Acts 2:38-39

The life sustaining power that Jesus gives us is Holy Spirit. 

Without Him in our life we are without guidance and without hope.  We must trust Him completely to direct our life in the way of the Lord.

Dear God, in a world filled with ceaseless motion, help me to find and practice balance. Give me the strength to not put on blinders to all that is hurtful and wrong in the world. Instead, let me make a meaningful and healing difference as I move forward from a place of peace. Amen. 

With my eyes open
I will do the good work of loving those whose paths I cross. Everyday.
And because we need places to replenish. And heal. And rebuild. Because we need one another more than ever. And I will fight for sanctuary for the broken and the lonely. And I will fight for sanctuary for those who have heartrending choices to make.
And I choose to be a voice for compassion and mercy and second chances and healing and hope and grace and sanctuary and inclusiveness and restoration and kindness and bigheartedness.

I will remind us that…
Grace wins
Hope wins
Compassion wins

Because deep down there is a light that cannot be extinguished by hatred or judgment or cynicism or fear. Sabbath Moments

Acts 2:38-39

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. 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.” The New King James Version

The Greek word used here, metanoeō, for repent denotes a change of mind, will, or actions. Peter calls the people to believe that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the old testament. Peter’s exhortation involves two actions: repentance and baptism. These are connected with two promises: forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

In Acts, Luke presents saving faith, repentance, forgiveness, baptism, and the gift of the Spirit as interrelated aspects of embracing Jesus and coming to belong to the people of God in Christ. Just as circumcision served as a visible external marker of inclusion in the covenant community of Israel, so baptism serves as the public sign and seal of a person’s solidarity with Christ and participation in the new covenant community of faith, which encompasses both Jewish and non-Jewish people. Baptism identifies a person with Jesus in His life, death, burial, and resurrection 

God does not overlook or ignore sin, but graciously frees those who belong to Jesus from its condemnation and power. Jesus promised to send the Spirit to dwell in those who belong to Him, enabling them to trust and follow Him as their Savior and Lord.

Peter could be referring to the applicability of the gospel message to the immediate members of a person’s household or more generally to the message of salvation reaching generations to come (the descendants of the people present). Faithlife Study Bible

Repentance for the Judeans involved rejecting their former attitudes and opinions concerning who Jesus was. 

When a person recognizes who Jesus Christ really is, the result is the desire to do what He commands. The first action that Jesus requires of a new believer is baptism, the outward expression of inward faith. The idea of an unbaptized Christian is foreign to the New Testament. Is Peter saying that we must be baptized to receive forgiveness of our sins? Scripture clearly teaches that we are justified by faith alone, not by works. The critical word in this phrase is the word for, which may also be translated “with a view to.” A comparison of Peter’s message in makes it clear that “remission of sins” comes to “whoever believes.” Believers are baptized in view of God’s work of forgiveness, not in order to receive that forgiveness. 

God’s forgiveness in Christ gives baptism its significance. Baptism is a public declaration that a person’s sins have been forgiven because of the finished work of Christ on the Cross. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit was the promise of Jesus in John. The Holy Spirit puts us in communion with the Father and the Son. This indwelling of the Spirit is a beautiful promise of the New Covenant, an indication not only that our sins are forgiven, but also that the Lord has placed His law within us. 

Peter exhorted his listeners to repent. In other words, each person had to make the decision to turn away from his or her sinful habits and turn to God in faith. Then God would forgive that person’s sins and declare them righteous because of Jesus’ work on the Cross. 

In first-century Israel, a father held tremendous influence in his home. When a father chose to receive Christ and be baptized, his children would follow his lead. The NKJV Study Bible

From the first delivery of that Divine message, it appeared that there was Divine power going with it; and thousands were brought to the obedience of faith. But neither Peter’s words, nor the miracle they witnessed, could have produced such effects, had not the Holy Spirit been given. Sinners, when their eyes are opened, cannot but be pricked to the heart for sin, cannot but feel an inward uneasiness. The apostle exhorted them to repent of their sins, and openly to avow their belief in Jesus as the Messiah, by being baptized in his name. Thus professing their faith in Him, they would receive remission of their sins, and partake of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring;

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.