Acts 16:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

NIV: He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

NASB: and after he brought them out, he said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'

CSB: He escorted them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

NLT: Then he brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'

KJV: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

NKJV: And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Paul and Silas have saved a jailer's physical life; now he asks them how he can have eternal life.

The magistrates of Philippi have illegally beaten and imprisoned Paul and Silas. In the morning, as is the custom, the officials will ban them from the city. Their mission to spread Jesus' offer of salvation and plant a church in Philippi has come to an end, for now. Instead of lamenting that their time is cut short, they sing praises to God and pray loud enough for the other prisoners to hear (Acts 16:20–25).

Apparently, their rejoicing has brought peace to their audience's hearts. When an earthquake racks the prison, opening doors and shackles, the men all stay. The jailer doesn't know this and, realizing his life will be forfeit for losing prisoners, prepares to kill himself. Paul stops him. The jailer falls at his and Silas's feet. Salvation comes to one last household before Paul and Silas must move on (Acts 16:26–29).

The jailer's words mirror those spoken by the recipients of the first gospel presentation on the first day of the church (Acts 2:37). Salvation, from a traditional Jewish view, meant following the Mosaic law. For the Romans, "salvation" could mean almost anything. Typically, people worshiped household idols for their family's well-being, city gods for their community, national gods for the Empire, and the emperor, himself. Many didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.

Paul and Silas's message is much simpler: believe that Jesus of Nazareth died and rose again for the forgiveness of sin and accept His gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). The jailer and his family do so. The jailer washes the wounds of his two prisoners; they baptize him as a sign his sins are washed away. They all finish the night rejoicing (Acts 16:31–34).

Acts 16:25–40 records Paul's first imprisonment. The Philippian magistrates arrested Paul and Silas and had them beaten for spreading the news about Jesus. The two are now chained in a cell, praying and singing to God. An earthquake shakes the prison, releasing all the doors and chains. Paul assures the jailer no one has left, and the jailer tends to the pair's wounds. They share Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins, and the jailer and his household accept Christ. In the morning, the magistrates attempt to release Paul and Silas, only to be confronted with their own crime: they have illegally punished two Roman citizens. After apologizing, the magistrates ask Paul and Silas to leave town.

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.