Why do we need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)?

There is direct variance, Peter urges, between the house of Israel and God. They put the Lord in the tomb, and God has put Him on His throne in glory; and there He is in heaven till His enemies are made His footstool. Peter opened the door of the kingdom of heaven that day, as he unfolded, the truth that the King is in heaven. He was commissioned to unlock the Jewish leaf of the door that day, and what is the result? "They were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" They are awakened to a sense of their guilt, sin, and danger; and in reply to their query Peter says, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins" — that is, judge yourselves, own your guilt, acknowledge your true state, "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." If you own the Lord I own, you will get what I have got. "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The Gentiles are brought in there; God is sovereign in His grace; and how we should bless Him that it is extended to us, and that He has called us, who were indeed "afar off."

The effect of Peter's words was wonderful. Multitudes were broken under it. Realising how terribly they had compromised themselves with God by their rejection of His Son, they said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles: "Brethren, what shall we do?" The answer was as follows: "Repent, and be baptised everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Baptism before remission! This is not God's usual order, but the very reverse. When Peter proclaimed Jesus to Cornelius and his friends, they first received the remission of their sins, then the Holy Spirit, and after that baptism was granted them (Acts 10:43-48). The usual order was departed from on the Day of Pentecost for a very important reason. Only seven weeks earlier these people had been guilty of the murder of the Son of God. They were now horrified at their sin. But under the exceptional circumstances they were not permitted to receive, either the remission of their sins or the gift of the Holy Spirit until they had been baptised in the name of the very One they had so violently rejected. Three thousand submitted to these humiliating terms, and thus signified the reality of their repentance. Their baptism put them entirely outside "the untoward generation" upon whom the vengeance of God was about to fall by the hand of the Romans.

Wonderful results followed. The Word had been preached and the power of the Holy Spirit brought the great truths to the hearts and consciences of the hearers. Their guilt in having crucified Jesus had been fully demonstrated, and now they asked, "Now, brethren, what shall we do?" Peter gives the needed answer. Repentance and baptism are the conditions. If these are fulfilled remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit are promised to follow. Peter's words wrongly interpreted have led to much confusion. Upon these words doctrines, especially concerning water baptism, have been built, which are not alone nowhere else taught in the Bible, but which are opposed to the Gospel. The words of Peter to his Jewish brethren have been used to make water baptism a saving ordinance, that only by submission to water baptism, with repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, can remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit be obtained. We do not enlarge upon these unscriptural conceptions nor answer the utterly false doctrine of "baptismal regeneration", but rather point out briefly what these words of Peter mean. We must bear in mind that Peter addressed those who had openly rejected Jesus. They had, therefore, also openly to acknowledge their wrong and thus openly own Him as Messiah, whom they had disowned by delivering Him into the hands of lawless men. Repentance meant for them to own their guilt in having opposed and rejected Jesus. Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (in which it differs from the baptism of John) was the outward expression of that repentance. It was for these Jews, therefore, a preliminary necessity. And here we must not forget that Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost had it still to do with the kingdom, as we shall more fully learn from his second address in the third chapter. Another offer of the kingdom was made to the nation. The great fact that the Holy Spirit had begun to form the body of Christ, the church, as stated before, was not revealed then. In this national testimony the word "repent" stands in the foreground, and their baptism in the name of Him whom they had crucified was a witness that they owned Him now and believed on Him.

The power of the Spirit of God in this address itself produced serious response among the people. Pricked in their heart, they inquired of Peter and the apostles as to what they should do. Where conscience is seriously affected, the answer is near to hand. First they are to repent, which refers specifically to their previous treatment of their own Messiah; then to be baptized, publicly reversing their previous public rejection of Him. This was important as regards Jews. Gentiles were not told to first be baptized before receiving the Spirit of God (Ch.10:44-48), but were baptized afterward. They had not (as Israel) been guilty of publicly rejecting the promised Messiah, for no such promise had been given to Gentiles. Being baptized to the name of the Lord Jesus, Jews would have their glaring public sins remitted publicly. This outward ordinance only accomplished outward results: it is no proof of a vital inward work of the Spirit of God. Of course, true repentance is a vital work of the Spirit, and this would result in Jews being willing to be baptized. If a Jew would not be baptized one would seriously question whether he had actually repented.

Then Peter said to them, "Repent" — a good word — "and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Repent! What is repentance? It is judging yourself. Man, have you ever repented? You must either repent, or be damned. You must change your attitude towards the Lord Jesus Christ. You must change your mind towards Him, and accept Him in simple faith, coupled with self-judgment, or depend upon it there is nothing but the eternal judgment of God before you. If you are not Christ's friend, you are His foe. "Repent, and be baptized," rung in their ears that day. Why be baptized? That would test the reality of their repentance, if it existed. Go, and as publicly own His name, in the waters of baptism, as seven weeks ago, in Pilate's hall, your voice was heard crying, "Away with him, crucify him." Seven weeks ago you clamoured for His blood; now, Peter says, own His name, confess His name. I glory to confess that name. Do you not? It is the joy of the heart of the Christian to confess that name. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ." Public confession of Christ was what Peter meant.

What Peter says in effect is this — If you repent, and are baptized in the name of the One, whom you refused and murdered, seven short weeks ago, you will receive like blessing with us — you will receive the Holy Ghost. Why is the truth put in this way? I think there cannot be the shadow of a doubt as to the wisdom of the Lord in guiding His servant to put it this way. He does not tell them to believe in Jesus. That may be needful when you come to Acts 10. He does not tell them to trust in Jesus. No, He peals out the clarion note of John the Baptist — unheeded in his day — Repent. There must be repentance. No man ever yet had to do with God unless there was repentance. I do not deny that faith is a requisite to blessing also, but faith is the reception of a Divine testimony. These men had faith. They believed that Jesus was exalted. What was the result? "They were pricked in their hearts." What next? "Repent," says Peter. You may ask, What is repentance? I believe it is the judgment which the soul passes on itself, as, in the light of God's presence, it learns what the truth is — the truth about God, the truth about Jesus, and the truth about my sins, and my sinful state. Repentance is taking God's side against myself, Repentance is the teardrop in the eye of faith. I would to God I saw that tear-drop in every eye before me tonight. It was in the eyes of those Peter addressed. Repentance holds a large place in the preaching of the apostles. It would be well if, now-a-days, it were more pressed. There must be the judgment of what I have done, and what I am. It is a blessed moment in his history when a man repents — when he judges himself. It is my accepting the testimony of God as to the state of my heart, and owning my utter ruin, in truthfulness and uprightness.

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," is the counsel of God to those awakened hosts, now deeply convicted of their guilt in the murder of Jesus. Peter, so to speak, says, If you are really repentant, you will own your guilt, and, in as public a manner declare your repentance, by being baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, as you publicly, and all together joined in the cry, "Away with him — away with him — crucify him, crucify him." The truth of their repentance would be manifested by their action. I do not doubt there may be spurious faith, and that there may be spurious repentance, but such was not the case here. All were deeply convicted of their sins and they wanted to know what was to be done. The Gospel put before them was, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And why? "For the promise is to you, and to your children." Thank God for that! It is not only on myself, but on my family, that God has His eye. "The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort." Peter was undoubtedly led to expound, and enforce what he had said, so that they might then get God's blessing; and I would press upon you to get blessing this night. Peter concluded with, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." It may seem a remarkable thing to say, "Save yourselves." But I advise you, my friend, to save yourself. Come clear out of the world, now under judgment, and cleave to the Saviour, who has gone through the judgment, and is now at God's right hand in glory. That is the way to save yourself. Go to the Saviour.

But the gift of the Holy Ghost is here connected with the responsibility of the nation to bow to the One in glory; hence Peter goes on: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (ver. 36). Since that ascended Man is Lord and Christ, then every one must bow to Him. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (vers. 37, 38). Here, without doubt, Peter uses one of those keys which His Master said should be his in Matthew 16, and he opens the door to the Jew. Notice again that he had not the keys of the Church — we nowhere hear of such in Scripture — but of the kingdom of heaven. God's Church is a heavenly company, though it be formed on earth; and the kingdom is earthly, though it be ordered from heaven. Peter uses here what I have ventured to call the Repentance key.

Why does he call on these Jews to "repent"? Seven weeks before they had clamoured for the Saviour's blood. He says, Go down, and now as publicly own Him as then you denied Him. Confess Him in the waters of baptism to be your Lord and your Messiah, and you will have remission of your sins and receive the Holy Ghost. "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call [a hint of the Gentiles getting in]. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (vers. 39, 40). These "many other words" meant, I take it, a good, sound, plain preaching, which had most blessed results. Peter was in splendid form that day, because he was full of the Holy Ghost. A few weeks before he had gone out of the high priest's palace a very dejected man, because, being then full of himself (see Luke 22:33), he had boasted what he would do, and immediately after had denied his Master: now, full of the Holy Ghost, he preached boldly and pointedly, and that day the dear simple fisherman won three thousand souls for Christ. "Save yourselves from this untoward generation" was a call to sever themselves from the nation that had slain its Messiah and to get into the city of refuge. Practically the Church of God became "the city of refuge" to every Jew who had imbrued his hand in the blood of his brother — who had helped to slay the Lord.

Surprised, grieved, alarmed to the heart by that which Peter had thus forcibly brought before them, they cry to him and the other apostles, "Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?" This gives the opportunity for the apostle to set out in the wisdom of God a very weighty application of the truth for the soul that hears the gospel: "Repent," says he, which is a far deeper thing than compunction of heart. This they had already, and it leads to that which he desired for them: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." There is no true repentance to life without faith. But it is according to God that repentance is put forward here rather than faith. The Jews had the testimony of the gospel, as well as the law; and now it had been pressed on them by Peter. Because they believed that testimony, brought home to their consciences, as we have seen, their hearts were filled with sorrow.

But the apostle lets them know that there is a judgment of self that goes far below any outburst of grief, any consciousness and hatred, even of the deepest act of evil, as undoubtedly the crucifying of Jesus was. Repentance is the abandonment of self altogether, the judgment of what we are in the light of God. And this was to be marked, therefore, not only by the negative sign of giving themselves up as altogether evil before God, but by receiving the rejected and crucified man, the Lord Jesus. Hence, to be baptized each one of them in His name for the remission of sins follows; "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

There is, I think, progress as to baptism, but it stands on very peculiar ground, obscure as a Christian institution. John the baptist preached the baptism of repentance - he prepared the way, saying they should believe on One that came after. But his business was to take the nation up on the ground on which it stood, and call to repentance, and in fact form a remnant to receive Christ; the remission of sins was in view for those baptised. But he preached repentance, and they were baptised to that, and so ready to receive Messiah - the Son of Man, even on earth, had power to forgive sins. When Peter preaches, he preaches Jesus rejected and exalted, made Lord and Christ, not repentance; when they were pricked in heart, he says to them "Repent," but the baptism was to the remission of sins because the work was done which gave it fully. They were baptised to the remission of sins. Repentance in man was always called for. But John called for that as his business, the remission was to come after.

But to turn to a few instances in scripture. First, Acts 2 … Peter charged the people distinctly with their sin, and they were pricked to the heart and said, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" The gospel was preached, and, being believed, produced godly sorrow. Then he says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you … for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Then came fruits and praise. Here it is not merely presenting the blessed and glorious revelation of God in Christ, nor indeed is this finished work spoken of. The contrast is made between what they had done to Christ, and what God had done to Him. They had crucified Him; God had exalted Him, and the Holy Ghost, whose work they saw, was the proof of it; and they, through grace, were pricked to the heart.