Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 75

Acts 16:30, 31. The keeper of the prison asked Paul and Silas, "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."

The answer of the apostles does not coincide with the answer given by Jesus in Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17; and Luke 18:19; wherein he exacted of the inquirer full obedience to the laws of Moses, in order to obtain salvation. 

 In Acts 16, Paul and Silas drive a demon out of a fortuneteller who is also a slave. When her owner finds out, he has Paul and Silas arrested and beaten with rods. The story contains this particular gem.

And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” (Acts 16:20-21) 

 Paul and Silas are put in prison for doing this, and the doors are opened by an earthquake. The jailer saw this, and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. Paul told the jailer that all the prisoners are still there, and the jailer himself was so impressed that he asked Paul what he must do to be saved. Paul said to believe on Jesus and the jailer and his household would be saved. This was in a culture where spiritual decisions were not only made by individuals but by groups as well. Religion was not as personal and individual as it is today.

Troki again brings up the example of the rich young ruler to illustrate his point. This story does not teach that one has to follow the Law of Moses in order to go to heaven. It teaches that this young man did not know what he was talking about, and that his attempt to dig for flattery backfired on him.

In fact, the teachings of Moses referenced in these chapters are not the laws of Shabbat or Kashrut or anything else given to the Jews but not the Gentiles. Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother. Those are the laws that Jesus meant when he said the man had to follow the teachings of Moses.

As James argues in the book of James, one who repents and has faith in Jesus will obey these moral imperatives. One who flagrantly ignores them does not have real faith.