Acts 16:31, Believe and You'll Be Saved?

The Philippian Jailer and the Question of Saving Faith

In Act 16, Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi, when after rebuking an annoying girl and casting out her demon, they found themselves tried, beaten, and thrown in prison. The jailer was ordered to keep them safely, so he locked them up and fastened them into stocks.

That night, Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God, when suddenly there was an earthquake so great that all the jail doors flew open. When the jailer ran in and saw the doors, he drew his sword to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul cried out, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here. The jailer asked them, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

What It Means to Believe in the Lord Jesus

So we just believe, and then we're saved, right? And believe what exactly? That Jesus existed? That he died and rose again? That he is God? Because even the demons believe that and tremble. Well, the story doesn't end in verse 31.

After Paul and Silas said, Believe, they gave the jailer and his household the word of the Lord. Because, as it says in Romans, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But there's yet another verse that helps us understand belief, and it appears three chapters earlier in Acts 13, 48.

Belief as the Result of God's Saving Work

Paul and Barnabas preached at Antioch, and when the Gentiles heard the gospel, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. So when we read, whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life, we know belief is not our work, but God's when we understand the text.