The Philippian jailer asked, “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.”
– Acts 16: 30b-31

This is a prime example of a straightforward statement of salvation being predicated on voluntary, individual belief in the living ‘Word’, Jesus Christ, with no disclaimers or limitations.

Were Calvinism true, and only a limited and preselected subset of humanity chosen and irresistibly decreed to be saved, one might expect such a ‘truth’ to here be spelled out. To do otherwise, if such things were the Gospel of salvation, would be, for Paul, God’s chosen servant, to be dishonest.

Yet, how does Paul respond to the simple, heartfelt question, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ Does he set forth the Calvinistic Doctrines of Grace, in their five, mutually dependent components?

No, he does not, but simply responds, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved . . .’

Such an answer would not only be misleading but outright deceptive if the truth of the matter is that no man actually CAN believe unless they are a part of that secret subset chosen by God.

No Calvinist that I know of claims to know who is and isn’t ‘chosen’. Nowhere in his writings does Paul even mention the secretive, arbitrary, irresistible ‘election’ and ‘regeneration’ of Calvinism, so we can safely state that he never claimed to know who made up this secretive, elite group. So we can rule out the possibility that Paul knew the jailer was ‘elect’ thus did not see the need to spell out the entire process. The jailer had been terrified and stunned at the events that had just taken place, almost taking his own life until he was stopped by Paul. But nowhere is it suggested that some sort of secretive, unsought supernatural regenerating act had been performed on him by God. Without doubt, scripture could have recounted such an act had it occurred. Indeed, were this the way God truly works, why would it not be spelled out? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

If God intends for people to understand the Calvinistic gospel, and in order to be honest, (were Calvinism true), Paul would have to respond something to the effect of:

“Do? There is nothing you can ‘do’ to be saved. God sovereignly chose, in eternity past, those who he determined to set his love upon and irresistibly bring to himself. As this is a limited, arbitrary group, the names of which none but God knows, all you can do is wait and see if you are irresistibly drawn to him by his supernatural intervention. Perhaps this earthquake was designed for just such an event in your life.”

Of course, the jailer would most likely respond to such an answer with, ‘Huh?’

To which Paul might respond, ‘You see, all men, yourself included, are Totally Depraved, unable and unwilling to hear, respond and come to God for salvation. I myself was totally dead until God blinded me on the road to Damascus and regenerated me. Those who are a part of the elite selected club called ‘the elect’, like me and those with me, must at some point be supernaturally changed by God, which we call regeneration. When this happens, as it inevitably does to all who are ‘elect’, the individual will be transformed, made new and be given the ability to believe in Jesus and eternal salvation as a gift of God. All you can do is wait and see if this happens to you.’

The jailer, who quite contrary to Calvinism appears to desire to receive salvation, might be a bit discouraged. He might, out of love for his family, express sorrow that he could not promise them any assurance of salvation either, as all must wait and see if they are supernaturally regenerated and ‘given’ faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anyone who suggests this is actually what takes place in Acts 16 is either greatly inventive or a liar. Indeed, no such teachings be found anywhere in scripture. Amazingly, the most important, significant event in all of human existence is never actually properly spelled out, according to Calvinism, but must be pieced together from various widespread snippets of information, an interpretation rejected by all early church leaders until forced upon Geneva by John Calvin in the sixteenth century.

Instead, we are consistently led by scripture to believe that we are able to make a free, voluntary choice to believe in Jesus, or to not believe in Jesus. Nowhere do any of the disciples state that ‘You must believe, but you can’t, so wait and see if you will be regenerated so that you CAN believe. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you, a totally depraved, undeserving worm can actually, by your own choice and in your own power, believe in God. It is all God’s choice and entirely God’s doing, so there is no need for you to imagine anything contrary. In fact, it is silly of you to pretend as if you desire to be saved, as no one, apart from regeneration can desire, seek or find God.’

Such assertions we find nowhere in scripture, ever, but only in the ramblings of false teachers who claim to be men of God infused with special insight to deliver to mankind.