Introduction: The Most Important Question
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A jailer in the city of Philippi once asked the most important question a human being can ask. He had been woken in the night by an earthquake, and he thought his prisoners had escaped. He fell trembling before Paul and Silas and asked: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Their answer was short enough to remember: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).
This book unfolds that answer. It explains what "saved" means, why we need saving, what God has done, and how anyone can receive it. It follows the pattern of the Bible itself, which tells the story of salvation from beginning to end.
Good News
The word "gospel" means "good news," and the Bible's most famous verse sums it up: "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). The next verse adds: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).
What Does "Saved" Mean?
In the Bible, to be saved means to be rescued: from the penalty of sin, from its power, and eventually from its very presence. It means being brought into a restored relationship with God, forgiven, made new, and given eternal life. Jesus described His own mission this way: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
The Shape of This Book
The chapters follow a logical order, sometimes summed up in five questions:
| Question | Chapter |
| Who is God? | 2 |
| What is wrong with us? | 3 |
| What has God done about it? | 4 |
| How do I receive it? | 5, 6, and 7 |
| What happens next? | 8, 9, and 10 |
Chapter 11 answers common questions and struggles, and Chapter 12 offers an invitation. You may read straight through or turn first to Chapter 7, which sets out the steps plainly.
A word about method. Christians across history, from Augustine to John Wesley to modern writers, have taught that coming to God is not mainly a matter of learning facts but of turning to a Person [1]. Augustine famously prayed that our hearts are restless until they rest in God [2]. The Bible agrees, and so we begin with Him.
CHAPTER 2