What do believers say when you ask or tell them..

[Ryft]

So in order for me to be saved, I need to believe that Christ is my personal Savior (an entity that is also considered God)? Or am I getting this wrong?

You are getting this wrong. Let me construct a chain we can follow.

(1) Salvation is through Christ alone, by who he is (sinless substitute) and what he did (atoning sacrifice). (2) His death paid for the sins of all who repent and believe. (3) So in order to be saved, you need to be one of those who repent and believe, because that's whose sins his death paid for. (4) If you do not repent and believe, your sins are not covered by his sacrifice, leaving you to pay for your sins on your own. (Note: It is not your repentance and belief that saves you. It is Christ's life and death that saves you, a salvation you enter into through repentance and belief.)

If there are any lingering questions, go ahead and ask. I hope I've made it clear, but only you can tell me.

You're a smart guy. I'll take it as a given that you understand how burden of proof works. I'm making the claim that no objectively verifiable evidence is available that points to the existence of a God, much less a Christian God. The onus is on the person making the God claim to provide sufficient evidence.

Okay, time for my own clarifications. Your claim is, "No objectively verifiable evidence is available that points to the existence of [God]."

Is that claim true? (Follow-up question depends on how you answer.)

You made the point that the universe had a beginning, and that God having a creator is a loaded question.

Correct.

Do you believe that God was the creator of the universe? If yes, what evidence do you have to support this claim?

The Bible, primarily. (I don't have the time to get into the other supports, nor does this forum grant that much space. So I'll just stick with the Bible in this conversation.)