And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?--Acts xvi:30.

HERE is a general agreement among Protestants that the principle on which men are accepted with God is the same, and has been the same, in all dispensations, patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian. In fact, principles never change. Forms, ceremonies, ordinances, and positive enactments have been changed with the different dispensations, but the same principles obtain through all. Principles are durable. Faith is a principle running through all the dispensations of religion. It is the principle, on our part, upon which God accepts and blesses us. This principle has obtained from Adam to the present time. But faith, merely as a conviction of the heart, merely as a psychological condition, is not sufficient, and never has been, to bring the soul into acceptance with God and the enjoyment of His promises. In this meager sense it is worthless; it is dead. Faith must be a real, living, actual principle to benefit the soul. It must be faithfulness to God. It must [134] be fidelity to Him. It must be firm allegiance to do duty to God and implicit trust in Him. In divinely appointed forms, ceremonies, ordinances, and positive laws, faith acts, expresses itself, actualizes itself, and becomes the living, actual, real principle on which men, are accepted with God. Real, living faith hears what God says, does what He bids, and trusts His promises. Only such faith is worth anything; indeed, only such faith is alive.

      The Bible deals very little in verbal definitions. Its method of teaching is rather by examples, illustrations, exemplifications of principles. God shows us principles in the lives of men. The life of Abraham is God's definition of faith to men. In that life, God shows us what He means by faith. Here have a complete, divine standard of faith. Hence Abraham is "the father of all them that believe." He is held up in the Bible as an example of faith, and all who would be children of God are bidden to walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham." In no instance was faith ever put to severer trial. But in every trial it came out approved. It expressed itself. It actualized itself.

      "By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for it inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith, he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the promise." [135]

      And again: "By faith, Abraham when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead."

      Abraham staggered at nothing. What God said do, that he did, yielding unquestioning obedience to God. No sacrifice of ease, or feeling, or philosophy was too great for him. Isaac was to Abraham everything. All promises, all his hopes, were bound up in him. He was absolutely all the future to Abraham. But he did not withhold him from God. And when he had in his heart offered him up to God, then it was he came to the ram, the substitute God provided for Isaac, the type of Him to whom faith now brings us all. Here we have the true type of faith, and the type of Christ, our sacrifice.

      God bids us look at Abraham, and thus shows us what He means by faith. In Abraham He presents us a man that was faithful to Him; not merely when it was convenient; not merely when it seemed wise to him; not merely when it was in the line of his pleasure, or philosophy, or convenience; but at all times and at any sacrifice.

      Abraham's faith was expressed and actualized by doing what God required him to do. Noah's faith was actualized by doing what God told him to do. So, under the Christian dispensation, faith comes into actual existence by obedience to the commands [136] of Christ. The principle is the same, but its actualization differs under the different dispensations. Faith is the same subjectively in all dispensations; but objectively it is varied by the divine commands.

      With these remarks premised, we proceed to the question: "What must I do to be saved?"

      This is a practical question. It is the practical question, and, in fact, the only really practical question in the whole matter of our salvation. Of course, God saves us. His love is the prime, moving cause of our salvation. But all questions as to the divine attributes are theoretical, and all deductions as to the action of these attributes are theoretical, and all deductions as to the action of these attributes are more or less speculative.

      God saves us through Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus is the sole meritorious, or compensative cause of our salvation. But even the atonement is not a practical question. Just how God can, in virtue of the sacrifice of Christ, be just and the justifier of the believer, we may not understand. How the death of Christ met the demands--of justice and satisfied the claims of the law against us, is not a practical question. It is enough for us to accept the facts as stated in the word of God.

      All we do or can do is merely appropriative. But what God has required of us must be done. This is, therefore, the practical question: "What must I do to be saved?" It is not what must God, or Christ, or the Holy Spirit do? but what must I do? That's [137] the practical question with us in the whole matter.

      We find this question, substantially, propounded four times in the New Testament by sinners, and in no case were they rebuked for it. On the other hand, it was always heard and treated as a proper question, both by the Savior Himself, and, after Him, by His disciples. The first instance was that of the rich young man who came to Jesus in His personal ministry and asked: "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Jesus told him to "keep the commandments." The young man again asked: "Which?" Jesus referred him to the commandments of the decalogue. The young man answered: " All these have I kept from my youth up; what lack I yet?" This was under the Mosaic dispensation, and the law given by Moses, as a divine code, was still in force.

      The young man knew the law. He had lived under it from his youth up. He expected, no doubt, that Jesus would tell him something else, if not different from the law, in addition to it. And he had reason to expect something else. Jesus in speaking of the law, in the sermon on the mount, had said quite enough to justify the expectation. But the law was still in force. True, the evening twilight of that dispensation had come, and the morning twilight of the new one was dawning; but the law was yet in force, and Jesus taught the young man to keep it. All else he could then do was, [138] in the language of Jesus: "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come follow me."

      Under the law, a Jew's whole duty was to keep the law. In the mingling twilight of the dispensations, while yet the law was in force, one could keep the law, and leave all and follow Jesus, as the disciples did, and thus be schooled for the work of the coming dispensation. Under the Christian dispensation, one's whole duty is to hear and obey Christ. We are under the full light of the Christian dispensation. We can not, therefore, now properly answer one as Jesus did the rich young man. That answer was right then, but it would not be right now. No one, I presume, would so answer a sinner now.

      After the ascension of our Savior and the descension of the Holy Spirit, and after the law, given until the promised seed should come, had expired by limitation, and the Gospel had been committed to the disciples to be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, we find in Acts of Apostles this question three times propounded, and answered.

      When the Gospel was first preached at Jerusalem by Peter, the convicted Jews there "said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"--be saved, of course.

      Then, again, Saul, when convinced that Jesus, whom he had theretofore persecuted so fiercely, was [139] indeed the Christ, he asked the Lord, "What wilt thou have me to do?"

      In the text, the jailor at Philippi propounds the same question substantially to Paul and Silas. It is the answer to this question with which this sermon will have to do.

      In the first place, we notice that the answers to this question, even in the Christian dispensation, and all given to sinners, are not the same. At Jerusalem, Peter's answer was: "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts ii:38.)

      When Saul propounded this question to the Savior, we read that the "Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." Saul went. The Lord then sent Ananias to tell him what he "must do." Ananias went; and, after telling him that he was to be an apostle and a witness unto all men of what he had seen and heard, he said: "And now, why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts xxii:16. )

      The jailer at Philippi was answered "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." The question is the same substantially in all these cases, but in each case receives a different answer. Why is this? If we can determine why it is, we shall at the same time, and by the same [140] process, arrive at the full exhaustive answer to the question of the sermon, "What must I do to be saved?"

      Let us try to take a comprehensive view of this great subject. It is so easy to be narrow in our views that it requires an effort to be otherwise. It is possible for one to look so steadfastly and intently upon one thing as to be unable to see another. It is possible for one to believe one thing so devoutly as not to believe another thing equally true, at all. It is possible for one so to interpret a statement of Scripture as to make it contradict another statement equally true, consistent, and important. Friends of the Scriptures ought to try to interpret them harmoniously. Every statement of Scripture upon a given subject should be so interpreted, if possible, as to admit of the truth of every other Scripture statement upon the same subject. Enemies of the Bible do not always so interpret it, but surely its friends should. Would we not so interpret the statements of a letter from a friend? Would we put any possible interpretation upon any statement in a letter from a friend, even though it should make it contradict other statements in the same letter? Not if it were possible to interpret them all harmoniously.

      Now, let us apply this rule of harmonious interpretation to each and all of the Scripture answers to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" If it be possible, and it certainly is, as we shall see, let us construe all these answers consistently and [141] harmoniously. If we agree to this, and I trust we do, the difficulty is passed, and we shall have no further trouble in understanding the subject.

      Let us begin with the answer of Paul and Silas to the jailor--"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." It is possible, now, to interpret this statement as a full, detailed, and an exhaustive answer to the question for the sinner under all circumstances, and, thus, to come to the conclusion that a sinner has only to believe on the Lord Jesus to be saved. But, then, what shall we do with the answer of Peter, at Jerusalem--"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins?" and with that of Ananias to Saul--"Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord?"

      Shall we make that contradict these? Or shall we so construe these as to make them mean nothing? We want no contradiction; neither do we desire to interpret any part of the word of God clean away; so we will try another interpretation of the phrase, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." We will say it is not an exhaustive answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" but a sufficient and a proper answer to the person who asked it, in his condition, and, indeed, the proper answer to all persons under like circumstances, but to be supplemented by further instructions when circumstances and conditions are changed; that is, we will conclude that, while Paul and Silas only told the jailor to [142] "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," immediately upon his asking the question, they afterward--after enlightening him concerning the way of salvation--commanded him to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." This would harmonize the two answers, anyhow.

      Now let us see if the context will not justify--does not, in fact demand--this interpretation. Immediately following the answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house," we read as follows: "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."

      So it appears that immediately upon telling the inquirer to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, "they spake unto him the word of the Lord." Now, when he heard the "word of the Lord" and believed, his condition was changed--the condition of his mind, certainly, and most likely that of his heart. When the apostles told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they did not wait for him to ask, who is the Lord Jesus Christ? or, how can I believe? but they immediately "spake unto him the word of the Lord." This was, of course, to enlighten him concerning the Lord Jesus, for as yet there is no evidence that the jailor had even heard of him. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of the Lord." They spake unto him the word of the Lord, [143] therefore, that he might believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, as they had commanded him. When he heard the word, and had become a believer, did not the apostles command him to repent and be baptized? It is not written that they did, but is it not clearly inferable that they did? Why did he take them the same hour of the night and wash their stripes, and be baptized? What did he know about baptism if they had not told him? Repentance and baptism are a part of "the word of the Lord." When, therefore, "they spake unto him the word of the Lord," he learned the further duties of repentance and baptism; and that accounts for his attending to them the same hour of the night.

      It is important to bear in mind the condition of the jailor when he asked what he must do to be saved. He had not heard the word of the Lord. He was not a believer in Jesus. There is no evidence that he knew anything of Him whatever. He had doubtless heard that Paul and Silas claimed to be "the servants of the most high God," to "show unto the people the way of salvation." The "damsel possessed with a spirit of divination" had followed them, proclaiming this for many days. Paul cast the spirit out of her. Her masters were enraged. Paul and Silas were arrested, and beaten, and delivered to the jailor. This was all he knew about them up to the time he thrust them into the prison.

      The great earthquake at midnight aroused him. The situation alarmed him. He, supposing the [144] prisoners had escaped, was about to take his own life. Paul told him to do himself no harm; that the prisoners had not gone, as he had feared. The jailor then recollected that Paul and Silas claimed to be the servants of the most high God. He was satisfied the prison had been shaken by the power of the most high God. He concluded, therefore, that they must be the servants of the most high God, showing the people the way of salvation. Hence it was that he asked them what he must do to be saved. The apostles gave him a general answer, stating the general principle upon which sinners are saved, deferring the details until he had heard the word of the Lord and believed. Then, as we have seen, having learned the way of salvation more fully, he proceeded, penitently, to be baptized the same hour of the night.

      Now, let us look more particularly into the condition of the persons at Jerusalem who "said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?" We find, by examining the context, that Peter had already preached unto them Jesus as the Lord and Christ, concluding his sermon with this sentence: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Then we are told that "when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter did not tell them to [145] believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul told the jailor; and why not? Evidently because they already believed. They had heard the story of Jesus; of His resurrection, exaltation, and coronation in heaven. It had gone into their hearts. They believed it, and asked for their duty. Peter commanded them to do precisely what the jailor did after he heard the word and believed: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." So we find these two answers, not contradictory, but harmonious, only varied by the condition of the parties addressed.

      As we have already seen, when Saul asked this same question, "What wilt thou have me to do?" he was told to go into the city of Damascus, and there it should be told him what he "must do." Ananias was sent to him, who told him only to "arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Why did he not tell him to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ," as Paul himself afterwards told the jailor? Because Saul already believed. Had he not seen the Lord Himself and heard the truth from His own mouth, on the way from Jerusalem? He certainly had, and certainly was now a believer, in so far as faith is a conviction of the heart. As a believer, he had asked for his duty, and had been sent to Damascus with the promise that there he should be told what he "must do"; and Ananias had been sent there to tell [146] him. There was no need to tell him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He did that already. He was not in the same condition of the jailor at Philippi, who had never heard the word of the Lord and believed, and, therefore, did not need the same answer.

      Why, then, was not Saul told to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," as Peter told the inquiring Jews at Jerusalem? Simply because Ananias had sufficient evidence that Saul was already a penitent man. Had he not been in Damascus "three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink?" and had not the Lord told Ananias that Saul was praying? Why tell him to repent? Ananias knew he was a penitent already; knew he was a penitent believer--a praying penitent believer; and, therefore, did not tell him to believe, or to repent, but to arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord. He instructed him as to his duty according to his condition and need.

      Thus we see that though the answers to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" varied in words somewhat in these three cases, owing to the different conditions of the inquirers, yet, in fact, they are in perfect harmony. The jailor, the Jews to whom Peter preached at Jerusalem, and Saul, all did precisely the same things; they all believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; they all repented, and were all baptized. Now, it brings us to the complete [147] answer to our question. If an untaught, unbelieving person should ask the question, as the jailor, it would be right to answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, " as Paul and Silas did. But when taught the word of the Lord, as were the Jews at Jerusalem, it would be right to answer, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins," as Peter did. And when the inquirer is a penitent, praying believer, as Saul was, he should be told, "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. " All travel over precisely the same ground, so to speak, but are answered differently, because they asked the question at different points on the way.

      For illustration, let us suppose three persons three miles from your city, and, at that point, one of them asks a man whom he meets, "How far is it to your city?" He is answered correctly, "Three miles." They travel a mile on the way, and there another of the three asks a gentleman whom he meets, "How far is it to your city?" and is answered correctly, "Two miles. " A mile further, the third one inquires, and is answered, "One mile." We can see how each inquirer was answered correctly; yet the answers were different: being varied by the distance of the parties from the objective point. But all these traveled over the same ground. It was right, when three miles away, to answer, "Three miles"; but that answer would not have been right when only two miles, or one mile, away. [148] What would we think of a man that had but one answer to the question, How far is it to your city? no matter at what point the question was asked. We would think a machine might be made to do as well, would we not? But there are people who have but one answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" No matter how far the inquirer may be, from salvation, or how near, the answer is the same in all cases: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Of course, it cannot be said that this is not a scriptural answer, for it is in the very language of Scripture. The trouble is that it is often given out of place. We can readily see how that it would be wrong to tell a man that it was three miles to your city when he was only a mile away, because some one had so answered him two miles further off.

      Some of our religious neighbors have but one answer for the inquirer after salvation, no matter about his condition. It is, in all cases, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Thus they answer the unbeliever, and correctly, too; and thus they answer the believer, incorrectly, of course. To characters such as the jailor was they say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"; and in this they are right. To characters such as the instructed and convicted Jews at Jerusalem they say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"; and in this they are wrong, as Peter's answer to such persons clearly shows. Even to such characters as Saul was when Ananias went to him [149] they say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"; and that they are wrong in so doing the instructions of Ananias to Saul sufficiently show. Such believing penitents are often kept waiting and praying, taught and encouraged to expect some evidence directly from God that their sins are forgiven. If their imaginations are quick and easily wrought upon, they can be made to take their own feelings, raised to a high pitch by prayers, songs, and exhortations, as evidence of their pardon; and then, and thereafter, their assurance varies with the ebb and flow of the tide of feeling.

      Thus persons are ofttimes kept in a state of alternating belief and doubt, hope and fear, for days, weeks, months, years--some all their lives--with no other evidence of their pardon than they can find in the quicksands of their own imaginations. This is sad, but true. It is almost needless to say to the readers of the New Testament that nothing of the kind was known in apostolic times. Then persons were promptly taught, according to their conditions, what to do to be saved, and how to come to the promise of salvation, and to rely upon that promise with all the assurance with which we may stand upon the immutable and immovable Rock. And so it should be now.

      Happy feelings are not to be despised or disparaged, but they should be sought in the promises of God. Our feelings, however, are not evidence of sins forgiven. Our feelings follow our faith. If we [150] believe we are pardoned, we will feel so whether it be a fact or not. The apostles never taught persons to believe they were pardoned and then take their resultant feelings as evidence of the fact. Such teaching is as unscriptural as it is unreasonable. Remission of sins is promised to the baptized penitent believer; and if sinners were taught now, as they were by the apostles, to come to the promise of God, they would do so now as then, and go on their way rejoicing as happy, and more intelligently so than they can be by being persuaded simply to believe they are pardoned and to take their feelings as proof of the fact.

      "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!" Certainly. But stop not there, trying to believe you are pardoned. "Go forward." "Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." Then you may stand upon the promise of Him who, having all authority, said to His disciples, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, " and with a confidence that will not be shaken by a world in flames.

      All this only brings one to salvation, to the enjoyment of that salvation which is of God in Christ Jesus. Then, still, the watchword should be, "Forward." To the person thus brought to the enjoyment of salvation, more can not be said in so few words than: "Besides this giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to [151] knowledge edge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. . . . For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." [152]

[NTC3 134-152]