Acts 2:37 ¶ Now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to
the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call. 40 And with many other words
did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation. 41 Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls.
Notice the Jews here
asked a similar question to the Philippian jailor.
Acts 16:30 And brought them
out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Notice how this baptism
is connected with repentance for rejecting their Messiah, which the leaders of
the Jews and the people that followed their instructions did. The statement
here is made after Peter identifies who Jesus is and what the Jews had done to
Him.
First, what does it mean to repent? The
words repent and repentance don’t just carry with them an intellectual assent to
something like just changing your mind. They involve a turning from something like sin or an action you were purposed to
do.
Exodus
32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians
speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the
mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Jeremiah
4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and
the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and
will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
Jeremiah
18:8 If that nation, against whom I have
pronounced, turn from their evil, I
will repent of the evil that I
thought to do unto them.
Jeremiah
26:3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that
I may repent me of the evil, which I
purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
Ezekiel
14:6 Therefore say unto the house of
Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent,
and turn yourselves from your idols;
and turn away your faces from all
your abominations.
Ezekiel
18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O
house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all
your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Jonah
3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Repenting is
also an inward action, an act of the mind or spirit, with this baptism as the
outward and immediate expression acknowledging the change. Repentance also
implies belief as you repent from sin and turn to God. Sin is downplayed in
today’s Christianity so repentance from it usually receives short shrift except
in the most fundamental of churches. Consider these verses;
Romans
5:8 But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1John
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
So, if sin before we are
saved and after we are saved is not an issue then what do you think about these
verses, if we are just to admit we sin like we admit we chew gum and move on?
And why did Christ trouble Himself to die on the Cross?
1Corinthians
15:3 For I delivered unto you first of
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures;
In the so-called Sermon
on the Mount in Matthew, the spiritual counterpart to the very earthy Sermon on
the Plain in Luke, Jesus made a very important point in saying that it was more
important that you reconcile to a brother who had something against you first
than to offer something to God. In Matthew 5 He made a spiritual application
for mourning as in regard to contextually mourning for sin’s very existence and
hungering for God’s righteousness.
I realize preachers have
taken this too far. The most stunning example is Charles G. Finney’s insistence
that if you weren’t trying to make up for all of your past sins to the people
you had wronged then you probably aren’t saved, which is foolish. But modern
preachers not preaching against sin is just as foolish, if not moreso.
You cannot simply dismiss
sin and your sin nature as a bad rash and forget it. We need to deal with our
sin, or, more importantly to have Christ deal with it.
1John
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Have you mourned for your
sin? Do you weep even now over what you feel so helpless to overcome? Haven’t
some of you ruined your families? Haven’t some of you wasted your youth on
alcohol and promiscuous sex, looking for love and acceptance, a replacement for
your father or mother, pursued money and found bankruptcy, messed up your kids?
Do you feel nothing? Has someone gotten you to believe that everything is just
peachy? David was forgiven but he suffered terribly for his sin, in his family.
Don’t you mourn?
I know that there are
verses about salvation that don’t mention repentance like Romans 10:9, 10 or
Acts 16:31 but we need to look at all of the verses on a topic before we
formulate a doctrine in our head. Repentance from sin, from what you are, a
sinner, repudiating your sin and turning it over to Christ, trusting His
righteousness and not your own is basic to Bible salvation. You won’t come to
the point of receiving Christ if you don’t realize you are spiritually bankrupt
without God.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all
those things have been, saith
the LORD: but to this man will
I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word. [contrite is
a feeling of remorse, based on guilt]
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a
broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
The result of
repentance and faith is the receiving of the Holy Ghost who indwells the
believer, the Spirit of God and Christ, also called the Holy Spirit in its
active state with the Holy Ghost being His person.
First, for a reference
to John the Baptist’s call to repentance from sin for the Jews to prepare them
to receive their Messiah.
Matthew 3:1 ¶ In those days
came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild
honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem,
and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan,
confessing their sins.
And now a call from
Peter to repent of the official rejection of the Messiah and what they did to
Him.
38 Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Then, an important
point is made that underscores the argument that while salvation is free to all
men and that the Lord would have all men to be saved it is only going to happen
to those He calls, who are the ones that He knows will receive Him, rejecting
in advance those He knows will reject Him. This is different than traditional
Calvinism that says that He made many souls who were created for the express
purpose of damning them, that salvation was not an option for them.
Verse 39 mentions to all that are afar off. Here is an
important cross-reference and a key to interpretation.
Ephesians 2:11 ¶ Wherefore
remember, that ye being in time
past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
First, the principle
that it is God’s will, His desire that all people be saved;
1Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth.
But, God knows who will
receive Him by His foreknowledge of all events in space-time, including
thoughts of the mind and intents of the heart. God calls people He already
knows will believe Him.
Romans 8:28 And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to his
purpose. 29 ¶ For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified:
and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Verses 29-30 in Romans
8 defines why those in verse 28 are called, because God knew. This
foreknowledge extends backwards to before the universe was created. We were
chosen in Him, to be holy and without
blame, because we will trust in His righteousness and not our own to be saved.
Ephesians 1:4 According as
he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love:
So, the reference to
God’s calling in Acts is further explained by Paul as God calling those He
foreknew would receive Him, not saying that He created specific people to be
condemned. Some will still say this is still unfair but in an eternal view of
things we all will know that even the most awful of people had a choice. That
they did not make the right choice and that God knew they wouldn’t does not put
guilt on Him. It put guilt on mankind rebelling against their Creator. We all
make a choice. Free will is a Bible doctrine.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call
heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose
life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Joshua 24:15 And if it seem
evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose
you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served
that were on the other side of
the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me
and my house, we will serve the LORD.
God, not a
leather-lunged, wily pulpiteer using clever words, guilt because you won’t see
your mama again if you don’t get saved, or group pressure in a so-called
revival meeting, added 3,000 actually saved people to their number at this
time. These were not people who repeated a formula 1-2-3 repeat-after-me prayer,
you know, the A-B-C Admit you are a sinner, Believe on Christ, and then Confess
your belief to the preacher and the congregation but people whose hearts were
changed by God, their Creator, as a consequence of their belief. One can only
imagine those who heard and walked away.
Romans 3:21 But now the
righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law
and the prophets; 22 Even the
righteousness of God which is
by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is
no difference: 23 For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God; 24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth
to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God; 26
To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus.
Notice here how baptism
is used as an entry point to fellowship as part of the church. Typically,
Baptists use baptism like this, as a public statement of belief and as the
public expression of entry into the body of Christ, something that occurred
sometimes months earlier when a recognition of the truth turned a person’s
heart to God through Christ. No one gets saved when they get baptized like no
one realizes they love someone at the marriage altar. That commitment is made
long before the ceremony, if it is true.
There will be
variations in the order of baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost that takes
place when one believes. The error of modernism is to read the Bible like a
textbook or the owner’s manual to your car. It is more like a conversation
between your Creator and yourself in your response to it. The following line
means these things happen when you believe. They are not 1-2-3 like the
instructions on the settings guide for your cellphone.
38 Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
These are not
necessarily linear events like the Jews had to be baptized before they received
the Holy Ghost. This, like in eternity, is everything as now, taking place when
one is saved. As a similar statement see in Revelation;
Revelation 11:18 And the
nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and
them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which
destroy the earth.
That was a general
statement of events happening in the time frame covered by what was to come
after this point. This does not by necessity represent an order of events.
The Jews present responded
to Peter’s sermon were baptized and received the Holy Ghost but was this a
presentation of a strict order of events making their salvation different from
Gentile salvation?
See the order presented
here in the text. First, with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch there is no
mention of receiving the Holy Ghost but it is assumed.
Acts 8:26 ¶ And the angel
of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the
way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose
and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great
authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her
treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot
read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the
Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet
Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man
should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he
read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb
before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken
away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the
earth. 34 And the eunuch answered
Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself,
or of some other man? 35 Then Philip
opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain
water: and the eunuch said, See, here
is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all
thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded
the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip
and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39
And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way
rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at
Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Then, with the Roman
centurion and company and Peter where it is implied that they believed what
they heard and then they received the Holy Ghost and are then baptized.
Acts 10:44 ¶ While Peter
yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came
with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the
gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they
heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should
not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the
name of the Lord.
Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Now, do you honestly
think that each of these situations were different in that in one instance you
are baptized then you receive the Holy Ghost after that and yet in another you
get baptized because you believe and it is implied that you received the Holy
Ghost upon belief and in another instance you believe and receive the Holy
Ghost and then are baptized? How many dispensations do you want to create?
Christians often don’t have a problem with belief. They have a problem with
reading comprehension. This is a lot like those people who believe Noah walked
off the Ark with a white son, a black son, and an Asian son when it nowhere
says that but they read back into the text what they want to believe.
Earlier in Acts 8 you
will have people believing and being baptized but not receiving the Holy Ghost
until Peter and John lay hands on them. In Acts 16 Lydia believes and is
baptized but no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In the same chapter the
jailor believes and is baptized and no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In
Acts 9 it is implied that Paul believed and then he received the Holy Ghost by
the laying on of hands. In Acts 22 he relates that he was baptized after that. Again,
if you are going to read the Bible like a textbook how many dispensations do
you want to create?
When you get saved it
is because you believed, were given faith, and received the Holy Ghost. At some
point, to fulfill all righteousness as Jesus said, you should get baptized as
an outward manifestation of your inward change and faith.
In any event Jesus
Himself puts the focus on your belief, not your baptism.
Mark 16:16 He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
Verse 40 says And with many other words did he testify and
exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Untoward is defined by some 17th century dictionaries as
unwilling, obstinate, stubborn, and perverse. Peter preached salvation from that
stiff-necked generation of Jews who stubbornly refused to accept their Messiah,
even having killed Him.
God added three
thousand to the early church at that time. It was God’s work accomplished by
God using men and women.
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