“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

When people ask, “What must I do to be saved?” they often hear different answers. Just believe. Pray a particular prayer. Be baptized as a baby. Repent and be baptized. Does it really matter?

The gospel isn’t good advice about how to save ourselves. It’s good news that a Savior has come! Before we ask how to be saved, we need to know who saves us.

What’s Our Story?

• Dead: We were dead in our trespasses and sins, separated from God and unable to rescue ourselves (Eph. 2:1-3).
• But God: Rich in mercy and great in love, God made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:4-7).
• By Grace: Salvation is God’s gift, received through faith (Eph. 2:8-10).

Trust. Turn. Cross. Walk.

The New Testament describes our response to Jesus as a connected journey of faith rather than a series of unrelated requirements.

1. Trust: Believe in Jesus Christ, trusting him and entrusting yourself to him, confessing him as Lord (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-17).
2. Turn: Repent, turning away from sin and toward God (Acts 2:38; 3:19).
3. Cross: Be baptized into Christ, united with him in his death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5).
4. Walk: Continue in the new life Christ gives, trusting him, turning from sin, and walking in his light (Rom. 6:4; 1 John 1:7-10).

Crossing With Christ

Throughout Scripture, God brings his people through judgment into deliverance. Israel passed through the Red Sea (1 Cor. 10:1-2). Noah and his family were brought safely through the flood (1 Peter 3:20-21). We have an even greater rescue accomplished through Christ.

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).

Colossians 2:12 describes being raised with Christ in baptism through faith in the powerful working of God. Our confidence rests in what God has done.

How Did People Respond to the Gospel?

The book of Acts shows how people responded when they heard the good news about Jesus:

• Acts 2:38 — Peter told the people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.
• Acts 8:35-39 — After Philip preached Jesus, the Ethiopian official was baptized.
• Acts 16:30-34 — The Philippian jailer believed the message about Jesus and was baptized that same night.
• Acts 22:16 — Ananias told Saul to rise, be baptized, and wash away his sins, calling on the Lord’s name.

These accounts show why our response to the gospel matters. Don’t replace the invitation given through Jesus’ apostles with something else.