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Chuck Horner: I’m Chuck Horner, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in South Hayward. My question is what must we do to be right with God to be saved?



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Brother Bob Pellien: Welcome everyone, and thank you particularly so much, Mr. Horner, for your question for today. And your question is a question that’s, well, it’s often heard from people who are really seeking to understand about God’s ways. The problem is that many people, however, have made the mistake of drawing their own conclusions, even their own strategies, let’s say, about how to put themselves right with God. 



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QUESTION: What must one do to be put right with God?



Brother Bob: But as always, here in the Church Of Christ, and on this program, That’s in the Bible, the answer to your question will always come from this book—the Holy Scriptures.



Can devotion alone lead to being saved?



So what has the Apostle Paul, for example, said, Mr. Horner, about your question? Did he provide any warning or guidance to us? We turn to the book of Romans 10, verse 2 and 3. He gave this warning:



I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with Himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God’s way of putting people right.



[Romans 10:2-3 Good News Translation]



Brother Bob: So Chuck, the answer to your question is not, therefore, just being devoted to God as so many people think. Chuck, what will be the danger if one would just choose their own way of putting themselves right with God? Their own strategy to do that? Here in Proverbs 14, and let’s listen together what’s recorded here in verse 12. It says this:



There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.



[Proverbs 14:12 New King James Version]



What does the Bible say about the second death?



Brother Bob: So clearly here, Chuck, the Bible teaches that although it may seem right to a person—their own strategy, their own idea, maybe just being devoted or whatever—but the Bible says what seems right to a person may in fact lead them to death. And it’s not only the death referred to here. It’s not only the ending of our biological life, it’s also the infliction of a second death—a death. And how does the Bible further describe that death? It’s mentioned in the book of Revelation chapter 20, verse 14 like this:



Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.



[Revelation 20:14 New King James Version]



Brother Bob: The Bible calls it a second death, a death in the lake of fire. So in fact, what if a person will decide to make the next step and say, “Well then I guess if it’s not my own strategy that I need to implement to make myself right with God, then what do I need to do?” Maybe they’ll conclude, “Well I just need to be worshipping God. As long as I’m worshipping God,