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Acts 2:37–38
“Peter said to them, ‘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’” (v. 38).
Throughout his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2, the Apostle Peter charges his hearers with the crucifixion of Christ (vv. 23, 36). This makes sense given that he was preaching to Jewish pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost (vv. 5–12), and these same pilgrims would have been present weeks earlier at Passover, which the Jews were likewise required to celebrate in the Holy City (see Deut. 16:16–17). These pilgrims thus were likely among the crowds in Jerusalem who demanded that Pilate have Jesus crucified (Luke 23:1–25). They were responsible for His death. In a broader sense, however, we must recognize that all sinners, Jews and gentiles alike, put Jesus on the cross. After all, He went there because of sin. Had there been no sin in the world, there would have been no need for Jesus to atone for transgression in His crucifixion (1 John 2:2).
The crucifixion of Jesus was the greatest act of evil in all human history, for He, the Lord of glory, is the only man who was completely and totally innocent of all sin and therefore fully undeserving of any suffering (1 Peter 2:21–25). Yet the crucifixion is not the unforgivable sin, as we see in today’s passage. Upon hearing the good news of Jesus’ person and work, some of the Jewish pilgrims experienced the conviction of sin and realized that something had to be done lest they receive the full measure of God’s wrath. Crying out, they asked Peter what the solution to their predicament was. Peter responded by calling them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37–38).
Here we see that baptism continues to be required of God’s people even after the ministry of John the Baptist, but the meaning of it is different. As in John’s baptism (Luke 3:3), baptism and repentance are connected, but new covenant baptism is in the name of Jesus, for it identifies us with the One who purchased our salvation. We are “baptized into Christ” (Rom. 6:3). Of course, we baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18–20), but fundamentally, baptism is a sign and seal of our union with Jesus. Thus, the book of Acts frequently talks about being baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). Note also the connection between baptism and repentance, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit (2:38). The washing of water in itself saves no one apart from faith, but the promise God gives in baptism comes to fruition in the salvation of the elect.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Baptism is not merely an act of our obedience or an outward sign of an inward grace. More fundamentally, baptism is a means of grace wherein God communicates His promise to save those who trust in Christ. Baptism does not save apart from personal trust in Jesus, but it is a sign and seal of salvation.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 30:1–10
- Ezekiel 36:25–27
- Colossians 2:8–15
- 1 Peter 3:21–22
The bible in a year
- Genesis 42–43
- Matthew 14:22–36