Now What?

In the previous article, we looked at how Peter (speaking in Jerusalem at Pentecost after Jesus had returned to heaven) explained to the people gathered there how Jesus had been shown to be from God, but he was allowed to be executed.  Then, Jesus was raised from the dead, and was made Lord (i.e., He was now in charge) and Messiah (i.e., the promised one who would save people).

The people logically ask what they should do.  They had just found out that they were in serious trouble, and Peter had answers.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 NIV

https://acts.bible/acts-2-38

“Repent and be baptized”.   You may have heard this before, but it is no less significant to us today (and to our friends who don’t know Jesus) than it was to people in the first century.

Repent, as you may know, means turning away from something and towards something else.  A commentator (Gaertner, p.80) writes, “The Greek term for repentance…carries the idea of turning from sin to God.”  The sins that had gotten the audience into their current situation, including having gotten Jesus crucified (who is now back and in charge), should be left in the past.

And, baptism means “baptism”.  My reading of this is simply immersion in water, as we find happening elsewhere in the New Testament when someone learns the story of Jesus and chooses to accept Him.

Now, there are other aspects to salvation that we find elsewhere in the Bible, but I think that they show up here, also.

• In order to follow Jesus, we must believe in Jesus.  It sounds like the people around Peter that day already believed; hence, why they asked what they needed to do.
• Jesus should be our Lord.  He is the Lord (per v.36), but not everyone acts like it.  If you believe that someone is in charge and that they will judge you, it’s a good idea to do what they say.  However, followers of Jesus don’t have to make Jesus their Lord out of a fear of punishment: it’s merely an acknowledgement of the existing truth.

The result here isn’t just a “get out of Hell free” card.  (By the way, I asked my wife how preachers described this concept – a purported salvation that doesn’t change one’s life – before the game Monopoly was invented.  I don’t know the answer, though.)  The result of repentance and baptism is that the people “will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

Remember how Peter quoted from the prophet Joel earlier in Acts 2 (see Acts 2:16-21)?  The audience was wondering what was going on (with all the languages being spoken, for instance), and Peter explained how this was the prophesied pouring out of God’s Spirit on people.

While we may sometimes focus on other parts of this message, let’s not forget that the result of Peter’s instructions was that others could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, themselves.  And here is some good news: The great power that got the people’s attention in the first place was from a Great Person, the Holy Spirit, whom they could also receive.

I find it interesting that Peter didn’t start his sermon with telling the people that they had to shape up, or to quit doing something, or to act a certain way.  Some gospel messages seem to dwell on how sinners need to change their ways.  I’m convinced that sinners can’t fundamentally change their ways on their own, and can only experience transformation after bringing their broken selves to Jesus, and allowing God to make them into a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

Instead of spelling out a list of changes or sacrifices that the people had to make in order to atone for their sins, Peter explained the problem, and the audience realized that they needed to do something, so they asked for help.  Yes, Peter’s instructions include repentance, but it also included receiving the Holy Spirit.  Without the Holy Spirit’s help, real change seems unlikely, if not impossible.

From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 3, 2023

References:

• Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
• The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner.  © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
• New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese.  © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.