Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
Peter didn’t say, Repent or be baptized, but Repent and be baptized. Some people repent but are never baptized, others are baptized but never repent. But entrance into the Christian life has always been marked by repentance and baptism.
Repentance is simply a change of mind that leads to a change in direction. If you’re on the highway to hell, and you want to go to heaven, you have to turn around. Baptism makes repentance public.
John the Baptist was a fearless preacher of repentance (Matthew 3:2), but as long as people remained on the shore they weren’t committed. Only when they stepped out of the crowd, in front of family and friends, were they saying their life was going to change.
[Baptism is] not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21), wrote Peter. It isn’t a pledge that we’ll never sin again, but that we’ll keep our conscience clear. If we’re not living with a clear conscience, we’re not fulfilling our baptismal pledge. Everyone sins, of course, but believers confess their sin (1 John 1:9), and go on following Christ.
Acts 2:38b And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When we commit ourselves to living for Christ, he commits himself to living in us. Before we come to Christ we don’t have the Spirit, but the moment we come to Christ we receive the Spirit. And The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16), wrote Paul.
A friend of mine has several brothers and sisters who all resemble each other. Some take after their father, and some take after their mother, but they all bear a family resemblance. This is also true for the family of God. We don’t need a medical test to prove whose children we are. The indwelling Spirit is proof that our Father is God, and that Christ is our elder brother (Hebrews 2:11).
Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The church of Jesus Christ didn’t begin gradually, but popped into existence after Peter’s sermon. If the disciples wanted to start a false religion, they would’ve gone far away from the people who knew the facts. They would’ve made a few converts, and the church would have grown gradually. But that’s not what happened.
The disciples stood in the same city where Jesus was crucified and proclaimed his resurrection without any fear of contradiction. They knew for a fact that Jesus rose from the dead, and that it couldn’t be disproven. Jesus’ enemies could’ve stopped Christianity at once by simply producing a body. They had enough manpower to turn every stone in Jerusalem, but there wasn’t even a search, because the rulers knew that there was no body (Matthew 28:1-15). So Christianity exploded.
The religion of the Bible is unique because it’s based on acts of God in history, that could be verified or falsified. The main act of God in the Old Testament was the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10-31). The Israelites were on one side when the waters parted, and they walked to the other side before the waters closed. Whoever wasn’t there could ask those who were, and they’d confirm it actually happened.
The main act of God in the New Testament is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First he was dead, then he was alive. Whoever wasn’t there could ask those who were, and they’d confirm it actually happened. The disciples’ testimony was convincing because they were willing to die for what they saw, and even go to hell if they were lying. They were devout Jews and, if they were lying about God, they could expect nothing but wrath in the age to come. Good Jewish boys don’t lie about God.
It’s not very hard to sit in a chair and come up with a new religion, and many people have. It’s harder to proclaim an act of God in history, unless it actually happened. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the historical proof that Christianity is true. [God] has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:31), said Paul.
Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
The church began as a community of believers that met together frequently. The biblical word church, actually means assembly, gathering, or congregation. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ belongs to his church, but we’re uniquely the church whenever we come together. Strictly speaking, there are no solitary Christians.
This is also important for spiritual growth. California Redwoods grow as high as three hundred feet because their root systems interlock with each other. If they try to grow alone, they’re often blown over by a strong wind. Christians also grow better together, so we’re not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25), says Hebrews.
Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The early church experienced dramatic growth as people came to Christ every day. Many shared their faith, and many others believed. Two thousand years later the church continues to grow, though not always consistently. Like a rising tide, a wave comes in and a wave goes out. But the waves keep coming in further and, one day, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9), wrote Isaiah.
Reflection and Review
Why is baptism important?
How does the birth of the church help prove the gospel?
How does gathering together help believers grow?
Peter didn’t say, Repent or be baptized, but Repent and be baptized. Some people repent but are never baptized, others are baptized but never repent. But entrance into the Christian life has always been marked by repentance and baptism.
Repentance is simply a change of mind that leads to a change in direction. If you’re on the highway to hell, and you want to go to heaven, you have to turn around. Baptism makes repentance public.
John the Baptist was a fearless preacher of repentance (Matthew 3:2), but as long as people remained on the shore they weren’t committed. Only when they stepped out of the crowd, in front of family and friends, were they saying their life was going to change.
[Baptism is] not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21), wrote Peter. It isn’t a pledge that we’ll never sin again, but that we’ll keep our conscience clear. If we’re not living with a clear conscience, we’re not fulfilling our baptismal pledge. Everyone sins, of course, but believers confess their sin (1 John 1:9), and go on following Christ.
Acts 2:38b And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When we commit ourselves to living for Christ, he commits himself to living in us. Before we come to Christ we don’t have the Spirit, but the moment we come to Christ we receive the Spirit. And The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:16), wrote Paul.
A friend of mine has several brothers and sisters who all resemble each other. Some take after their father, and some take after their mother, but they all bear a family resemblance. This is also true for the family of God. We don’t need a medical test to prove whose children we are. The indwelling Spirit is proof that our Father is God, and that Christ is our elder brother (Hebrews 2:11).
Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The church of Jesus Christ didn’t begin gradually, but popped into existence after Peter’s sermon. If the disciples wanted to start a false religion, they would’ve gone far away from the people who knew the facts. They would’ve made a few converts, and the church would have grown gradually. But that’s not what happened.
The disciples stood in the same city where Jesus was crucified and proclaimed his resurrection without any fear of contradiction. They knew for a fact that Jesus rose from the dead, and that it couldn’t be disproven. Jesus’ enemies could’ve stopped Christianity at once by simply producing a body. They had enough manpower to turn every stone in Jerusalem, but there wasn’t even a search, because the rulers knew that there was no body (Matthew 28:1-15). So Christianity exploded.
The religion of the Bible is unique because it’s based on acts of God in history, that could be verified or falsified. The main act of God in the Old Testament was the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10-31). The Israelites were on one side when the waters parted, and they walked to the other side before the waters closed. Whoever wasn’t there could ask those who were, and they’d confirm it actually happened.
The main act of God in the New Testament is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First he was dead, then he was alive. Whoever wasn’t there could ask those who were, and they’d confirm it actually happened. The disciples’ testimony was convincing because they were willing to die for what they saw, and even go to hell if they were lying. They were devout Jews and, if they were lying about God, they could expect nothing but wrath in the age to come. Good Jewish boys don’t lie about God.
It’s not very hard to sit in a chair and come up with a new religion, and many people have. It’s harder to proclaim an act of God in history, unless it actually happened. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the historical proof that Christianity is true. [God] has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:31), said Paul.
Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
The church began as a community of believers that met together frequently. The biblical word church, actually means assembly, gathering, or congregation. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ belongs to his church, but we’re uniquely the church whenever we come together. Strictly speaking, there are no solitary Christians.
This is also important for spiritual growth. California Redwoods grow as high as three hundred feet because their root systems interlock with each other. If they try to grow alone, they’re often blown over by a strong wind. Christians also grow better together, so we’re not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25), says Hebrews.
Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The early church experienced dramatic growth as people came to Christ every day. Many shared their faith, and many others believed. Two thousand years later the church continues to grow, though not always consistently. Like a rising tide, a wave comes in and a wave goes out. But the waves keep coming in further and, one day, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9), wrote Isaiah.
Reflection and Review
Why is baptism important?
How does the birth of the church help prove the gospel?
How does gathering together help believers grow?