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Acts 16:31
Salvation by Belief
Acts 16:31
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
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Why it is worth knowing
- The simplicity of the gospel: believe in the Lord Jesus
- “Lord” is the confession of his authority; “Jesus” the name of his humanity
- Salvation is offered not just to an individual but extends to the household
- This is Paul’s direct answer to the jailer’s question: “What must I do to be saved?”
Where it sits: Acts 16:29-34
He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. He brought them up into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Acts page.
Background
The Philippian jailer had been instructed to guard Paul and Silas securely. When a miraculous earthquake opened the prison doors, he assumed the prisoners had escaped and was about to kill himself (the penalty for losing prisoners was death). Paul stopped him, and the terrified jailer asked the most important question a person can ask. Paul’s answer is the simplest summary of the gospel in Acts: “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” The jailer’s immediate response (washing their wounds, being baptized, feeding them, rejoicing) shows genuine transformation.