by Harley Todd

GUEST COLUMNIST

The story of the Philippian jailer is found in Acts 16. The jailer was in charge of Paul and Silas, who had been arrested on false charges by the owners of a slave girl. They had cast a demon out of the girl, depriving her owners of the money they made by exploiting her (Acts 16:19-21). Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten and put into the innermost prison, with their feet in the stocks. The jailer was to keep them safely.

Beaten and bleeding, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, even at midnight (Acts 16:25). Suddenly an earthquake shook the prison. Awakening from sleep, the jailer was ready to kill himself because he was sure that the prisoners had escaped. When Paul calmed him by assuring him that the prisoners were still there, he "came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:29-30). They answered very simply: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). Since the jailer was not told to be baptized, does this mean that he was saved before baptism? Consider the rest of his story.

Paul and Silas had told the jailer that salvation would come from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, but what did this jailer know about Jesus? It is unlikely that he had heard any of Paul's sermons. He probably knew nothing of Jesus, other than what he had learned from hearing the songs and prayers of Paul and Silas. So "they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house" (Acts 16:32). Did speaking the word of the Lord include baptism as necessary?

Luke records that the jailer "took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house" (Acts 16:33-34). When were the jailer and his household baptized? It was "the same hour of the night." If baptism were not essential, why didn't they at least wait until morning light before they were baptized? When did he rejoice -- before or after baptism? They rejoiced after baptism, knowing they had truly obeyed the Lord, and their sins were forgiven. The jailer had a saving faith, a faith that responded to the sacrifice of Christ by obeying Him. His obedience in baptism demonstrated his faith, and his faith was demonstrated in his baptism. The jailer was like all other Christians we read of in the New Testament (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Galatians 3:27; cf. Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). He was saved after baptism.

Why do so many good teachers teach "faith only" when the Bible says one is not saved by "faith only?" In James 2:17, it reads, "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." Then verse 24: "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." The Bible teaches that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:14). We are saved by the grace of God which is an unmerited favor. We all deserve to go into a devil's hell for eternity, but God's love for us is demonstrated on the cross where Jesus paid the price for our sins. But grace is not given to everybody, but it is available to everybody.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says it is not "faith only. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." The "th" on the end of "doeth" is a verb that continues its actions. One must keep on doing the will of the Father. Verse 22 continues: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? (verse 23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." See all the wonderful works done and still lost in sin. Doing the Father's will is not being saved by works, but obeying what the Father has asked. Peter adds this to obedience in 1 Peter 1:22, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."

If you love Jesus you will keep His commandments (John 14:15), not to be saved, but because a person is already saved. Note the following verses: "and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7). Then in Galatians 5:6 Paul wrote; "faith working through love." Remember James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." I get the idea that "faith only" is not of God, but of man.

The good news is to bring your life in line with the New Testament. Your sins have separated you from God. Bring your life in line of the New Testament in obedient faith and God will take care of your separation by removing those sins (Acts 22:16).

Harley Todd is pastor of Tooele Church of Christ at 430 W. Utah Ave. in Tooele; Worship services are 10 a.m., 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. on Sundays; Wednesdays at 7 p.m. For more information call 882-4642.