Two of the most important words we can ever understand are found in one sentence from the Bible. They are the first and last words in the book of Acts chapter 16 and verse 31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”

THE MEANING OF “SAVED”

Let’s begin at the end of the sentence and ask what it means to be saved. Of course we understand that being saved in natural terms always means being saved from something. If you are struggling in the water, you need to be saved from drowning. If you are in a burning building, you need to be saved from  the fire.

From what does the Bible say we need to be saved? You may not feel you are in any danger at all at the moment. Yet God’s Word tells us that Christ Jesus came into the world to save us (see 1 Timothy 1:15). Save us from what?

When Jesus was to be born, an angel from heaven explained that his name was to be Jesus, meaning “Jehovah (God) is salvation.” The angel said, “And [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

So there is the answer. We need to be saved from our sins. We need to be saved from the judgment which our sins deserve. And we need to be saved from the grip that sin has on our hearts and minds, from the damage that sin does to our lives, our relationships, and everything else it touches. Yes, we need to be saved.

But if the way to be saved, according to the statement at the top, is to believe on the Lord Jesus, what exactly does it mean to believe?