Acts 16:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

NIV: They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.'

NASB: They said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'

CSB: They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

NLT: They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.'

KJV: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

NKJV: So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The previous day, the city magistrates in Philippi beat and imprisoned Paul and Silas for sharing Jesus' story. That night, an earthquake freed them and the other prisoners from their cells. They all stayed, saving the jailer from execution. Now, the two explain how Jesus offers forgiveness of sins, saving the jailer and his family from eternity in hell (Acts 16:20–30).

In the Roman Empire, people typically prayed and offered grain to household idols for the good of the family. Each city had specific gods the people were expected to worship so the region would be blessed (Acts 19:28). The Empire had dozens of gods, including the emperor, all of whom needed to be placated. Beliefs on the resurrection of the dead depended on one's philosophical school. Only the Jews were authorized to worship an invisible God, and they were called "atheists" for doing so. But some philosophers were functional atheists, denying the existence of the supernatural but only in secret for fear of persecution.

With all these different worldviews, it's understandable the jailer would ask Paul and Silas how to be saved. They introduce him to the invisible Jewish God and the visible Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was resurrected, and now offers forgiveness to all who have faith to accept it. They explain how His offer is not because anyone deserves it—no one does—but because God has grace to save (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Paul will later describe how he takes pride in his ability to adapt to any situation: whatever is needed to share Jesus' offer of salvation (1 Corinthians 9:19–23; Philippians 4:11–13). As he says in 1 Corinthians 9:23, "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." Sitting in the home of his jailer, blood drying on his skin, knowing he will have to leave the city in the morning, Paul shows no condemnation. If given half the chance, nothing will keep him from sharing Jesus' love.

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.