What Must I Do to Be Saved?

The question—and the biblical answer

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 16:30–31 · KJV

The Philippian jailer asked this question after an earthquake opened the prison doors. Paul and Silas pointed him to the Lord Jesus Christ. They then spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. The account continues with baptism and rejoicing in faith (verses 32–34).

The answer begins with Christ. Salvation is God’s rescue of sinners from sin and its judgment, bringing them into a reconciled relationship with Him through His Son. The promise to the jailer’s household was not automatic salvation based on one person’s faith: the household also heard the gospel.

This study follows the Bible’s call to repent and believe. These are not payments that earn salvation or a mechanical checklist; they describe our response to the saving work of Jesus.

Read alongside: Acts 16:25–34; Matthew 1:21; Romans 5:1

1. Recognize your need: all have sinned

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:23 · KJV

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23 · KJV

Paul’s argument in Romans places both Jews and Gentiles under sin. Neither a religious background nor a respectable life removes our need for forgiveness. Sin is not only making mistakes; it includes disobedience to God and falling short of His glory.

Notice the contrast in Romans 6:23: death is described as sin’s wages, while eternal life is God’s gift through Jesus Christ. We need more than self-improvement. We need the forgiveness and life that God gives. Recognizing that need means coming honestly, without excusing our sin or pretending that we can save ourselves.

Read alongside: Romans 3:9–26; Romans 6:20–23; Luke 18:9–14

2. Understand the gospel: Jesus died and rose again

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 · KJV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 · KJV

Christian faith has a definite foundation: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Paul presents these events as central to the gospel, not as optional details. Our confidence rests in what Christ has done.

The Father’s love is expressed in giving His Son. Salvation is received through Him, rather than through our achievements or another person’s goodness. Believing the gospel includes trusting the living Christ personally; it is more than admiring His teachings or agreeing that He once existed.

Read alongside: 1 Corinthians 15:1–8, 14–20; John 3:14–18; Acts 4:12

3. Repent: turn to God from sin

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Acts 3:19 · KJV

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:21 · KJV

In Acts 3, Peter calls his hearers to repent and turn after proclaiming the risen Jesus. In Acts 20, Paul summarizes his preaching with repentance toward God and faith toward Christ. Repentance and faith belong together in the response to the gospel.

Repentance involves a change of mind and heart that turns us toward God and away from sin. Sorrow may accompany it, but sorrow alone is not the whole response. Second Corinthians 7:10 distinguishes godly sorrow that produces repentance from the sorrow of the world.

You do not have to repair your entire life before coming to Jesus. You come acknowledging your sin and surrendering to Him, willing to leave the old way as He changes you. Repentance is not earning forgiveness; it is turning to the One who forgives.

Read alongside: Acts 3:12–26; Acts 20:17–21; Mark 1:14–15; 2 Corinthians 7:9–10

4. Believe in your heart and confess Jesus as Lord

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9–10 · KJV

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:13 · KJV

Paul joins inward faith with outward confession. The heart is the center of personal trust and commitment, not merely passing emotion. Confessing Jesus as Lord acknowledges who He is and our allegiance to Him.

Calling upon the Lord is an expression of dependence: we appeal to Him for the salvation we cannot produce. Scripture does not prescribe one exact “sinner’s prayer” whose wording saves a person. The promise concerns faith in the Lord Himself, not the recitation of a formula.

Romans 10:14–17 also emphasizes hearing the message of Christ. Faith has an object and a foundation. We trust the crucified and risen Lord revealed in the gospel, rather than trusting the strength of our feelings or the sound of our own words.

Read alongside: Romans 10:8–17; John 1:12–13; Acts 16:31–32

5. Receive the gift: salvation is by grace through faith

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8–10 · KJV

Grace speaks of God’s freely given favor. We cannot put God in our debt by religious activity, giving money, or accumulating enough good deeds. Ephesians 2 begins with people dead in sins and then announces what God, rich in mercy, has done through Christ.

Keep verses 8–10 together. We are not saved by works, yet we are created in Christ for good works. Obedience is the intended result of salvation, not the price we pay to obtain it. This protects us from both boasting in our goodness and treating grace as permission to continue in sin.

No education, financial status, family background, or sinless past makes a person worthy to be saved. Our hope is God’s mercy and Christ’s finished sacrifice.

Read alongside: Ephesians 2:1–10; Titus 3:3–7; Romans 3:24–28

6. Be baptized and learn to follow Christ

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:38 · KJV

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19–20 · KJV

After Peter proclaimed Jesus’ death, resurrection, and lordship at Pentecost, his hearers asked what they should do. His answer called for repentance and baptism. Those who received his word were baptized and continued in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers (Acts 2:41–42).

Christians differ on baptism’s precise relationship to receiving salvation, but the command itself is clear. Baptism should not be dismissed as unimportant. Jesus joins it with making disciples and teaching them to obey His commands. Romans 6:3–4 connects baptism with Christ’s death and resurrection and walking in newness of life.

The response to the gospel leads into a life of discipleship: be baptized, gather with a Bible-teaching church, learn the Scriptures, pray, and depend on the Holy Spirit as you obey Christ. These are expressions of following Him, not a replacement for faith in Him.

Read alongside: Acts 2:36–42; Acts 16:32–34; Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 6:1–4

7. Rest in His promise and continue in Him

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:37 · KJV

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 · KJV

Jesus welcomes those who come to Him. Assurance rests in His faithfulness and the truth of His promise, rather than a particular emotional experience. First John 5:11–13 places eternal life in God’s Son and speaks of knowing that we have eternal life through believing in His name.

New life in Christ produces a new direction. This does not mean a believer immediately reaches sinless maturity. First John calls believers to walk in the light and, when they sin, to confess rather than conceal it; Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father (1 John 1:7–2:2).

Continue in faith, abide in Christ, and respond to His Word. The biblical invitation is personal: acknowledge your need, turn to God, believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, and call upon Him as Lord. You come with empty hands, trusting the Saviour who gives life.

Read alongside: John 6:35–40; John 15:1–10; 1 John 1:7–2:2; 1 John 5:11–13; Colossians 1:21–23