Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

When Paul and Silas were in prison and an earthquake shook and their bands were loosed, the keeper of the prison awoke and feared that all his prisoners had fled. Paul called to him, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” He “came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas” and he asked them this most important of questions: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The two great missionaries responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:26-31). That was it—there was no complicated formula or long prescription of requirements to be saved. They did not give him a list of commandments to follow or rituals to perform. What we have to do to be saved is summed up with this action: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

                Paul’s teaching to the jailor is certainly consistent with the teachings of many prophets in the Book of Mormon. Lehi declared of the Savior, “Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved” (2 Nephi 2:9). They who believe will be saved. Nephi similarly taught, “Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 25:13). Again the sole stated requirement was to believe. When the angel came to teach King Benjamin he declared of Christ: “And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name” (Mosiah 3:9). Salvation comes to those who have faith on his name. When Alma taught the people of Ammonihah he gave this power description of the Savior: “And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life” (Alma 11:40). Here again redemption is declared to come for those who believe on the Savior and to none else. When Samuel the Lamanite prophesied of the birth of Jesus he said this, “Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name…. And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved” (Helaman 14:2, 29). He redeems all those who believe on His name, and whosoever believes will be saved.

                I do not think that these statements suggest that we have no works to do in order to become like our Savior; rather, I believe these indicate that if we truly have faith in the Savior, we will do whatever else is necessary to receive salvation. When we believe on the name of Jesus Christ with all our hearts, we will naturally choose to do whatever else He has asked. This is what Samuel the Lamanite suggested:  “And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits” (Helaman 14:13). If we really believe we will repent; if we really believe we will be baptized; and if we really believe in Him we will naturally keep His commandments. But faith in Jesus Christ must come first and underscore all our actions in the gospel, for no matter what we do we cannot be saved except it is through Him. The Savior put it simply to the Nephites this way: “And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God” (3 Nephi 11:33). To inherit the kingdom of God we must believe in Him with all our hearts, and everything else that is needed will follow.