What Must I DO to be Saved?

Joel Osteen’s book “Become a Better You” begins by telling the reader what he must do to “be like God.” Significantly, the serpent in the Garden told Eve that in spite of already having been created in the image of God, there was something else they must “do” to be “like” God.

Since the Fall, man has been trying to recover the lost image of God by his own efforts. The rich young man comes to Jesus and says “I have done all of the law…now what must I do to be saved.” Any teaching that focuses on what you must “do” to become better is contrary to the truth: there is nothing you can do to be saved and nothing you can “do” to become better!

Nothing we do—no matter how many books we write or how many people attend our churches, or how many miracles we have done—defines us. Real change—being transformed into His image—will happen only when we are consumed with knowing and possessing the heart of Christ. In Christ, yes, I can do all things because it is Christ in me who is at work. But apart from Him, I can do nothing! Unfortunately, the lack of such a distinction in his book “Become a Better You” is going to trip up a lot of would-be followers of Jesus.