“What Shall We Do?”

By Jeff May

            I’m noticing more and more that when I as a preacher of the gospel tell people what to do to become a Christian, some seem bothered.  They respond as if I have somehow offended Christ or made light of His cross.  I was once even told about a TV evangelist who was preaching in Acts 2 and came to the question the crowd asked Peter.  “Men and brethren, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37).  The preacher then boldly asserted, “There is nothing to do!  Jesus has done it all.”  How different that was from Peter’s answer.

            The question “What Shall We Do?” or similar questions are found a number of times in scripture.  Let us examine how the question was answered.

            In Acts 2, Peter’s answer to “What Shall We Do?” was “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).  He told them what to do.

            In Acts 9, when Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul asked Him, “Lord, what do you want me to do” (Acts 9:6)?  Jesus was not offended at the question and didn’t think it minimized His work at the cross.  He simply answered, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6).  Not only did Jesus tell him there was something to do, He told him there would be something he must do.  When Saul arrived in the city, Ananias came to him and told him, “And now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

            In Acts 16, the Philippian Jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved”(Acts 16:30)?  He was told, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 22:31).  They first pointed him to the man (Christ) and then shared His plan (vs. 32).  Then he did something. “He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.  And immediately he and all his family were baptized” (Acts 16:33).

            In each of these instances, those who needed to be saved were told what to do.  Jesus is not insulted when we teach people what to do nor does it minimize His work.  It’s all from Him.  Without His cross, all the “doing” in the world would be worthless.  It is Jesus we praise for our salvation, not our “do’s”.  I’ve often used John 9 as an example.  In that context, a man was blind.  Jesus told him something to do and the man was healed.  “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”, Jesus said (Jn. 9:7).  The man later returns with joy saying, “I went and washed and I received sight” (John 9:11).  Jesus was the key to His healing, yet Jesus told him something to do.  He praised Jesus!

            Even the “do’s” magnify Jesus.  I notice in Romans 6 when a person is baptized, he is crucified with Christ (6:6), buried with Christ (6:4) and raised with Christ (6:4).  How much closer to Christ could we get?  Far from minimizing the cross of Christ, the command to be baptized takes us to the core of the gospel; His death, burial and resurrection!

            Yes, we must tell people what to do to be saved.  That’s our commission from the Lord.  Those things must be done.  And when they are done, let’s remember still “When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do’” (Luke 17:10).