In Acts 16:26-31 we read, “Suddenly there was a great earthquake,
so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the
doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the
prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the
prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm,
for we are all here.’ Then he
called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?’ So they said,
‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household.’” The people of
the “faith only” doctrine want to stop right here and go no farther in
the reading.
But why stop on verse 31? There
is more to it than this. The
jailer had asked the question in verse 30, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?" Let's also look at
the next three verses, which say, "Then they spoke the word of the Lord
to him and to all who were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.
And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them;
and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household" (Acts
16:32-34).
Notice verse 32 says they
"spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his
house." Why?
So they could believe. Before
a person can be saved, he must first believe.
But does belief alone save him? Are
people saved when they only believe? What
does the Bible say? In John
12:42-43 we read, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed on
Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should
be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the
praise of God." Were these
people saved? They believed, but
they wouldn’t confess Him. Jesus
says in Matthew 10:32-33, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men,
him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My
Father who is in heaven." A
person will be lost if he is ashamed to confess Jesus before men.
Then we also read in James 2:19, "You believe there is one God.
You do well, even the devils believe and tremble."
Are the devils going to go to Heaven because they believe and even
tremble? I think not.
If this is all that is required to be saved, then the devils are
saved and will be in Heaven also.
Next notice the first part of verse 33 which says, "And he took
them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes".
This showed that he had repented, because Jesus says, "Unless
you repent you shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3).
One cannot be saved unless he repents.
Next notice the second half of verse 33 which says, "And
immediately he and all his family were baptized".
Notice the Bible says they were immediately baptized.
Why? Why were they
immediately baptized? Why didn't
the church at Philippi first take a vote on them, to first see if they were
worthy of their salvation, and then wait a month to baptize them (but not to
be saved), but as an initiation ceremony to add them to and to join their
particular denomination?
Notice after he was baptized, verse 34 says, “and he rejoiced,
having believed in God with all his household".
His rejoicing came after he was baptized and was saved, not before.