Reference

Acts 16:31

Baptism Necessary for Salvation Universal Restoration Believer's Baptism Infant Baptism

“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Baptism Necessary for Salvation

Semantic Discovery

90% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Believer's Baptism

Semantic Discovery

30% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Baptism Necessary for Salvation

The verse explicitly states "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." It does not mention baptism as a condition for salvation. While baptism is a significant act of obedience and a public declaration of faith, this particular verse focuses solely on belief as the means to salvation. Other verses may link baptism to salvation, but this verse, in isolation, does not.

Universal Restoration

The verse states that belief in Jesus Christ leads to salvation for "thou and thy house," which refers to the individual and their household, not all people or all creation. It sets a condition for salvation (belief) rather than declaring a universal outcome.

Believer's Baptism

The verse explicitly mentions belief and salvation, but it does not mention baptism at all, nor does it describe any action following belief.

Infant Baptism

The verse states that belief in Jesus Christ leads to salvation for an individual and their household, but it does not mention baptism, infants, or children, nor does it specify the age or method of inclusion for "thy house."

Baptism Necessary for Salvation

Related Verses

Acts 11:14

“Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.”

Acts 16:32

“And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”

Acts 16:30

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Acts 2:21

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Acts 16:34

“And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”

Thematic Connections

Baptism Necessary for Salvation Universal Restoration Believer's Baptism Infant Baptism

Private Study Note

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