Opus 2025-140: Jail Faith

Just what did the Philippian jailer know when he asked, “What must I do to be saved?“

He didn’t know any of the finer points of theology.  He had no idea of the trinity.  He did not know about the divinity of Christ.  He had never heard of the virgin birth.  The substitutionary atonement would have been just a bit of jargon to him.

All he knew about this Jesus was that Paul was singing about him, and had something about his personality that spoke to him about this “Jesus”.

It wasn’t that the prisoners were singing while locked up.  It wasn’t the open prison doors and the miracle that provided that drove the jailer to ask the question.  It must’ve had something to do with the fact that Paul was still there, and took the time out to call out,

(Act 16:28 KJV)  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

It was then that the Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?”

At that point Paul did not go off on to a long presentation of basic theology, he simply said,

(Act 16:31 KJV)  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

What is often missed is the next verse where Paul did get into the background and theology,

(Act 16:32 KJV)  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Always read the context.  

homo unius libri