Salvation by Proxy?

Question:

In Acts 16:31 the jailer of Philippi is told that he should believe in the Lord Jesus then he and his whole household would be saved. Does that not contradict our believe that every individual has to come to Christ himself, there is no salvation by proxy.

Response:

Great question!  It is true that salvation is by faith, which each individual expresses: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved” (Romans 10:19).  This is what happened with the jailer.  

Acts 16: 29-34 reads: “Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household."

You can see from the passage that the elements for salvation were present: Paul and Silas preached the gospel, and the jailer and his family believed the message.  In addition, their faith was confirmed by their baptism.

It is important to understand how religions and families operated in the ancient world.  The father was the head of the household with more authority than what we are used to in modern society.  The father’s religion was the religion of the family.  A father’s conversion to another religion was not considered to be simply his own personal decision.  In essence, the father decided for the whole family.  When the jailer showed that he wanted to be saved, Paul was referring to this custom of familial conversion.  We might object, saying that perhaps one of the family members didn’t really believe and was just going along.  

That might have been the case, but it is up to God to judge who truly believes in Him.  Paul was simply expressing his expectation and hope that the father’s new faith in Christ would be shared by his family once they too heard the gospel and the miracle that he had witnessed, and from what we can tell from the passage, that is what happened.

The Never Goodbye

This morning, before the sun came up, I drove my mother to the airport, helped her check in, shared final prayers of blessing and said goodbye.   She was headed back home after nearly a week's visit with me.  I came back to my apartment, climbed into bed and burst into tears. 

I have been saying goodbye to my family constantly since I left home in the fall of '95 to come west to attend college.  Christmases and summer vacations at home, having a parent or sibling come west to visit me - lots of good times but always ending with a hug and a departure in the driveway, at the bus depot, at the airport.  Usually tears and a deep sadness. 

But over the years, the scenes have tempered somewhat.  With goodbyes coming so regularly, they began take on an inevitable quality.  No matter how much a visit was anticipated, no matter how enjoyed it was, there was always the underlying knowledge that it would all be over soon.

I have become accustomed to taking leave of my loved ones but no matter how prepared I am, it still hurts.  It can be discouraging and I have frequently lamented that "someone is always saying goodbye."

It puts me in mind of heaven - "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes: there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).  I truly look forward to the day when the pains and disappointments of this world are passed and there are no more "goodbyes."

Until then I take comfort in the presence of Jesus.  Everytime I bid a friend or family member farewell and walk into the terminal or wave from the car window, I may feel sad at the parting yet I take heart: "For He Himself has said, I will never leave you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Moving On Again

It's been a long time since I last posted.  I got a job at Ambrose Universeity College as an Enrolment Advisor and have been doing that since August 2011.  I've recently resigned and will be looking for something new.

Move it, move it!

I just attended an aerobics class today, my first one in many years. I'm not in great shape but I was able to keep up for most of it and afterward felt good in my body, albeit rather tired.

Genesis chapter one tells us that God created humanity in His image and its clear from the design of our bodies that God intended us to be creatures that move. I took up salsa dancing a few years ago and one of the things I like about it is the fact that it's energetic. You can get a good workout from a few hours on the dance floor and have a great time too!

I'm so glad that God designed us to be active and that getting active would make us feel good - that tells me that God loves pleasure and loves giving the capacity for pleasure to His creatures. That's one thing I've noticed about following Jesus - the more I get to know Him, the greater my appreciation and awe for Him and the greater my capacity to enjoy Him.

Here's a video of what the human body it capable of:
http://youtu.be/jfSp5nMgq5I

I Need Thee Every Hour

I arrived in Calgary last weekend with both anticipation and concern as to what lies in store. On the one hand, I recently came through a great time of seeing God direct my steps during my trip to Europe, and have had numerous things fall into place for this move to Calgary.

But on the other hand, I'm not entirely certain as to my job hunting. The temptation is to worry and fret against God. You know, it's a good thing to have uncertainty. I'm finding the uncertainty is pushing me towards God: to spending time with Him and remembering His promises of care and guidance, to worshipping Him for His great love and righteousness - and in this I enjoy peace and renewed trust in Him.

Without these question marks I'm facing regarding the kind of job I will find or where I will live, I would have less motivation for focusing on God. Although it's great to have times of rest and stability and certainty, I have found it's the times of difficulty, when I'm surrounded with the unknown, that I draw near to Him.

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation for when he has been approved he will receive the crown of life" (James 1:12).

The Blessing of a Great Big Book

I am three weeks into my "slackerdom"! I visited the retirment home where I worked and told everyone I was enjoying being "retired"! My time has been spent on sewing projects, Bible memorization, visiting friends and running errands.

With regards to my trip, I have reserved a storage unit for all my things - the company offers a complimentary moving truck which is such a blessing for someone who does not even have a car. My father arrives on the 27th to help me move which is just over a week away - guess I can start counting down now, eh?

My memory project is going well. I'm into Ephesians chapter five now. What a great book this is! Paul talks a great deal about God's choosing of us for His kingdom, making peace with us through Jesus Christ, revealing His purposes to us, rooting us in His love. God does all the heavy lifting on our behalf!

Paul also talks about how God gives us spiritual gifts to build us up and help us to have a strong foundation and not be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (4:14). And He gives us a new nature so that we can live in "true righteousness and holiness" (4:24).

Of all the gods I could follow, I'm glad to belong to the One who has given a great big instruction manual for life! To have the whys and wherefores of life spelled out is such a blessing.

Something God has been impressing on me lately is the importance of being faithful in little things. Of not living life always "looking away to the future" and the potential "big works" God might have for me but focussing on being obedient and content in Him now. I'm getting better at living like that and I must say it's a peaceful, happy way to live. That "rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" is such a simple command but it really works in keeping me positive and righteous. Granted my life is pretty stress free at the moment but the temptation to complain is always close by regardless of circumstances. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity to test this verse thoroughly in the coming months!

One Week Down, a Bunch More to Go!

Well, it's been one week since I left my job. It's been good so far. I'm enjoying having extra time in the morning for devotions. I read my daily Oswald Chambers verse and commentary and then a Psalm. After some thought and prayer I work on my memory project. I've finished chapters one and two - it's gone well because they are familiar from previous memorizations. But I just don't know if I'll get to the end of the book by the end of the month. We'll see.

Next week I will be out of town for a few days visitng with a couple friends at their homes. I have a list of people I want to connect with before I leave so I've been calling and emailing around making dates!

Something that I've also enjoyed doing this week is sending notes to people. Just little encouragements and a verse, let them know I'm praying for them. I think we can all use a boost every now and then and who doesn't like an actual piece of snail mail in this day and age!

Three words that have been on my mind lately are "encourage", "edify" and "exhort". The idea of supporting people, building them up in their faith and urging them on to greater things resonates with me and I'd like to do that. I'm sure these thoughts are God's leading for me in helping me to see how to use my spiritual gifts. It's nice to discover a niche for myself.

Oh, and I've started work on some sewing tasks. Today I went to Fabricland and of course found some nice material to play with! This is what I created today: