Acts 2:38-41

The Keys to the Kingdom

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus promised Peter, "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." On the cross, Jesus asked his Father to forgive those who crucified him in ignorance. Both these passages find the beginning of their fulfillment in Acts 2:38. The Holy Spirit, through Peter, had already identified those in the assembled multitude as those who had used lawless hands to crucify God's Son. When they asked what they must do to be saved, Peter told them to, "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."

Repenting involves a change of will, or mind (Matthew 21:28-32). Baptism is a dipping, plunging, immersing or overwhelming. Today, we would say baptism is a burial (Colossians 2:12). Both repentance and baptism were to be done in the name of Jesus. Bales says, "Of course, Peter was not telling them in Acts 2:38 what he would say when he baptized them, but rather what they were to do in being baptized, i.e. they were to be baptized resting on His name, submitting to His authority, depending on Him as Savior and Lord."

The purpose of repentance and baptism under the authority of Jesus was to receive the promised result of the remission of sins. Luke recorded Peter's words using the Greek tense which set forth what he said as an urgent command. His urgency stemmed from the fact that such actions were required for them to receive the salvation they had sought. In 1 Peter 3:21, the apostle explained that baptism is the means of one's calling on God to cleanse him based upon the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

A further benefit of submitting to Christ's authority in repentance and baptism is the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter explained that the promise of the gift was available to the Jews, their children and the Gentiles, or those who were afar off. Of course, the promise is only for those who the Lord calls. However, the only limitation on God's call stems from man's willingness, or lack thereof, to respond to God's call since it clearly extends to all who will work righteousness (Acts 10:34-35). The Spirit is ready to give life to any who will submit to God and then make that individual's body his temple (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Peter pleaded with his listeners to save themselves from the wicked generation in which they lived. Those who obediently received the words of Peter were receiving the words of Christ, since the Lord said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me" (John 13:20; Luke 10:16). Because they received the Lord's words, about three thousand were added together in the kingdom (Acts 2:38-41).