Dear Friends,
This week one young man prayed with me according to the pattern of Luke 18:13 & Romans 10:9.
He is a software engineer with a master’s degree in computer science and works for a Silicon Valley firm in web application development. Here is what he wrote to me:
Dear Dr. Tour, I have been non-religious my whole life, but have recently become interested in Christianity. However, I feel I have some intellectual barriers I need to overcome. I came across your website, and it says that you will take calls with anyone who is interested in learning about your journey. I’m sure you are very busy, but if you are still offering these calls I think hearing from you would be very helpful to me. Let me know if you are willing to arrange something. Best Regards,
From the tone of his email, it is easy to see that he has not a contentious attitude but a sincere interest in the word of truth. With people like this, it is a simple matter of sharing the gospel message, and they embrace the good news. That is precisely what happened. He is now in weekly Bible study Daniale Land and committed to every morning reading in the scriptures.
Acts 16:30 “and after he brought them out, he said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
31 They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.
33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.
Interestingly, I asked that very question of ChatGPT, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
ChatGPT replied to me as shown in red, below, in its entirety:
The question, “What must I do to be saved?” is one of the most significant questions anyone can ask. It echoes the words of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:30-31. The Apostle Paul and Silas responded:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, NASB1995)
Here are the steps to salvation as taught in the Bible:
- Acknowledge Your Need for Salvation
- The Bible teaches that all have sinned:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) - Sin separates us from God, and the penalty is death:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
- The Bible teaches that all have sinned:
- Repent of Your Sins
- Repentance means turning away from sin and turning to God:
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38)
- Repentance means turning away from sin and turning to God:
- Believe in Jesus Christ
- Trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, believing in His death and resurrection for your sins:
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
- Trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, believing in His death and resurrection for your sins:
- Accept God’s Gift of Grace
- Salvation is a gift, not something you can earn by works:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Salvation is a gift, not something you can earn by works:
- Follow Jesus
- Commit to living as a disciple of Christ, obeying His teachings, and growing in faith:
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)
- Commit to living as a disciple of Christ, obeying His teachings, and growing in faith:
Would you like to pray and take the first step toward salvation? A simple prayer of faith might go like this:
Prayer for Salvation
“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust You as my Savior and commit my life to You as my Lord. Help me to follow You and grow in faith. Thank You for Your gift of salvation. Amen.”
If you have more questions or need guidance, please feel free to share!
Excellent answer.
God bless,
Jim Tour
