One of my favorite passages from the Bible is found in Acts 16. In Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned for being a public nuisance. While completely innocent, they were able to find reason to rejoice and sing praises to the Lord. Probably unaware, they had an audience. The fellow prisoners listened in, who knows maybe they simply woke up because this occurred in the middle of the night. However, there was someone else listening to their worship, the Lord.
Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, the floor, walls, ceiling of the jail were literally shaking, then the doors open and every one’s bands were loose. Not just Paul and Silas, but it says all the prisoners were loose! Understandably, the jailer was devastated, how will he explain this to his employers who would likely execute him? Believing Paul, Silas and everyone likely escaped, he was ready to take his own life by sword. Just at the moment of sure death, Paul cries out to the jailer and says we are here, we are ALL here! Believing that he was seconds from death, the jailer takes a deep breath of relief knowing he will be okay. All he can do is tremble and fall at the feet of Paul and Silas and says the famous line “Sirs, what must I do to be saved”?
Think about this plea from the Jailer, how would he have heard the phrase “to be saved”, how did he know he needed to be saved from something? For the same reason Paul and Silas ended up in prison, for being a public nuisance, for preaching deliverance of the people, freeing people from demons, flipping cultures and tradition upside down. They were preaching salvation, they were likely using the phrases “to be saved” in their public preaching.
What would you say to someone who was seconds from death? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou should be saved”.
Keep the Gospel Message Clear. Keep your terminology clear.
Romans 1:16a "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;”