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.” (Acts 2:38)

Then Peter Said To Them

Five simple words were written by Luke that changed the world. Peter and the eleven were in Jerusalem as instructed by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit had come upon the twelve as the church promised by Jesus was beginning its foundation of grace. Jesus had ascended to the Father as the resurrected Christ. Twelve men were commissioned to take the gospel of grace to the world. On Pentecost, devout Jews from all over the world had come together and were listening to the words of Peter. In just over five hundred words, Peter convicted the hearts of many in the audience that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected Christ. The crowd realized they had killed the Son of God just over a month ago. They were cut to the heart. There was desperation in their voices as they cried to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” This was a moment of decision. Realizing the immensity of their crime, the crowd burst forth with a fervent desire to find hope in what they had done. How would God answer them for killing His Son? It was a time of uncertainty and fear.

Five words. Luke opens the portals of heavenly grace with five words. No drumbeat or trumpets were blaring. All that Luke records are the words, “Then Peter said to them.” The apostle Jesus had promised would be given the keys to the kingdom and had just been granted the divine privilege. At that singular moment in the history of humanity, God’s grace was about to sing forth the wonderful news of salvation. From the depths of man’s failure in the Garden of Eden, the cry for salvation was heard from generation to generation. Noah believed and prepared the ark for the saving of his household, but he could not have imagined what Peter would say. Abraham was given the threefold promise, and he would only see the promise of a son. Moses took the Hebrews to the promised land and never saw the fulfillment of the Christ. David and the prophets wrote about their longings for the Messiah, but that message was centuries away. It was at Pentecost the angels held their breaths as the question was asked, “What must we do to be saved?”

The words of Peter shouted salvation through the halls of heaven. Three thousand souls heard the words of Peter and did not doubt what he said. There were no arguments. No one asked about the thief crucified with Jesus. ‘Faith only’ was not suggested as an alternative. None of the twelve apostles claimed allegiance to any church not ordained by the Holy Spirit. No scholars were pouring over the definition of the Greek words, whether baptism was necessary or not. At that great moment when the crowd burst forth with their desperate plea, 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. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Peter continued to preach to the crowd, telling them to be saved, and what they did was remarkable. They obeyed. Three thousand obeyed and never argued.

It is sad to hear so many disagree with the necessity of baptism. There are many examples of the necessity of baptism, but for now, focus on what Peter said the first time the question was asked. The crowd wanted to know what to do, and Peter told them what to do, and three thousand people did what Peter told them to do. Why is that so hard to accept? The Jews on Pentecost had less to go on than the modern man who has sixty-six books of divine revelation, and they were baptized for the remission of sins – no questions asked. Believers increasingly were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, without denying the necessity of baptism. The people of Samaria did not argue. Saul of Tarsus did not deny baptism. Neither did the man from Ethiopia, Cornelius and his household, the people of Asia Minor, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Athens, Philippi – and the list is endless.

Let me ask you a question – why do you always resist the Holy Spirit? Then Peter said to them … you read the rest.