TUESDAY August 22, 2023
Christ, the Salvation Connection
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 16:31
Paul and Silas knew the Word of God and gave the keeper of the jail an answer to his desperate question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The simple answer they gave him was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” He had an instant conversion.
Wait a minute, did Paul teach that if one person is saved in the family, then everyone else is saved in that same household? No, Paul was not teaching that. It was not a promise to him that his entire family would be saved. Listen, if you accept Jesus Christ and become saved, do not expect your whole household to suddenly become saved.
The opportunity to be saved was given to the rest of his family when the Word of God was explained to them: Then they [Paul and Silas] spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house (Acts 16:32). In this instance, the whole family was introduced to Christ. They all had the same opportunity to accept Christ. The keeper of the jail, his wife, and his children accepted Christ and became saved.
Seriously, every person in this world has to make their own individual decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. You cannot rely on the faith of your parents or grandparents; salvation does not work that way. Come to Christ and make your own confession of Him. Paul wrote:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
Have you made a decision to confess Christ? God will honor the decision you make.
Never does a person see any beauty in Christ as a Savior, until they discover that they are a lost and ruined sinner.
~J.C. Ryle~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
