Steps to Salvation

We can learn a lot from the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a short man, so he climbed on top of a sycamore tree to see Jesus. It was then that Jesus told him to come down and Zacchaeus' life changed. This amazing faith of Zacchaeus is recorded. This kind of story may sound like a fairytale, yet it gives us a very important spiritual message.

- First Step: Longing to be Healed

First, Zacchaeus was short while everyone else was tall, so he could not see Jesus. However, Zacchaeus really desired to see Jesus. He was just too short. So Zacchaeus went up the tree, so he could see Jesus. We have to understand this heart of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus had the heart to see Jesus yet he couldn't; physically he was too short and also, his social status made it difficult for him to approach Jesus. It was very difficult for Zacchaeus to get near Jesus.

We must learn from Zacchaeus' example. Our desire to see Jesus must be greater than anything else. Unfortunately, don't we have usually have faith that is more like a habit? Do we have the heart wanting to see Jesus? This heart was in Zacchaeus, and he touched the heart of Jesus. In faith and salvation, this desire and longing is most important; this is the first step.

When you look at sick people, they often have two ways of thinking. On one hand, they believe that they will get better. Yet they also have this other side thinking that they will die. If a sick person really wants to get better, they must have true hope and long for that. They have to overcome their negative thinking.

We can listen to this message and think we are not sick. Although we are physically healthy, spiritually we are lacking. We should have the hope to be healed of our spiritual diseases whether it is uncontrolled anxiety, emptiness, anger, or envy. We have to check ourselves to see if we have that hope of being healed.

- Second Step: Be humble and listen

When Zacchaeus was on top of the sycamore tree, Jesus called for him to come down. So what is the second step? It is to come down. Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down and meet him.

What we learn here is that we should not just look at Jesus from afar. Instead, we should meet him; we should not stop simply at seeing. This kind of meeting is important. We cannot always remain in the sycamore tree.

Yet, how do we come down? How does this apply to us. It is that we can meet the Lord through the Word. Through the Word, we come to meet Jesus. We should not just look at Jesus with our own eyes and methods. For us to truly understand Jesus, we must listen closely to his words and meet him.

In nother words, the second step is also telling us to listen well. After that, can hear God completely. The Bible says that faith comes from hearing the word, so what do you hear? You hear the word of Christ. You should have a humble attitude when you listen to the gospel.

- Third Step: Receive the Lord in our hearts

Once Zacchaeus had come down from the tree, Jesus then told him that he was going to stay at his house. We can learn here that the third step of salvation is receiving the Lord. We should not stop only at listening, but we have to receive Jesus in our lives.

I Corinthians 3:16 says that we are the temple of God. The ultimate wish of God is to dwell in us. We should not just stop our faith at only listening to the gospel, but we should live with Jesus inside of us.

- Fourth Step: Changing our lives

As a last part of this story, Zacchaeus told Jesus that he would give away half of his possessions to others and give four times as much to the people that he had cheated in his liftime. We can see that his life had changed at this point. Jesus lived the life of serving and gave everything. Zacchaeus saw this and wanted to follow in those footsteps..

The last step toward salvation is for us to change our lives. We should repent of our past life and convert to a life resembling Jesus. Being wholly devoted in faith, we should proceed onward until this last act.

Zacchaeus, although he was a tax collector, a hated position in society, he became saved. His action touched Jesus, and Jesus proclaimed that "today salvation had come to this house." When we live this kind of life, we can become true believers of God. We should examine ourselves constantly and change the method in which we carry our lives. We shouldn't just stop our faith at only listening to the gospel and being touched by that grace. Jesus said, “Follow me.”

When Jesus evangelized, he used two phrases often. The first was “come and see” and the other was “follow me.” He is instructing us to follow his life; this is true salvation. When we accomplish this, we can then become true sons of God.

Apostolos Campus Ministry