And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Acts 16:30-31
For one who is lost in their sins to ever take the steps necessary to enter into a right relationship with God, he or she must have faith. Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. The Phillipian Jailor of Acts 16 sets for us a wonderful example.
What he had experienced convinced him he needed to act. As we read the account of Acts 16, as soon as he collected himself, he immediately took action. He was convinced, no need to wait. The Bible tells us in verse 29 that he sprang in, which meant he rushed or jumped into the area Paul and Silas were being held. God is showing us here, by the inspired pen, to learn how faith should be, acted upon immediately. How sad it is that many are convinced but never act. In scripture, faithful are the ones who act upon convictions.
He was told to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we must point out that that is not the point his salvation came or where the account of his conversion ends. He is told ‘shalt be’ or ‘will be’, meaning belief would lead him to complete the steps needed. In verse 32, we read he and his family were taught then baptized. This is the same pattern Jesus laid out in Mark 16:16. Again, working within the context of scripture, belief leads to obedience which equals salvation (James 2:14-26).
His belief also caused him to fear God more than man. It is obvious he had a great respect and fear for his superiors who had charged him with their keeping (Acts 16:23,27). As this account progresses, it becomes painfully obvious being convinced by the evidence of everything that happens in Acts 16, he simply would not allow any man to stand between him learning for himself and his family what was right in the eyes of God. He had no problem seeking information from those he was supposed to keep in shackles.
The faith of this man, though lost in sin at our introduction to him, shows us so much in how we should act that we too will maintain a life of faithful obedience that will lead us in the way God would have us go.
By Jason Barger