A closer look at the Phillipian Jailor ! -

Acts 16:30-32

30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Many of them who teach salvation by works use this passage as proof text that believing is a condition man meets to get saved, when this text teaches no such thing, its just careless teaching of this text that comes to that erroneous conclusion !

Paul told the Jailor, who inquired " What must I DO to be saved" Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. BTW, since Paul added "and your house" it is very unlikely that Paul understood the Jailor to be inquiring about anything but soul salvation, and not being saved from roman government reprisal as many have conjectured; and after that it is stated in vs 32 which almost everyone neglects to mention and consider when they run to vs 30-31 for proof text," and they spake unto him the word of the Lord and all in his house" [which is the Gospel]

Now this is a important statement in order to understand vs 31, because how could one believe on the Lord Jesus Christ without knowing some facts about Him ? Is merely believing the historical facts about Christ as Per 1 Cor 15:3-4, is that what believing on or in Christ ? Absolutely not ! So thats why it is important to first preach the word of the Lord to one [as Paul and His associate did] before they can believe on the Lord. No one can just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ unless to them certain facts about Him are made known unto that person !

 

A closer look at the Phillipian Jailor cont !

No one, including the Jailor can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel unless they have been born again, because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor 2:14


14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The Gospel is a spiritual message and must be spiritually discerned !

So unless the person is spiritual themselves, the Gospel is foolishness unto him, that foolishness is the greek word mōria and means:


foolishness

The word is used for the preaching of the Cross or the Gospel in 1 Cor 1:18


18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The word can also be rendered nonsense, the Gospel is foolishness or nonsense to the natural man, those who are perishing !

But to us which are being saved, it is the Power of God. The word saved in the greek is present tense passive voice, the subject is being acted upon, he is being saved by the power of God. I believe that was the case with the Jailor.

Now one cannot believe in Jesus Christ without certain facts being made known. First there must be a certain knowledge of Scripture, remember Paul referenced the scriptures when Preaching Christ 1 Cor 15:1-4

1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Remember Jesus had to open up the understanding of some about Him, by the Scriptures Lk 24:26-27,45

26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

Paul reminded Timothy that it is through Scripture one can be made wise unto salvation by faith in Christ 2 Tim 3:15

15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

So Paul knew that the Jailor first needed to hear the word of the lord, the scriptures before he would believe !

 

Thats off topic. We have discussed that issue already, yes Justification is by Faith, its by the blood Rom 5:9 and its by Grace Titus 3:7. Now if you wanna go more into that, check out thread:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=74882&page=7

Otherwise you will be ignored about it on this thread, Thanks !

 

A closer look at the Phillipian Jailor cont !

So the Jailor was not going to just randomly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Paul commanded him without first Paul preaching Christ to him from the scripture. Notice Paul's method of witness in Thessalonian Acts 17:1-3

1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Do we believe Paul neglected this method with the Jailor ? Paul used the scriptures to witness of Christ to either jew or gentile ! Does it not say that Paul spake unto him and his house " The word of the Lord" Acts 16:32

32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

The word of the Lord is the Gospel, within it are Truths about Christ to be believed ! For Faith cometh by Hearing the word of the Lord Rom 10:17 !

It does not matter whether the person is jew or gentile that the scripture is used to Preach Christ, for instance the Ethiopian Eunuch who was a non jew, and what did Phillip use with him to Preach Christ ? Acts 8:26-38, and notice vs 35

35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

So to believe on Christ, it must be as a result of a knowledge of scripture, and not merely a natural man's knowledge, but a spiritual knowledge, a spiritual persuasion ! The message of the Gospel must be spiritually discerned to be believed 1 Cor 2:14

14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If this Jailor was to receive and believe the Gospel that Paul received and Preached, he would have to be more than a natural man, or the message of the Cross would be foolishness to him 1 Cor 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

One must be in a saved state for the gospel not to be foolishness to them ! The Jailor would have to be in a saved state to believe the word of the Lord , the scriptures ! Are not the scriptures the things of the Spirit of God as stated in 1 Cor 2:14

14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Who inspired the scriptures ? 2 Pet 1:20-21

20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

So if a natural man, a man not yet born again of the Spirit can receive a saving knowledge of Christ and faith in Him from the scripture, then they have done something that defies all the truth in the bible, something God says cannot be done !