According to Paul, believing in God means believing the gospel that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again.
Paul's 'believe' is not a bare acknowledgment that God exists. It is believing the specific gospel message of Christ's finished work—His death, burial, and resurrection—and resting on that finished work for salvation (Acts 16:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:16).
Acts 16:30-31 — Paul's direct answer to a Gentile asking how to be saved: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Paul's explicit definition of the gospel he delivered: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
Romans 1:16 — Paul calls the gospel 'the power of God unto salvation' to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:9-10 — Paul describes heart belief in the risen Christ leading to salvation and righteousness.
Paul's message of salvation is centered on the gospel of Christ's finished work. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 he writes: 'For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.' He calls this gospel 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth' (Romans 1:16). When the Philippian jailer asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' Paul and Silas answered, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house' (Acts 16:30-31). Paul also described believing with the heart: 'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation' (Romans 10:9-10).
Les Feldick emphasizes that Paul's word 'believe' does not mean a bare acknowledgment that God exists. He draws a sharp contrast between 'believing in God' and 'believing God.' To believe God, Les explains, is to be a person of faith—resting on what God has said (Clip 1). When Paul told the Philippian jailer to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the object was not a general concept of deity but the gospel that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose again (Clip 3). Les stresses that this belief is not mental assent. It is a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven conviction that my eternal destiny rests on what Christ did for me on the cross (Clip 2). Paul means that every individual comes to the place where they completely rest on the fact that when Christ died, I died; when He rose, I rose, and He has imparted eternal life (Clip 6). Because God has promised salvation to everyone who believes this gospel, we can rest on that promise and hold God to His Word (Clip 5). The moment we believe with the heart, God imputes His righteousness (Clip 7). Les also points out that this gospel is personal: God does not save people in lumps; He saves individuals one at a time (Clip 0). Paul's 'believe' is the one requirement—not the Law, not works, not repentance and baptism (Clip 4).
Les Feldick draws a sharp distinction between these two ideas. He says, 'there's a big difference between believing in God and there's believing God. Now when you believe God, that's being a man or woman of faith. You're doing what God has said, you're resting on it.' He applies this to Paul's gospel: God has said the gospel is 'the power of God unto salvation,' and if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, that promise becomes ours. So 'believing in God' according to Paul means believing God—resting on the precise message of the cross.
When the pagan jailer asked, 'What must I do?' Paul's answer was simple: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Les says, 'You don't do anything jailer. You what? You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.' Paul's one gospel was that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and the jailer was to believe it (Clip 3). Les also notes that Acts 16 is individual Gentile ground, unlike Acts 2 where the nation of Israel asked, 'What must we do?' God does not save people in lumps; He saves one at a time, so faith is personal (Clip 0).
For Paul, the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Les states, 'That Christ died for your sins, and He was buried, and He rose from the dead. Believe it.' He also stresses that this gospel is not the Law, not works, and not repentance and baptism—it is believing the gospel (Clips 3-4). Paul's own words call this gospel 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth' (Romans 1:16).
Les is clear that Paul's 'believe' is not a head nod. He says it is 'a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief, that my eternal destiny is based on what He did for me, on that cross' (Clip 2). Paul, he says, means every individual resting completely on the fact that when Christ died, I died; when He rose, I rose, and He has imparted eternal life (Clip 6). With the heart man believes unto righteousness, and God imputes that righteousness (Clip 7).
Individual Gentile Faith
Les contrasts Acts 2, where the nation of Israel asks 'what must we do?', with Acts 16, where the Philippian jailer asks 'what must I do?' God saves one person at a time, making faith a personal matter.
Believing in God vs. Believing God
Les says there is a big difference between believing in God and believing God. Believing God means doing what He has said and resting on it, specifically resting on the gospel that Jesus died and rose again.
Holy Spirit-Driven Belief
For Les, Paul's 'believe' means a genuine, Holy Spirit-driven belief that my eternal destiny rests on what Christ did for me on the cross, not mere mental assent.
The Jailer's Simple Answer
Paul's response to the jailer was simple: 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.' The one gospel to believe is that Christ died for sins, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Believing the Gospel Only
Les stresses that salvation is not in the Law, not in works, and not in repentance and baptism—it is in believing the gospel Paul delivered from the risen Lord.
Resting on God's Promise
Les teaches that when we believe the facts of the gospel—Christ died, was buried, and rose—God's promise is that we shall be saved. We are to rest on that promise instead of doubting it.
Faith That Rests in Christ's Work
Les clarifies that Paul is not calling for a head ascent. Believing means resting on the fact that when Christ died, I died; when He rose, I was raised to new life in Him.
Heart Belief and Imputed Righteousness
Les highlights Romans 10:10 to show that believing with the heart—not just head knowledge—is what brings God's imputed righteousness.
Acts 16:30-31: 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.
Paul's direct answer to a Gentile asking how to be saved.
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Paul's statement that the gospel is God's power unto salvation for everyone who believes.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Paul's explicit definition of the gospel he delivered and by which believers are saved.
Romans 10:9-10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Paul's description of heart belief in the risen Christ leading to salvation and righteousness.
No. Les Feldick says there is a big difference between believing in God and believing God. Paul's gospel requires believing the specific message that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, and resting on that finished work (Clips 1, 3, 6).
He told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Les explains that Paul gave a simple response: 'You don't do anything jailer. You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ'—and the gospel he believed was Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (Clip 3).
Les Feldick points out that Paul does not make repentance and baptism a requirement. In the gospel he delivered, salvation is by believing the gospel—Christ died, was buried, and rose again (Clips 1, 4).
Watch the Teaching: What Must I Do to Be Saved? Acts 16 Explained