There is no greater subject for man to consider than that of his salvation. Yet, there is no subject concerning which there is more confusion and conflicting ideas. The primary reason for all this confusion is that many do not really study the teaching of the scriptures, but, rather, go by tradition, creed, and/or feelings. The essential difference involves how one views God and man’s role in the matter of salvation. The religious world is primarily observed in two irreconcilable camps, salvation is wholly of God or grace and man saves himself by his own meritorious works. Indeed, these theologies are totally incompatible. Paul emphatically wrote regarding such matters:

     Man errs in that he often does not understand the operative nature of God’s grace. God’s grace, moreover, provides and precipitates belief; grace reigns in the environment of righteousness, and one can remove oneself from this setting; one can also "fall from grace" (Acts 18: 27, Rom. 5: 21; Gal. 1: 6, Gal. 5: 4). God’s grace, while powerful and totally capable of accomplishing what it is designed to do, works in concert with the will of man. For instance, grace is operative in that it "teaches man" (Tit. 2: 11). However, man must be subject to the teaching of grace in order for grace to advantageously affect him (Tit. 2: 11-14). Man must also receive God’s grace, but grace can be received in vain (cp. 2 Cor. 6: 1). The advocates of salvation "wholly of grace" do not understand and apply these relevant scriptures. May I suggest that any doctrine that excludes man in the matter of his salvation is fallacious and any theology that eliminates God and has man earning his own salvation is spurious to the utmost! Moreover, the truth lies between these manifest extremes.

     In order to achieve any appreciable degree of thoroughness regarding the concept of "Save yourselves," it is needful that I inject and briefly examine the idea of monergism (Greek, idea of one and only one) and synergism (Greek, meaning joint or combined). In the full, yet, practical sense, monergists are considered as believing that "salvation" is altogether of God, man having no part at all to play, not even the providing of an agreeable will that is the result of their own submission to God and His teaching. Synergists believe man in some manner, at least, and in some way or ways, contributes in his salvation by providing an agreeable will, at a minimum. The wording and teaching of especially monergists tend to be ambiguous (many synergists also are characterized by conflicting language, rationale, and explanation). For instance, some popular monergists even say that they believe man must possess an agreeable will; thus, not sounding so exclusive of man’s role. What some do not know is that most of these monergists go even deeper in their "Salvation by God alone" theology by asserting that the sinner who brings an accepting will only does so because God thus placed in him this will anterior to the original creation of the world. Of course, this same God, according to these monergists, withheld the placement of such a will in others. In both instances, this placement or lack thereof was totally independent and arbitrary of man. Hence, the human doctrine of fatalistic predestination (see addendum 1). These, including a large percentage of religious teachers today, have no real concept of Peter’s language, "Save yourselves." Consider the following quotation, which is indicative of the basic thinking of true monergists:

     The foregoing quoted monergist confuses the matter when he inserts and plays on, "rejects." The full possible scenario of man and his failure to accept the gospel can involve outright rejection (cp. Acts 7: 51-60). However, it also involves the possibility of indifference and a failure to want to know God’s will (cp. Acts 17: 32-34). All of these conditions result in one being lost and such a lost state is one’s fault, not the fault of God who would have all men to repent and be saved (2 Pet. 3: 9, consistent monergists would counter by saying that God must independently of man even supply repentance).

     Having provided the immediately above for foundation material, let us now return to our precise topic of "save yourselves." Consider Peter’s statement in his first recorded sermon, the first sermon of the age of the gospel:

     The scriptures, you will recall, constitute "the word of his grace," Acts 20: 32, teach us that we are responsible for doing certain things, things that are requisite to our salvation. Jesus said to, "…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven," "…judge ye yourselves what is right," and, "…take heed to yourselves" (Matt. 6: 20; Luke 12: 57, Luke 21: 24). While man does not and cannot merit salvation, any teaching that man is totally passive and inactive is patently false (see addendum 2).

     Some have objected to "save yourselves" in Acts 2: 40 (King James) based on comments by the Greek grammarian Robertson:

     In the strict grammatical sense, "save yourselves" is in the passive voice, but does such mean, as some contend, that Acts 2: 40 means that man is passive and God alone works?  Some translations convey the passive voice by rendering the original, "Be saved" (see the Interlinear Greek-English New Testament). If I were translating the verse and desired to emphasize the passive voice feature of the Greek aothete, I would render it, "Allow yourselves to be saved…." The real question now becomes how does one "allow oneself" to be saved?

     The context of Acts 2: 40 provides the answer as to how one allows oneself to be saved (Peter’s sermon is found in Acts 2: 14-40). When these people learned from Peter’s relevant sermon that they were lost, they cried out, "…men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Vs. 37). Peter told them:

     We are told in our study verse, "…with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." The historian then states:

     They, thus, allowed themselves to be saved by receiving the gospel, the word of God’s grace, which involved faith, repentance, and baptism (Acts 2: 36, 38, cp. I Cor. 15: 1, 2, see addendum 3). So, we see that the rendering "save yourselves" and "allow yourselves to be saved" in the practical application involve the same basic components, actions, and particulars. Some, in a desperate effort to remove man’s responsibility as seen in Acts 2: 40 retort by saying that Peter is simply showing how to be detached from evil influences, "untoward generation," and is not dealing with salvation. One commentator correctly comments on Acts 2: 40 as follows:

     All that God requires and is involved in receiving God’s grace does not constitute works whereby man can glory or earn merit (cp. Tit. 3: 5, see addendum 4). Paul presents the perfect blend when he penned pertaining to salvation:

     Salvation is "by grace" (gar charite), "through faith" (dia pisteos). "Grace" is God’s part; "faith" is man’s part in that man must allow the word to develop faith in him and then he must act upon this faith (Rom. 10: 17, saving faith is always presented as active, Gal. 5: 6).

     It behooves man, then, to humbly do all that grace teaches him and thus, "…receive not the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. 6: 1). I might add and close by saying that man’s role in his salvation is comparatively minuscule in view of God’s marvelous grace and all glory belongs to God (2 Cor. 9: 14, Luke 17: 10).  (To read more about salvation, click on, "What Must I Do To Be Saved?")