"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.'"Acts 2:38
Peter promised the crowd a "gift" if they repented and were baptized. The act of repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was for the forgiveness of their sins. The Jews were familiar with some of this since it was part of their heritage to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Many had experienced John's baptism. The cleansing steps involved in the holy sacrifices in the Law of Moses were also familiar to the Jews. What was different was repentance and baptism "in the name of Jesus Christ." That was new to the Jews. Some would see it as blasphemous since only God could forgive sins and they didn't accept Christ as God. Others would be familiar with the claim since Jesus had often spoken about his authority to forgive the sins of the Jews (Matthew 9:1-7; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).
Why did the Jews have to repent? Had some been bad parents? Had some stolen from their employers? Had they lied and cheated? Had they committed adultery? They may have done those things, but that's not why. Peter made it clear that the Jews must repent because they were guilty of murdering the Lord and Messiah of Israel.
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross ... Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.' 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 replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."
The terrible sin for which the Jews must repent was the sin of murder. They had killed God's Son, the Messiah of Israel. No wonder many were "but to the heart." No wonder they asked, "Brothers, what shall we do?" They were in big trouble. They had done the worst thing a Jew could possibly do. They had murdered the Messiah. The way Peter answered their question was paramount to the setting up of absolute standards for acceptance into the Kingdom and the return of Messiah Jesus to Israel to set up His Kingdom and Rule from Jerusalem.
It was important for the Jews listening to Peter to clearly understand his message that day. He told them that forgiveness of sins would come from their act of repentance and baptism "in the name of Jesus Christ." Repentance and baptism in any other name was not acceptable. The Jews had to repent and undergo baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. We see two verses later that the people did understand the message.
"With many other words he [Peter] warned them [the crowd of Jews]; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."Acts 2:40-41
All of Peter's sermon comes to the conclusion that if a Jew repented and was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, they would receive the forgiveness of their sins. "About three thousand" repented and were baptized that day. They did what Peter said and God forgave their sins.
Is that the message Christians should preach today? Some do. Some people follow Peter's gospel and preach that a person must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. That's biblical. It's just what Peter preached standing before the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. God filled him with His Truth. Peter's message was accurate and indisputable. So, why don't all Christians preach repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins? How can anyone preach otherwise when Peter's words are so clear?
The problem is the Apostle Paul. Paul preached a different gospel. It has caused great confusion in the Church through the centuries. People read Peter's gospel and Paul's gospel and come away trying to make the two work together somehow. The problem is they don't work together. They are different gospels. That's what Acts 15 and Galatians 2 are all about. If Peter and Paul preached the same message, the apostles and elders in Jerusalem would have had nothing to discuss. The reason for the "sharp dispute and debate" was that Paul and Barnabas preached a gospel that was different than the one Peter, James and John preached. It was only after Peter opened the door of understanding and Paul and Barnabas explained the Gospel of the Grace of God to the Jewish apostles and elders that the Kingdom Jews accepted the difference between Peter's Gospel and Paul's Gospel. (Acts 15:6-21 & Galatians 2:7-10)
Peter promised the crowd of Jews on Pentecost Day more than forgiveness of their sins. He promised them they would receive "the gift of the Holy Spirit" when they repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. "Gift" is dorean . It means "a free gift, without cost." What was this free gift? Peter said, "of the Holy Spirit." The Greek reads, ten dorean tou hagiou pneumatos. The word for "Spirit" is the genitive of identification. That means the "gift" Peter promised was the Spirit. It's like promising a child the "gift" of candy. The gift is the candy. The gift Peter promised was the Holy Spirit.
The three thousand who responded favorably to Peter's message on the Day of Pentecost did three things and received three things.
Acts does not indicate whether the three thousand spoke in tongues following their repentance and baptism. It does tell us that:
Is this what the vast majority of Christians do today? Do apostles perform wonders and miracles? Are Christians filled with awe? Do Christians sell their possessions, give to everyone as they have need? Do they meet daily in the temple courts? No, we don't do that. Most Christians also don't obey Christ's commandments. Few do what Jesus told His disciples to do:
"All authority is heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you ... Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."Matthew 28:18-20 & Mark 16:15-18
These are only two of scores of commands Jesus gave His disciples and we already have problems. Christians aren't even obeying these two verses; less all the other things Christ taught. Read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It's a pretty clear picture.
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles to minister His Word and said, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts: take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep." (Matthew 10:5-10) Okay. How much of that do we see in Christian work today? How many pastors, missionaries and evangelists minister each day without taking any money with them? How many go on a trip and don't take luggage or extra clothing or shoes Few, if any. Why not? Jesus said it. He told His apostles to teach their disciples "to obey everything I have commanded you." Why don't we obey what Christ told His apostles?
The problem, once again, is Paul. He taught Christians not to do many of the things Jesus told His disciples to do. Many Christians today try to obey Paul and Peter. They try to do what Jesus told His disciples and what Jesus told Paul to teach us. That's unnecessary when we understand the difference between the Kingdom Dispensation and the Grace Dispensation. Jesus revealed a gospel to Peter and Peter was firm in preaching it to Israel. Jesus revealed another gospel to Paul and Paul was firm in preaching it to Gentiles and Jews. One Lord, two Gospels, two Dispensations.
The "gift of the Holy Spirit" is the Holy Spirit Himself. That's Who Jesus gave His apostles on the night following His resurrection. "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:21-22) Peter promised the crowd of Jews on the Day of Pentecost that they too would receive the Holy Spirit when they repented and were baptized.
We see that repeated in Acts 8, but with more insight into the process. We learn how people received the Holy Spirit.
"When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then, Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' Peter answered: 'May your money perish with you, becuase you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!'"Acts 8:14-20
Let's get a little background on this. First, read Acts 8:1-25. Who are the Samaritans? Why would Philip go to the Samaritans? Christ told His disciples to go "only to the Jews." Were Samaritans Jews? How did Samaritans come to be baptized in Jesus name?
Samaritans had once been part of the original 12 tribes of Israel. Their tribes followed the likes of Moses, Joshua, Saul, David and Solomon for hundreds of years. Solomon turned to other gods in his later years because of his lust for women.
"The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel ... So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."1 Kings 11:9-13
That's exactly what happened a short time later. God chose Jeroboam. He was one of Solomon's officials.
"About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, 'Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes ... But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hands ... I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel ... I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.'"1 Kings 11:26-39
Israel rebelled against King Rehoboam shortly after Solomon's death. All the tribes made Jeroboam king, except for the tribe of Judah. "Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David." Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem and "mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin ... to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon." However, God told the tribes of Judah and Benjamin not to fight against their brothers, the Israelites. They did as they were told and did not fight. (1 Kings 12:20-24)
The history of the ten tribes of Israel is not pretty. It is full of wickedness. The ten tribes renounced Jerusalem and the temple and made Samaria their capital city. They built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim. We gain a rich insight into the differences between Jews and Samaritans in John 4:4-42. Christ gave His disciples the example of caring for the Samaritans. Many believed in Him as the Messiah ("we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.").
Samaritans represented the ten tribes of Israel. They believed the Law of Moses and worshipped the true God. They also believed in the coming of the promised Messiah. The Jews of Jerusalem looked down on the Samaritans, but the Samaritans were still part of God's plan. Philip was not out of line or disobedient in preaching Christ to the Samaritans. In fact, it was part of God's plan to rejoin all the 12 tribes of Israel under the Kingship of Messiah Jesus. It was necessary that Christ be preached to ten of those tribes whose home was in Samaria.
Acts speaks about two Philips. One was an Apostle. He is named in the Gospels and in the list of Apostles in Acts 1:13. The other was one of the men the Twelve Apostles chose to serve the needs of the Grecian Jews. He had special authority from the Apostles to serve the needs of the disciples. He also had special powers Christ had promised to all His disciples: the powers Jesus told the Apostles about in Mark 16. Philip left Jerusalem after Stephen's death and the beginning of the great persecution against the Kingdom disciples. We know it was not Philip the Apostle because Acts 8:1 reads, "and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." Philip went to a city in Samaria and preached Christ. Philip cast out demons and healed paralytics and cripples. The people were amazed by the great signs and miracles they saw. Many Samaritans believed Philip's preaching about Christ and the Kingdom. Philip baptized many men and women into the name of the Lord Jesus, but the Samaritan disciples did not receive the Holy Spirit. Why? Philip did not have the authority to give the "gift" of the Holy Spirit. Only the twelve apostles could do that. That's why they sent Peter and John to Samaria to meet with Philip and the Samaritan disciples. The apostles arrived in the town and prayed "that they might recieve the Holy Spirit." Peter and John could see that the Samaritans had accepted the preaching of Philip, had repented and been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. The one thing remaining was to receive the "gift" and that was the Holy Spirit.
Simon of Samaria was a renowned sorcerer (Acts 8:9). He had amazed the people of Samaria with his magic for a long time (Acts 8:11). He heard Philip's preaching about Christ, believed and was baptized (Acts 8:13). He followed Philip everywhere, "astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw." Peter and John arrived in Samaria and immediately prayed for them "that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them." (Acts 8:15)
"When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, 'Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"Acts 8:18-19
Simon loved power, glory and personal attention. He wanted to do this great thing that Peter and John did. He wanted to be able to "give" the Holy Spirit to new believers. Peter was angry that Simon would try to "buy the gift of God." That "gift" was the Holy Spirit.
It was obvious to Simon that the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit when Peter and John placed their hands on the Samaritans. "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands..." Luke does not record what Simon "saw," but something happened that made it obvious. It may have been speaking in other tongues or some other sign gift.
It's important we understand early in our study of the Holy Spirit in Acts that the "gift" of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit Himself. Many have believed, incorrectly, that the gift of the Spirit is something the Spirit does in or through a person. What the Spirit did for a disciple was simply part of what happened when that person "received" the Holy Spirit. The "gift of the Holy Spirit" is the Spirit.
Please continue this study about The Holy Spirit in Acts.
Taking God's Grace to the World!
"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©, 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."
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Last Updated: 12/20/1999