Acts
King James Version (KJV)
Acts 16:31
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
King James Version (KJV)
Acts 16:31 Context
28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 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. 33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
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Other Translations for Acts 16:31
And they saide, Beleeue on the Lord Iesus Christ, and thou shalt be saued, and thy house.
- King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan
They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
- New American Standard Version (1995)
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
- American Standard Version (1901)
And they said, Have faith in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will have salvation.
- Basic English Bible
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
- Darby Bible
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
- Webster's Bible
Believe on the Lord Jesus, they replied, "and both you and your household will be saved."
- Weymouth Bible
They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
- World English Bible
And thei seiden, Bileue thou in the Lord Jhesu, and thou schalt be saaf, and thin hous.
- Wycliffe Bible
and they said, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved -- thou and thy house;'
- Youngs Literal Bible
Bible Commentary for Acts 16:31
Wesley's Notes for Acts 16:31
16:31 Thou shalt be saved and thy household - If ye believe. They did so, and were saved.
People's Bible Notes for Acts 16:31
Ac 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a heathen. Faith was the essential step. To Jews, on the day of Pentecost, already believing Peter's proposition, he said, in answer to the same question, "Repent and be baptized" (Ac 2:38); but the heathen jailer was not ready for this. Faith must first be wrought, and then that faith, leading to the acceptance of Christ, would save. His faith would save, because it would be the power that would lead him to follow Christ. And thy house. We learn from the next verse that "all that were in his house" could listen the "word of the Lord" (Ac 16:32), hence were not infants.
Discussion for Acts 16:31
Acts 16:31 Inspirational Image
Themselves must believe I'm Christ themselves.
Paul's simple word was clear, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house." Acts 16:30-34.
So we see that salvation can only come by hearing the Gospel & for each person to respond to it personally. This verse does not suggest 'household salvation/baptism', where if one person is saved then the others in the house are too. No, each one is responsible to believe & respond. And for young ones who may not be able to, then it's the parent's responsibility to teach them.
And the amazing thing we learn, Paul & Silas did all this (sharing the Gospel to the guard's family at night & baptizing them straightaway) & then returning back to be put behind bars, to be released the following day.
Does "your household" include family that no longer reside in your physical home?
Thank you for clearing this up.
Acts 16:30-32: "And (the prison guard) 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. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house."
In this verse, Paul was speaking about those who were living with the guard at his house only (v32). Yet, Paul qualifies that salvation can only come when the Gospel is firstly preached & there is a subsequent belief & acceptance of Christ as their (personal) Saviour. Some believe in "household salvation" whereby the saving of the head of the house, means the automatic salvation of his family as well. Verses cited to support this belief is: the above verse you gave, Acts 2:38, 39 & 1 Cor 7:14. Yet, salvation can only come after each person reaching the age of accountability before God, personally hears, believes & puts their faith in Christ for their salvation. Hence the work with children (e.g. Child Evangelism Fellowship & others) are so very important because even the little ones need to hear & receive Christ.
So, even if one's family no longer resided in the family home & are not included in the meaning of verse 31, they are still personally responsible to respond to the Gospel as the Spirit of God moves them in that direction. I therefore understand Paul's instruction to the guard to mean that "not only you but also your whole family living with you can be saved by believing in Jesus".
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