something pretty handsome at least to buy a pardon for a life about which his conscience is not very easy. Yes, he has a splendid bribe for God. Ah, but will God take it? Never! God burns with indignation at the thought. Does God want your price of blood — those gains of oppression? Go and give them back to the suffering poor whose cries have gone up to God against you. O shame to think to filch from thy brother and give to God! Not merely rob Peter to pay Paul, but rob man to pay God! The pardon of your soul is not bought so!"
5. A final condition, is we must have the attitude that we will not do it again. To receive Salvation, therefore, we must actually and really REFORM. Sermon 64:
"41 5. Another condition is that you really reform.
42 Suppose there is a villain in our neighborhood who has become the terror of all the region round about. He has already murdered a score of defenseless women and children; burns down our houses by night; plunders and robs daily; and every day brings tidings of his crimes at which every ear tingles. None feel safe a moment. He is an arch and bloody villain. At last he is arrested, and we all breathe more easily. Peace is restored. But this miscreant having received sentence of death, petitions for pardon. He professes no penitence whatever, and makes not even a promise of amendment; yet the governor is about to give him a free pardon. If he does it, who will not say, He ought to be hung up himself by the neck till he is dead, dead! But what does that sinner say? “I trust,” says he, “in the great mercy of God. I have nothing to fear.” But does he reform? No. What good can the mercy of God do him if he does not reform?"
ON AN IMPORTANT NOTE, To receive Salvation we must not say GOD IS WRONG for punishing sinners in hell. We have to be confident that God is right, and always right.
In Summary, To Be Saved, these are the steps:
1. Believe in Jesus Christ. What does this mean? It means acknowledging the sacrifice made for us, by the Son of God dying for our sins.
2. Believing in Jesus implies repentance - we must change our heart and really be grateful
3. Repentance implies that we actually confess our sins, not just to God, but also to those we have wronged
4. If we confess our sins, but then do not try to repair the wrong, then our confession is meaningless. It hurts more to say sorry and then not actually do anything. Therefore we must also repair the damage, or make restitution.
5. If we repair the wrong, we make it obvious that we will not do it again. So, we actually reform.