April 19, 2022 – Tuesday
Acts 2:38 NIV
38 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.”
Comment.
It was the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit came upon about one hundred and twenty disciples of Jesus. Or as verse 2:4 says, All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. What followed is nothing short of amazing as scripture tells us in verses 5-12, 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
To answer that question Peter stood with the Eleven and quoted Joel 2:28-32 in verses 14-21. From there he then went on in verses 22-28 to tell how Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead ending with verses 8-11 from Psalm 16. Finally in verses 29-36, Peter spoke of how the Messiah would be resurrected, ending with, Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. After Peter’s concluding remark, we read in verse 37, When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter’s story/sermon after hearing Jesus’ disciples speaking in their own native languages, led many to believe then, just as it often does even to our own day.
So, we know our verse of the day is Peter’s answer to the question from new believers, What shall we do? They were to 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. About repentance, the Zondervan Bible Commentary states, This became the central call of early Christian preaching. Repentance (metanoia) involves primarily a radical change in a person’s central affections, convictions, and life direction. It signifies a recognition that one’s life has been oriented around self and sinful pursuits and an embracing of God’s will and priorities. The call to repent is a continuation of Jesus’ own ministry introduced by John the Baptist with his call to repentance and repeatedly urged by Jesus himself in his earthly ministry. And about the baptism that followed (edited), From the beginning, baptism has been the central rite performed for incorporating new believers into the church. What Peter calls for here in conjunction with their repentance is an entirely new rite for the people of God. This is appropriate since baptism is associated with the new covenant and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. More on baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit from Titus 3:5, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit. Or as the ESV Reformation Study Bible says, Baptism is a sign and seal of spiritual cleansing the Spirit effects through the forgiveness of sins.
Bottom Line: Jesus tells us to repent and believe, then from His sacrifice on the cross we receive the gift of grace in the forgiveness of our sins. Then we also have the blessing of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us and correct us as we do our best to follow Jesus, our light in this fallen world.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for the Day of Pentecost where Your grace was poured out upon Jew and Gentile alike. Please bless all our efforts to follow Your Son, our Savior. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek