They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Some wish to prove from this text that when the head of a family comes to faith, he can be assured that his whole family will follow him in faith. There is no such promise here. If you read these verses carefully you will see that the offer of salvation by faith in Jesus was offered to the jailer, and to his whole household. The message of salvation was proclaimed to the jailer, and his whole household. The message of salvation was believed by the jailer, and his whole household. And as the jailer professed his faith by being baptized, so did the others in his household. The offer was to the jailer and all of his household. The acceptance of this offer was by the jailer and his whole household, but there is no guarantee that this will always be so. The question that was asked by that jailor at the prison in Philippi, is the foundational question that should be in the heart of everyone born into this world: “What must I do to be saved?” And the answer is equally fundamental: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to trust in the person of the Son of God, to put our faith in the one and only object that has the power to save…the Lord Jesus Christ…the only begotten Son of God…humanities unique Son of Man…the God-Man Jesus, Who is Creator of heaven and earth, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. The unbeliever must put his trust in the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. And once saved, that position is eternally secure and will never be taken away. All the jailor needed to do to be saved was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and all his family needed to do to be saved was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And the only place that God has given us revelation of HIM is to be found in the Word of God…the Scriptures…the holy Bible. But once we are saved through faith, we are to live and grow and develop through faith. And all we need to know about sanctifying faith for the saved man or woman is also found in the Scriptures. It is not to be found in nature, although that is certainly a demonstration of God’s power. It is not to be found in a philosophy or denominational regulations. It is not to be found in the traditions of men or in a ritual ceremony. God’s divine revelation is in His WORD…for faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. Faith is the key that opens our understanding to the Christian life. We are to be SAVED by faith; to STAND by faith; to WALK by faith; to RUN by faith; to FIGHT the good fight by faith; to PRAY by faith; to LIVE by faith. Indeed, we are to do ALL that we do by faith in Christ. And the first step in our Christian life is simply to believe: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” This verse is a simple statement in a straightforward story of salvation that emphasizes belief as the only condition for salvation, the only thing a person must do. The object of belief is the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Savior chosen by God to accomplish the work for our salvation through His death and resurrection. There is no demand to turn from sins or to submit to Jesus as Master of one’s life. It is clear that each person who would be saved must believe in this Jesus for eternal salvation. Having experienced the grace of God, those who believe should then submit to the Lord’s will for their lives. Let us tell all we meet of this simple, yet life changing truth. Let us not cloud the simplicity of the gospel with any of our human reasoning, rules, or regulations, but simply tell people who want to know how to be saved, by faith in the death and Resurrection of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Steve 