Commentary on Acts 2:36-

By Bob Myhan

36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Peter has now proven to all the honest, open-minded people in his audience the proposition that he set out to prove. The man whom they had delivered to Pilate to be crucified is the Lord on whose name they must now call if they would be saved. He is not only Lord but Christ. “Lord” is the same as “Master,” while “Christ” is “anointed one,” whether literally or figuratively anointed. His anointing took place at His baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22; 4:16-19; Acts 10:34-38).

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?"

The people were obviously deeply affected by the revelation that the man whom they crucified had not only been innocent but was, indeed, the Messiah for whom they—as a nation—had long waited. Having been convinced by Peter that God had “made this Jesus … both Lord and Christ” they immediately feel a godly sorrow and wish to “call on the name of the Lord” to be saved. The apostles are clearly spokesmen for Christ, so whatever they bind on earth has been bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18). They are not “calling on the name of the Lord” by asking “what shall we do?” Sometime later, Saul of Tarsus will ask Jesus, Himself, “What must I do?” That Saul will not be “calling on the name of the Lord” when asking this question is obvious from the fact that, three days later, a man sent by Jesus instructs him, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Thus, Saul had not previously called on the name of the Lord on the road to Damascus or during the intervening three days, while fasting and praying. So, if asking the Lord directly and asking the Lord in prayer do not constitute “calling on the name of the Lord,” neither does asking the apostles, “what shall we do?”

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.

The command to “believe in the Lord Jesus” (see Acts 16:31) is, conspicuously, absent from Peter’s reply, because they already believed God had made Jesus “both Lord and Christ.” Instead, they are told to “repent … and be baptized.” Obviously, if they were alien sinners when they were commanded to repent, they were still alien sinners when they were commanded to “be baptized,” for Peter issued both commands in the same breath.

To “repent” is not “to turn,” for Paul “declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should (1) repent, (2) turn to God, and (3) do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20). Thus, people “turn to God” after, not when, they repent.

To “repent” is “to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge.” (Easton’s Illustrated Dictionary) They had previously desired, expected and sought an earthly kingdom, which was not of God. Israel had desired and sought nothing more than a geo-political kingdom since the days of Samuel. (1 Samuel 8:1-7) But this was not God’s original intention. Jesus had taught His disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) But, since the kingdom of God “is not of this world” (John 18:36), those who were seeking such needed to repent. The territory of the Lord’s kingdom has no physical boundaries.

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20)

But there was a greater need for them to repent than seeking a geo-political kingdom. Their seeking such led them to deliver Jesus to Pilate to be crucified. They even charged Jesus with wanting to be an earthly king, though He had resisted their efforts to make Him such (John 6:15; 19:12).

Again, they were not told merely to repent but to “Repent, and … be baptized.” To be baptized is to be immersed—or buried—in water.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:11-12).

The phrase, “in the name of Jesus Christ,” means, “in recognition of His authority.”

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18).

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The phrase, “for the remission of sins” means “in order to the remission of sins.”

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” (Matthew 26:27-28).

Obviously, Jesus’ blood was shed “in order to the remission of sins” not “because of the remission of sins.” Therefore, the believers on Pentecost were to be baptized “in order to the remission of sins” or “in order to have the remission of sins.”

What did Peter mean by the phrase, “the gift of the Holy Spirit”? Did he mean “the gift which is the Holy Spirit” or “the gift which the Holy Spirit will give”? Grammatically, it could be either, in both English and Greek.

Remember, that, while He was yet with them, Jesus promised the apostles that they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) that the Holy Spirit would “guide [them] into all truth” (John 16:13) and that He would give them “power” (Acts 1:8). The various manifestations of this “power” were collectively referred to by Paul as “the signs of an apostle” (2 Cor. 12:12). One particular manifestation of this power (that is, one of the “signs of an apostle”) was the ability to bestow – via the laying on of hands – miraculous, spiritual gifts (see Acts 8:14-19; 19:1-6; 2 Tim. 1:6). The apostle Paul mentioned several of these miraculous gifts in his first epistle to the church at Corinth. When “Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them” the people did not immediately receive the Holy Spirit upon their baptism in water but had to have the hands of an apostle laid on them (Acts 8:5-17). If “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 is the same as “the Holy Spirit” in Acts 8:14-19, it was not received immediately upon the baptism, unless God was partial on Pentecost. The phrases, “the gift of the Holy Spirit” and “the Holy Spirit” are used interchangeably in Acts 10:44-45 and clearly refers to the miraculous. But those in the home of Cornelius received it before baptism not when or after they were baptized. Whatever is meant by the phrase in Acts 2:38, it is no more necessary to conclude that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” is to be received immediately upon one’s baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” than it is necessary to conclude - based on the language of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:31 - that the jailer and his household would be saved immediately upon their believing “on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

39 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."

It is most likely the case that Peter, here, refers back to the promise of Joel that, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21). The promise of salvation was not for Jews alone but for those Jews who were then alive, their children, “and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” The Gentiles were “far off” (Ephesians 2:11-13). Thus, anyone may and everyone must call on the name of the Lord, if they wish to be saved.

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."

 After commanding them to repent and be baptized, he exhorts them to do the same for the only way they could “be saved” is by repenting and being baptized “for the remission of sins.” This shows that those to whom he was speaking were not saved before they were baptized. Thus, unless and until one is baptized, he is still a part of whatever “perverse generation” is in existence, even if he has already repented.

(To be continued)

Search with an Open Mind

The teachings of Jesus are not always popular with men. One reason for this is that many people have developed preconceived ideas about the will of God. That is, they make up their minds as to what the will of God is before they ever examine the Bible itself to find out what God has actually taught. They fail to study with an open mind. Many are convinced that what they believe is "gospel truth" and "nothing is going to change my mind!" How tragic and sad to reject divine truth because of one's unwillingness to OPEN THEIR MIND to the possibility that they might be wrong. Are they afraid that the evidence may demand that they change their convictions about the matter?

The Bible says, "But test everything; hold fast what is good," (1 Thess. 5:21). The Scriptures warn that prophets will prophesy falsehood in God's name (Jer. 14:14). Also, people "will not endure sound teaching and will turn away from listening to the truth" (2 Tim. 4:3-4), Sad result of a closed mind.

To be saved from sin, one must love, seek, learn, and obey the truth. "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Have an open mind toward the truth. Don't trust your salvation to preconceived notions. Believing and obeying a lie will not save you (2 Thess. 2:10-12). The one true gospel must be obeyed (2 Thess. 1:7-9; Gal. 1:6-9).

Search the Scriptures with an open mind (Acts 17:11). Then believe and obey. &

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