What must I do to be saved?

This is the most important question anyone can ask — and the Bible gives a clear answer.

When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas this exact question, the answer was immediate: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." (Acts 16:31). That is the heart of it. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ — not through good works, religious performance, church attendance, or moral effort.

But what does it mean to believe? Biblical faith is not merely intellectual agreement that Jesus existed. James 2:19 points out that even demons believe that — and tremble. Saving faith involves three things: knowing the facts of the gospel (that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead), agreeing that those facts are true, and personally trusting in Christ alone to save you.

Romans 10:9-10 puts it plainly: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Two things — heart belief and mouth confession. The confession is not what saves you; it is the outward expression of the inward reality.

Repentance is also essential. Acts 2:38 links repentance and faith together — "Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Repentance is not merely feeling sorry for sin; it is a genuine turning — away from sin and self-reliance, and toward Christ.

What you cannot do is earn salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 is unambiguous: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Salvation is entirely God's gift, received entirely through faith.

If you have never done this — if you have never come to Christ in genuine repentance and faith — you can do it right now. There is no formula, no magic prayer. Simply come to God honestly, acknowledge that you are a sinner who cannot save yourself, and put your trust in Jesus Christ who died in your place and rose again. That is what it means to be saved.