Peter was answering the anguished cry, “What shall we do?” The Holy Spirit had convicted these people of their sins, and they needed forgiveness (Acts 2:36-38). Later, a Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Was Paul giving a different answer, in effect arguing for “faith alone”? Was he removing everything else, including the necessity of repentance or baptism? Just as obviously, no! The jailer was a pagan. At that point in his journey, he needed to learn to believe. After he believed, the rest of the conversion response would make sense—as evidenced by the account.
They spoke the word of the Lord to him [the jailer] and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family (Acts 16:32-33).
“Believe” summarizes all that is involved in the biblical response to the Gospel.
“Believe” in Acts 16:31, as in John 3:16, anticipates and summarizes the full, detailed response. If you don’t agree, then go back over the “Chart of Responses” above. Mark an X by every response that “believe” eliminates. Better yet, use a line to strike that response out. Sadly, people have been doing that for a long time: “I’ll believe in order to be saved, but I’ll not…
- confess Christ” (cf. John 12:11, 42; Luke 12:8).
- repent” (cf. Revelation 2:21; Luke 13:3).
- be baptized” (cf. Luke 7:30; Acts 2:38).
- obey” (cf. James 1:22-25; 2:14-26; Hebrews 5:9).
- commit my all” (cf. Matthew 19:16-22; Luke 14:33).