In this context, "Believe" refers to trusting the sovereign God"s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer. [1][source]
This verse raises the question of lordship salvation most clearly in Acts. Must a person make Jesus the Lord (Master) of his or her life to become a Christian?[source]
Most evangelicals believe that to become a Christian one need only trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ. It is not necessary to submit to Him completely as personal Master to be saved. [2] Some contend that the sinner must also yield his life completely to Jesus as Master as well as Savior to be saved. [3][source]
Those who hold the lordship view insist on the necessity of acknowledging Jesus as Master of one"s life in the act of receiving Him as Savior. According to them these are not two separate sequential acts or successive steps but one act of faith. A few expressions of the lordship salvation view are these. [source][source][source]
"The astonishing idea is current in some circles today that we can enjoy the benefits of Christ"s salvation without accepting the challenge of His sovereign Lordship." [4][source]
"In most instances the modern "evangelist" assures his congregation that all any sinner has to do in order to escape Hell and make sure of Heaven is to "receive Christ as his personal Savior." But such teaching is utterly misleading. No one can receive Christ as His Savior while he rejects Him as Lord. Therefore, those who have not bowed to Christ"s sceptre and enthroned Him in their hearts and lives, and yet imagine that they are trusting Him as Savior, are deceived." [5][source]
"Where there is no clear knowledge, and hence no realistic recognition of the real claims that Christ makes, there can be no repentance, and therefore no salvation." [6][source]
"When we teach (whether it is Matthew , or Romans , or any other book in the New Testament-even in comparison to the Old Testament), we teach that when a person comes to Christ, he receives Him as Savior and Lord, and that genuine salvation demands a commitment to the lordship of Christ." [7][source]
""Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" means "Unless you who call yourselves Christians, who profess to be justified by faith alone and therefore confess that you have nothing whatever to contribute to your own justification-unless you nevertheless conduct yourselves in a way which is utterly superior to the conduct of the very best people, who are hoping to save themselves by their works, you will not enter God"s kingdom. You are not really Christians."" [8][source]
There are many excellent evangelical scholars and expositors who believe it is not necessary to commit one"s life to Jesus fully when one trusts in Him as Savior to experience salvation. Some of their statements follow. [source][source][source]
"The importance of this question cannot be overestimated in relation to both salvation and sanctification. The message of faith only and the message of faith plus commitment of life cannot both be the gospel; therefore, one of them is false and comes under the curse of perverting the gospel or preaching another gospel ( Galatians 1:6-9)." [9][source]
"The Christian"s liberty to do precisely as he chooses is as limitless and perfect as any other aspect of grace." [10][source]
"A faithful reading of the entire Book of Acts fails to reveal a single passage where people are found to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their personal Lord in order to be saved." [5][source]
"If discipleship is tantamount to salvation, then one must continue in the Word in order to be saved, for John 8:31 says, "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed." Continuance is absolutely demanded for discipleship. If discipleship and salvation are the same, then continuance is demanded for salvation. Yet the New Testament clearly teaches that salvation is by faith and it is a gift ( Ephesians 2:8-9). You have eternal life at the point of faith ( John 3:36). Continuance is not a requirement for salvation." [12][source]
"It is an interpretative mistake of the first magnitude to confuse the terms of discipleship with the offer of eternal life as a free gift. "And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely" ( Revelation 22:17), is clearly an unconditional benefaction. "If anyone comes to me and does not ... he cannot be my disciple" clearly expresses a relationship which is fully conditional. Not to recognize this simple distinction is to invite confusion and error at the most fundamental level." [13][source]
". . . I am not a lordship salvation person. I preach the importance of dedication to Jesus Christ. I talk about the works that follow faith. But I believe eternal life is a gift and that I receive it not by anything I do, or Amos , or promise to become. I take the gift that God offers." [14][source]
When people trusted Jesus Christ in Acts , what did Luke record they believed about Him?[source]
"In Acts 2 , 10 , , 16 -passages that present the most material about salvation in the Book of Acts -what one confessed was that Jesus was the Lord in that He was the divine Mediator of salvation with the total capacity and authority to forgive sins and judge men. He is the Lord over salvation because they have turned away from themselves or their own merit to the ascended Lord. He is the divine Dispenser of salvation." [15][source]
Other New Testament passages corroborate this testimony ( Acts 2:38-39; Acts 3:19-26; Acts 4:12; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:35; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38-39; John 20:28; Romans 10:9-13; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; James 1:1; James 2:1; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Peter 3:18; Jude 1:4; Jude 1:21; Jude 1:25; Revelation 19:16). [16] Submitting to Jesus" total lordship is the responsibility of all people, but not even all Christians do it ( Romans 6:12-14; Romans 12:1-2). It is therefore not biblical, and it is unrealistic, to make it a condition for salvation. [17][source]
"In many places in the Acts it is impossible to distinguish whether Lord stands for Jehovah or the Christ: see Introd. p. lxxii." [18][source]
The Philippian jailer now believed that Jesus had the power to protect and deliver His own. He saw Him as the One with adequate power and authority to save. Note that he had previously appealed to Paul and Silas as "Sirs" (lit. "Lords," Gr. kyrioi, Acts 16:30). Now Paul clarified that there was only one Lord (kyrion) that he needed to believe in, namely, Jesus. [source][source][source]
"The word "Lord" in the phrase, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ," is no different than a modern equivalent such as, "put confidence in President Reagan." The term "President" is his title. It indicates his position and his ability to follow through on promises. In a similar fashion, the term "Lord," when applied to Jesus Christ, indicates His position as God and thus His ability to save us and grant us eternal life." [19][source]
Paul did not mean that the jailer"s whole household would be saved simply because the jailer believed. Other members of the jailer"s household believed and were saved as he believed and was saved (cf. Acts 16:15; Acts 8:36). Personal salvation always depends on personal belief ( John 3:16; et al.). [source][source][source]
Note also in this verse, as in the rest of Scripture, that faith logically precedes regeneration, not the other way around. [20][source]
"Paul and Silas did not say to the Philippian jailer, "Be saved, and you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ"! They said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved"!" [21][source]
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Context Summary
Acts 16:25-40 - Salvation In The Jail
Some, as we have seen, are converted by the gentle opening of the heart; others amid the convulsions of the storm. The first knowledge of salvation may have reached the heart of the jailer through the saving of the possessed girl, Acts 16:17. If only the heart is right with Christ, it can sing in the darkest night; and the impression of those holy songs must have wrought still further upon the conscience of this rough Roman official, who had treated his prisoners with uncommon severity, Acts 16:24. The inner prison! Perhaps some of our readers have been in it! They have come to an end of themselves and their feet are fastened!
But God has His own way of deliverance and never forsakes His own. Art thou in the stocks today? Then pray and sing praises! Choose, for instance, Psalms 103:1-22. God will be thy very present help. Thou shalt win thy jailer, and become a monument of God's saving mercy. There is no course for the convicted sinner but to trust in the salvation wrought upon the Cross; or still better, in Him who wrought it.
Paul was perfectly justified in insisting upon his civil rights when he had the opportunity, Acts 16:37. It made the way easier for his new converts. [source]
Chapter Summary: Acts 16
1Paul and Silas are Joined by Timothy, 7and being called by the Spirit from one country to another, 14convert Lydia, 16and cast out a spirit of divination; 19for which cause they are whipped and imprisoned 25The prison doors are opened 31The jailor is converted, 35and they are delivered
Greek Commentary for Acts 16:31
To be saved [ινα σωτω] Final clause with ινα hina and first aorist passive subjunctive. What did he mean by “saved”? Certainly more than escape from peril about the prisoners or because of the earthquake, though these had their influences on him. Cf. way of salvation in Acts 16:17. [source]
Believe on the Lord Jesus [Πιστευσον επι τον κυριον Ιησουν] This is what Peter told Cornelius (Acts 10:43). This is the heart of the matter for both the jailor and his house. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 16:31
Romans 4:5Believeth on Him [πιστεύοντι ἐπὶ τὸν] The verb πιστεύω tobelieve is used in the New Testament as follows: 1. Transitively, with the accusative and dative: to entrust something to one, Luke 16:11; John 2:24. In the passive, to be entrusted with something, Romans 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7. With the simple accusative, to believe a thing, John 11:26; 1 John 4:16. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
2. With the infinitive, Acts 15:11. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
3. With ὅτι that Matthew 9:28; Mark 11:24; James 2:19. Especially frequent in John: John 4:21; John 11:27,John 11:42; John 13:19; John 14:10,John 14:11; John 16:27,John 16:30, etc. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
4. With the simple dative, meaning to believe a person or thing, that they are true or speak the truth, John 2:22; John 4:21; John 5:46. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:22,John 2:23; see on John 8:31; see on John 10:37. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
5. With the preposition ἐν inNot frequent, and questioned in some of the passages cited for illustration. In John 3:15, ἐν αὐτῷ inHim, is probably to be construed with have eternal life. The formula occurs nowhere else in John. In Mark 1:15we find πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ believein the gospel. The kindred noun πίστις faithoccurs in this combination. Thus Galatians 3:26, though some join in Christ Jesus with sons. See also Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:15; Romans 3:25. This preposition indicates the sphere in which faith moves, rather than the object to which it is directed, though instances occur in the Septuagint where it plainly indicates the direction of faith, Psalm 78:22; Jeremiah 12:6. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
6. With the preposition ἐπί uponon to, unto. a. With the accusative, Romans 4:5; Acts 9:42; Acts 11:17; Acts 16:31; Acts 22:19. The preposition carries the idea of mental direction with a view to resting upon, which latter idea is conveyed by the same preposition. b. With the dative, 1 Timothy 1:16; Luke 24:25; compare Romans 9:33; Romans 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6. The dative expresses absolute superposition. Christ as the object of faith, is the basis on which faith rests. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
7. With the preposition εἰς into Matthew 18:6; John 2:11; Acts 19:4; Romans 10:14; Galatians 2:16; Philemon 1:29, etc. The preposition conveys the idea of the absolute transference of trust from one's self to another. Literally the phrase means to believe into. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:23; see on John 9:35; see on John 12:44.Is counted for righteousness ( λογίζεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην )Rev., is reckoned. See on Romans 4:3. The preposition εἰς has the force of as, not the telic meaning with a view to, or in order that he may be (righteous); nor strictly, in the place of righteousness. Faith is not a substitute for righteousness, since righteousness is involved in faith. When a man is reckoned righteous through faith, it is not a legal fiction. He is not indeed a perfect man, but God does not reckon something which has no real existence. Faith is the germ of righteousness, of life in God. God recognizes no true life apart from holiness, and “he that believeth on the Son hath life.” He is not merely regarded in the law's eye as living. God accepts the germ, not in place of the fruit, but as containing the fruit. “Abraham believed God … . No soul comes into such a relation of trust without having God's investment upon it; and whatever there may be in God's righteousness - love, truth, sacrifice - will be rightfully imputed or counted to be in it, because, being united to Him, it will have them coming over derivatively from Him” (Bushnell). The idea of logical sequence is inherent in λογίζεται isreckoned - the sequence of character upon faith. Where there is faith there is, logically, righteousness, and the righteousness is from faith unto faith (Romans 1:17). Nevertheless, in the highest development of the righteousness of faith, it will remain true that the man is justified, not by the works of righteousness, which are the fruit of faith, but by the faith which, in making him a partaker of the life and righteousness of God, generates and inspires the works. Observe that the believer's own faith is reckoned as righteousness. “In no passage in Paul's writings or in other parts of the New Testament, where the phrase to reckon for or the verb to reckon alone is used, is there a declaration that anything belonging to one person is imputed, accounted, or reckoned to another, or a formal statement that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers” (President Dwight, “Notes on Meyer”). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]
What do the individual words in Acts 16:31 mean?
-Andthey saidBelieveontheLordJesusandyou will be savedyouthehouseholdof you
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: πιστεύω
Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Greek Commentary for Acts 16:31
Final clause with ινα hina and first aorist passive subjunctive. What did he mean by “saved”? Certainly more than escape from peril about the prisoners or because of the earthquake, though these had their influences on him. Cf. way of salvation in Acts 16:17. [source]
This is what Peter told Cornelius (Acts 10:43). This is the heart of the matter for both the jailor and his house. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Acts 16:31
The verb πιστεύω tobelieve is used in the New Testament as follows: 1. Transitively, with the accusative and dative: to entrust something to one, Luke 16:11; John 2:24. In the passive, to be entrusted with something, Romans 3:2; 1 Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7. With the simple accusative, to believe a thing, John 11:26; 1 John 4:16. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 2. With the infinitive, Acts 15:11. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 3. With ὅτι that Matthew 9:28; Mark 11:24; James 2:19. Especially frequent in John: John 4:21; John 11:27, John 11:42; John 13:19; John 14:10, John 14:11; John 16:27, John 16:30, etc. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 4. With the simple dative, meaning to believe a person or thing, that they are true or speak the truth, John 2:22; John 4:21; John 5:46. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:22, John 2:23; see on John 8:31; see on John 10:37. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 5. With the preposition ἐν inNot frequent, and questioned in some of the passages cited for illustration. In John 3:15, ἐν αὐτῷ inHim, is probably to be construed with have eternal life. The formula occurs nowhere else in John. In Mark 1:15we find πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ believein the gospel. The kindred noun πίστις faithoccurs in this combination. Thus Galatians 3:26, though some join in Christ Jesus with sons. See also Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:15; Romans 3:25. This preposition indicates the sphere in which faith moves, rather than the object to which it is directed, though instances occur in the Septuagint where it plainly indicates the direction of faith, Psalm 78:22; Jeremiah 12:6. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 6. With the preposition ἐπί uponon to, unto. a. With the accusative, Romans 4:5; Acts 9:42; Acts 11:17; Acts 16:31; Acts 22:19. The preposition carries the idea of mental direction with a view to resting upon, which latter idea is conveyed by the same preposition. b. With the dative, 1 Timothy 1:16; Luke 24:25; compare Romans 9:33; Romans 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6. The dative expresses absolute superposition. Christ as the object of faith, is the basis on which faith rests. -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- 7. With the preposition εἰς into Matthew 18:6; John 2:11; Acts 19:4; Romans 10:14; Galatians 2:16; Philemon 1:29, etc. The preposition conveys the idea of the absolute transference of trust from one's self to another. Literally the phrase means to believe into. See on John 1:12; see on John 2:23; see on John 9:35; see on John 12:44.Is counted for righteousness ( λογίζεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην )Rev., is reckoned. See on Romans 4:3. The preposition εἰς has the force of as, not the telic meaning with a view to, or in order that he may be (righteous); nor strictly, in the place of righteousness. Faith is not a substitute for righteousness, since righteousness is involved in faith. When a man is reckoned righteous through faith, it is not a legal fiction. He is not indeed a perfect man, but God does not reckon something which has no real existence. Faith is the germ of righteousness, of life in God. God recognizes no true life apart from holiness, and “he that believeth on the Son hath life.” He is not merely regarded in the law's eye as living. God accepts the germ, not in place of the fruit, but as containing the fruit. “Abraham believed God … . No soul comes into such a relation of trust without having God's investment upon it; and whatever there may be in God's righteousness - love, truth, sacrifice - will be rightfully imputed or counted to be in it, because, being united to Him, it will have them coming over derivatively from Him” (Bushnell). The idea of logical sequence is inherent in λογίζεται isreckoned - the sequence of character upon faith. Where there is faith there is, logically, righteousness, and the righteousness is from faith unto faith (Romans 1:17). Nevertheless, in the highest development of the righteousness of faith, it will remain true that the man is justified, not by the works of righteousness, which are the fruit of faith, but by the faith which, in making him a partaker of the life and righteousness of God, generates and inspires the works. Observe that the believer's own faith is reckoned as righteousness. “In no passage in Paul's writings or in other parts of the New Testament, where the phrase to reckon for or the verb to reckon alone is used, is there a declaration that anything belonging to one person is imputed, accounted, or reckoned to another, or a formal statement that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers” (President Dwight, “Notes on Meyer”). -DIVIDER- -DIVIDER- [source]