Acts 16:30–34

Context

Chapter 16 of Acts records the ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi, in Macedonia. After the two men cast a spirit of divination out of a slave girl, her masters brought charges against them, and they were beaten and thrown into prison. At midnight, as the two were praying and singing hymns, an earthquake opened the prison doors. The jailer, supposing the prisoners had escaped, was about to kill himself, but Paul stopped him (Acts 16:25–29). Verse 30 is the question the jailer then put to the two men, and verse 31 is their answer. The passage closes with the jailer and his household (his family members and dependents) hearing the word, being baptized, and rejoicing together. Together with the account of Lydia immediately before it, this section records successive conversions of entire households.

Interpretation

• Salvation received by faith: Many Protestant interpreters note that to the question of what he "must do," the answer was simply "Believe on the Lord Jesus," with no further conditions. They read the verse as a concise summary of the teaching that one is declared righteous by faith, that is, justification.
• Household salvation: The word "house" in "thou ... and thy house" refers to the ancient household community, which included the head of the house, his family, and his servants. The verse is therefore read as indicating that the gospel extends to the whole household. Many interpreters, however, point out that according to verse 32 the word was spoken "to all that were in his house," and conclude that the verse does not mean that one person's faith automatically guarantees the salvation of his family.
• Immediate baptism: The fact that baptism was administered that very night, immediately upon conversion, is often cited as an example of the early church baptizing converts directly after their profession of faith.

Debates and Issues

The baptism of the whole household in verse 33 is frequently raised in the infant baptism debate.

• Those who practice infant baptism: Denominations that practice infant baptism, such as Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, and Lutherans, regard this passage as an example of a household being baptized together as a covenant community. They also cite the possibility that young children were present in the household as one piece of circumstantial evidence.
• Those who recognize only believer's baptism: Baptists and others hold that the "whole house" is the same group that heard the word in verse 32 and believed in verse 34. They therefore conclude that those who were baptized were people capable of hearing the word and believing.

The text does not state whether any young children were present. For this reason the passage is usually discussed not as an independent proof text but alongside the other "household" passages.

There is also a translation issue. In the Greek of verse 34, the word for "believed" is singular, so the verse can be rendered in two ways: either "the whole household believed" or "he (the jailer) rejoiced with his whole household that he had come to believe in God." The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) follows the former reading, and English translations are likewise divided between the two. In addition, some later manuscripts read "the Lord Jesus Christ" in verse 31, and the King James Version, among others, is known to follow these manuscripts.

In the Korean Church

Verse 31, "thou shalt be saved, and thy house," is widely cited in prayer for unbelieving family members and in evangelism. It is often used in sermons and evangelistic meetings on the theme of "household salvation," as well as on framed Scripture plaques hung in homes. At the same time, some criticize reading the verse solely as a promise that if one person believes, his family will necessarily be saved. They point out that the context must also be taken into account: the family members themselves heard the word and believed.

Related Passages

• Acts 16:14–15
• Acts 11:14
• Acts 2:39–41
• Romans 10:13–14
• 1 Corinthians 7:12–16