The Book of Acts
Acts 2:37-38
Verse 37
Acts 2:37
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to
Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we
do?” NKJV
“When they heard this, they were cut to the heart.” Peter’s words,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, pierced their hearts to the extent they
were in pain. Note this “pricking” was due to the words of the
apostle, not by a direct operation of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit
was wielding His Sword, the Word of God, through the preaching of
the apostles. (Ephesians 6:17) “And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”
NKJV
They were convinced of the truthfulness of Peter’s message that
Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Messiah, the Son of God, and that
they were guilty of killing Him! They were now believers in the Son
of God, but they were not yet saved. They still needed to “do”
something. This should forever put to rest the false idea that one
is saved by “faith alone.” (James 2:17-24) Peter then gave them
the remedy for their lost condition.
Verse 38
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
NKJV
No doubt there was relief in hearing that there was actually
something they could do to be saved. So there was hope. They could
be forgiven of the sin of crucifying the Messiah. Furthermore, they
could be forgiven of all their sins. (John 1:29) “The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world!”
NKJV
The
first part of the remedy was for them to “repent.” This meant the
listeners had to undergo a change of mind and attitude toward their
sins. (Revelation 9:20-21) “But the rest of mankind, who were
not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their
hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold,
silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor
walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries
or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
NKJV
This must result in a changed life. (Acts 26:20) “but declared
first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the
region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent,
turn to God, and do words befitting repentance.”
NKJV
This is what makes repentance so difficult for many. They were
already sorry for their sins. But this wasn’t repentance.
(II Corinthians 7:10-11) “For godly sorrow produces repentance
leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the
world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you
sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what
clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what
vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things
you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
NKJV
Note that repenting was something they had to do.
But something else was also necessary for them to be forgiven – the
last part of the needed remedy. They had to “be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ.” Baptism comes for the Greek word for
immersion; a plunging. It is never a sprinkling or pouring!
(Acts 8:38-39) “So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And
both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized
him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went
on his way rejoicing.”
NKJV
But it also included the idea that the one being baptized
acknowledged his faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. This was
probably done as a verbal confession of his new allegiance.
(Acts 8:36-37) “Now as they went down the road, they came to some
water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me
from being baptized?’ Then Philip said, ‘If you believe with all
your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
NKJV
This all was done “for the forgiveness of sins.” The word
translated “for” means motion toward, in order to obtain, so that
you may have. This same phrase is used in Matthew 26:27-28. “Then
He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
NKJV
His blood was poured out in order for people to be saved, not
because they already were! Putting our text Acts 2:38 with Matthew
26:27-28 reveals that Christ’s blood saves us when we repent and are
baptized. Our obedience is essential to our salvation.
(Hebrews 5:9) “And having been perfected, He became the author of
eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
NKJV
So Peter on this great Daly of Pentecost gave the remedy for them to
be saved. But the listeners had to partake of the remedy in order
to be saved. [Example: A doctor giving a remedy for an illness to
his patient.] Also note the example of Paul in Acts 22:16. “And now
why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
NKJV
The final thing Peter said is that the listeners, upon their
obedience, would be given the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not
an allusion to every believer possessing miraculous powers, but a
promise of God’s presence in their lives.
Bobby Stafford April 5, 2015 [Evening] Acts:
Lesson 9 Acts 2:37-38
