Acts 16:29-31 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

In 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul speaks of “…the simplicity that is in Christ.” That this is indeed a fact, can be seen from his response to the Philippian jailer’s question in Acts 16. Peter’s declaration to the high priest and his kindred in Acts 4 is equally clear, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). What is that name? Acts 4: 10 tells us “…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth”. In order to be saved one must believe the gospel and the gospel is plainly declared in 1 Cor 15:1-4. In order to be saved a person must believe “…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:” (vv 3-4). This is the simple truth of the gospel of the grace of God. No one is saved by good works (Eph 2:8-9). No one is saved by keeping the law (Gal 2:16). 

Friend, if you are depending on your good works to get you into heaven, you are sorely mistaken. If you are trusting in some religious rite that you performed (i.e., taking communion, baptism, etc.) you are not saved. Salvation is the result of placing one’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, whose name is Jesus. This is the gospel according to the apostle Paul and he received this gospel from the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12). It is Paul who said, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8). Friend, this is one truth that is absolutely vital, for it concerns your eternal destination. Please do not allow this eternal truth to be dismissed as trivial or something with which you will consider later. Listen to Paul’s affirmation of the importance of the gospel in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Now is the time to settle this most essential matter. It is my prayer that you will.