The jailer to whom this was said was in a sad plight. He had been on the point of killing himself. This verse is the answer to a question he had asked, and you may be quite sure that he was in downright earnest.
Do you know what that question was? Look it up in the Bible. “What must I do to be saved?” Have you ever asked that same question? In downright earnest?
Supposing you were not feeling well. The doctor came and said that you were very seriously ill, but that he would send up some medicine which would cure you. What would you do? You could do several things. You could refuse to believe the doctor and laugh at the idea of your danger. You could feel your need yet not take the doctor’s medicine. Or you might prefer a remedy of your own. But the most sensible thing would be to realize your need and show your faith in the doctor by taking his medicine.
Now, God tells us these same two things. He tells us we are in danger, and He points us to the remedy. In the Bible, He tells us that “All have sinned” (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)), and that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). He also tells us that His own Son gave Himself, an offering for sin, that He died for our sins and that His precious blood shed at Calvary cleanses from all sin.
ML-09/23/1962