Bible Strands
Acts 16:31
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul and Silas answer the Philippian jailer, who has just burst from his cell after an earthquake and asked what he must do to be saved. The question is immediate; the answer is immediate.
The words — πιστεύσων (pisteusōn) is an aorist imperative: a single, decisive "believe," not a sustained process. The preposition ἐπί (epi) with the accusative marks the object of that belief as a person on whom one places weight, not a proposition one assents to.
The thread — John 1:12 and John 3:36 both tie belief in the Son directly to the gift of life, without adding a ritual condition. Acts 2:38 pairs belief with repentance and baptism, suggesting the Philippian formula is the bare core rather than the full package.
Why it lands — The verse names one act (believe) directed at one person (the Lord Jesus) as the stated condition for the jailer's and his household's salvation. It asks the reader to identify what they would actually place their weight on, not to perform a sequence of religious duties.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Cross-references
- John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
- John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
- Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Acts 11:13 He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
- Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
- Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
- Isaiah 45:22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
- John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.