Is Acts 2.38 the plan of salvation ?
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Just because Acts is transitional does NOT mean that it is not doctrinal for Christians today. This is the error made by the Hyper-Dispensationalists with their heresies. So let's look at Acts 2: 38 IN CONTEXT and see that everything there is fully applicable to the Gospel, and to churches today.
ACTS 2: HOW A CHURCH IS FORMED AND FUNCTIONS
THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.,,, 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [Note: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was preached, and then He was declared to be BOTH Lord and Christ. Therefore Christ must be received as Lord in order to be saved]
SINNERS ARE CONVICTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? [Note: Whenever the true and full Gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit is there to convict and convince sinners]
FAITH AND REPENTANCE ARE JOINED TOGETHER
38 Then Peter said unto 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. [Note: Repentance is for the remission of sins,. While faith is not mentioned here, it is implied with "in the name of Jesus Christ" who is always the object of faith. Baptism is not for regeneration, but to confirm that souls have been regenerated]
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PROMISED TO BELIEVERS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [Note: while this promise was to Israel, Gentiles are included under the Abrahamic Covenant. All those who believe receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Spirit), also called baptism with the Holy Spirit]
FAITH IN CHRIST IS GENERATED BY THE GOSPEL, AND SOULS ARE SAVED. BAPTISM FOLLOWS
41 Then they that gladly received his Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [Note: to "gladly receive his Word" is to have faith in Christ, since He Himself is the Gospel. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption. And water baptism must follow immediately or shortly thereafter]
THE REDEEMED ASSEMBLE TOGETHER FOR THESE THINGS
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. [Note: Jesus said "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you", and this is seen here]
THE IMPACT OF THE CHURCH IS FELT BY OTHERS
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. [Note: the preaching of the Gospel also results in fear of disobedience to the Gospel. Therefore Hell cannot be excluded from the Gospel]
THE CHURCH FUNCTIONS AS A FAMILY IN CHRIST
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. [Note: this fulfils the Second Greatest Commandment]
LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat [food] with gladness and singleness of heart, [Note: the redeemed are "new creatures in Christ" and their lives reflect this]
THE CHURCH HAS A POSITIVE SPIRITUAL IMPACT ON THE WORLD
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. [Note: God desires the salvation of souls daily]
ACTS 2: HOW A CHURCH IS FORMED AND FUNCTIONS
THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.,,, 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [Note: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ was preached, and then He was declared to be BOTH Lord and Christ. Therefore Christ must be received as Lord in order to be saved]
SINNERS ARE CONVICTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? [Note: Whenever the true and full Gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit is there to convict and convince sinners]
FAITH AND REPENTANCE ARE JOINED TOGETHER
38 Then Peter said unto 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. [Note: Repentance is for the remission of sins,. While faith is not mentioned here, it is implied with "in the name of Jesus Christ" who is always the object of faith. Baptism is not for regeneration, but to confirm that souls have been regenerated]
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PROMISED TO BELIEVERS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [Note: while this promise was to Israel, Gentiles are included under the Abrahamic Covenant. All those who believe receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Spirit), also called baptism with the Holy Spirit]
FAITH IN CHRIST IS GENERATED BY THE GOSPEL, AND SOULS ARE SAVED. BAPTISM FOLLOWS
41 Then they that gladly received his Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [Note: to "gladly receive his Word" is to have faith in Christ, since He Himself is the Gospel. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work of redemption. And water baptism must follow immediately or shortly thereafter]
THE REDEEMED ASSEMBLE TOGETHER FOR THESE THINGS
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. [Note: Jesus said "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you", and this is seen here]
THE IMPACT OF THE CHURCH IS FELT BY OTHERS
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. [Note: the preaching of the Gospel also results in fear of disobedience to the Gospel. Therefore Hell cannot be excluded from the Gospel]
THE CHURCH FUNCTIONS AS A FAMILY IN CHRIST
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. [Note: this fulfils the Second Greatest Commandment]
LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat [food] with gladness and singleness of heart, [Note: the redeemed are "new creatures in Christ" and their lives reflect this]
THE CHURCH HAS A POSITIVE SPIRITUAL IMPACT ON THE WORLD
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. [Note: God desires the salvation of souls daily]
As I said in another exchange of ideas, Peter was addressing Israelites who had just called for the murder of their Messiah, and who had just accused the disciples of Jesus with being drunk early in the day. Peter's discourse answered two questions. Who are these men and women who speak about Jesus in diverse foreign languages, and how can they do it. Peter's answer is first to confirm that the Man they murdered was Messiah, second that He, above David, had left Hades in resurrection, that His present position was at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and what the "men of Israel" must do (i) to avoid certain wrath, and (ii) be able to do supernatural things in servoce for this King.
You will note how different was his approach at the house of Cornelius. And even more removed from Acts 2 is Paul's discourse in Athens in Acts 17. When I preached the gospel to my work-colleagues, I do not start like Paul in Athens. Jehovah and Jesus are well known in Central Europe. But to my two Sri-Lankan servants I had while living in the Middle East some years ago, I adapt my gospel. They had hardly heard of Jesus and the environment they lived and worked in was aggressively Islam. Then again, my approach to my Arab co-workers was again very different. Look at Paul in Athens and then look at Paul as he addresses Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:8. There the beginning of the gospel is focused on the Seed of David, very similar to how Matthew starts.
But one thing must be foremost in our minds. Men are saved by (i) the completed works of Jesus, (ii) the Holy Spirit convicting them that they need a Savior, (iii) disciples who TELL of Jesus when they are convicted of sin and its consequences, and (iv) the Father in heaven giving divine light. We are a link in a divine chain of events. We are not given to save somebody. We just TELL of the Savior. We ourselves drink of the Holy Spirit and in turn this becomes a fountain going right out of the mouth again. But it is still the Holy Spirit Who does the convicting, Who gives divine revealtion and Who effects the rebirth in which the divine Life is imparted.
I think that with the Holy Spirit doing the bulk of the Work, our speaking can be quite lame, and still be effective (2nd Cor.10:10-13).
You will note how different was his approach at the house of Cornelius. And even more removed from Acts 2 is Paul's discourse in Athens in Acts 17. When I preached the gospel to my work-colleagues, I do not start like Paul in Athens. Jehovah and Jesus are well known in Central Europe. But to my two Sri-Lankan servants I had while living in the Middle East some years ago, I adapt my gospel. They had hardly heard of Jesus and the environment they lived and worked in was aggressively Islam. Then again, my approach to my Arab co-workers was again very different. Look at Paul in Athens and then look at Paul as he addresses Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:8. There the beginning of the gospel is focused on the Seed of David, very similar to how Matthew starts.
But one thing must be foremost in our minds. Men are saved by (i) the completed works of Jesus, (ii) the Holy Spirit convicting them that they need a Savior, (iii) disciples who TELL of Jesus when they are convicted of sin and its consequences, and (iv) the Father in heaven giving divine light. We are a link in a divine chain of events. We are not given to save somebody. We just TELL of the Savior. We ourselves drink of the Holy Spirit and in turn this becomes a fountain going right out of the mouth again. But it is still the Holy Spirit Who does the convicting, Who gives divine revealtion and Who effects the rebirth in which the divine Life is imparted.
I think that with the Holy Spirit doing the bulk of the Work, our speaking can be quite lame, and still be effective (2nd Cor.10:10-13).
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Aaaahhhh! The context tells. A man had just been healed, not brought faith. Peter was talking about the restoration of Israel. Acts 3:19-21;
19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."
19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."
This is why Paul devotes three Chapters of Romans to Israel. Peter's gospel was deeply incriminating to Israel. Not only had they broken the Law, but now they are accused of killing Messiah. Paul uses five Chapters in Romans to conclude all men under condemnation, the sixth to show the end of fleshly endeavors, the seventh to show that Law only brings death and the eighth to show the new way. The logical question in every reader's mind is then; "What hope then have Israel! Surely those who had the Covenants and the Oracles and House of God among them shall have a terrible end for their evil?" So Paul develops the JUDICIAL ground upon which Israel can, without faith, be restored nationally. See Acts 15:14-16.
Are you asking if we should accept what is written in scripture as in Acts 2:38, most assuredly, we should. That does not mean that we should shut our eyes to all other scripture. Scripture in Acts is telling of a good blessed way to salvation. It does not say there is no other way so baptism has to be followed.
A true understanding of scripture is to first learn the attributes of the Lord and know it is the Lord speaking to us in scripture. The Lord is a spirit, and tells us of his ways. If we apply hard and ridged rules to His word instead of knowing it is telling of the spirit and ways of the Lord, we become judgmental and wrong.
A true understanding of scripture is to first learn the attributes of the Lord and know it is the Lord speaking to us in scripture. The Lord is a spirit, and tells us of his ways. If we apply hard and ridged rules to His word instead of knowing it is telling of the spirit and ways of the Lord, we become judgmental and wrong.
The Jewish audience is INCIDENTAL.
That statement applies to all mankind. Furthermore, the Gospel was designed to go to the Jews FIRST, and then to the Gentiles. And the Church (the Body of Christ) consists of both Jews and Gentiles, while at the same time all ethnic distinctions are abolished within Christ.
As Paul -- the apostle to the Gentiles -- said in Acts 20:21, repentance toward God and faith toward are Lord Jesus Christ were the core of his Gospel preaching.
That statement applies to all mankind. Furthermore, the Gospel was designed to go to the Jews FIRST, and then to the Gentiles. And the Church (the Body of Christ) consists of both Jews and Gentiles, while at the same time all ethnic distinctions are abolished within Christ.
As Paul -- the apostle to the Gentiles -- said in Acts 20:21, repentance toward God and faith toward are Lord Jesus Christ were the core of his Gospel preaching.
The message is to
Yes we read this because of Paul . Peter however realised the change in Acts 11
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Are our sins blotted out later ,when the times of refreshing come ? could you explain how ALL OUR sins are blotted out LATER when the times of refreshing come in the presence of the Lord . ( if you believe this is everyone's sins )
Yes we read this because of Paul . Peter however realised the change in Acts 11
that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Are our sins blotted out later ,when the times of refreshing come ? could you explain how ALL OUR sins are blotted out LATER when the times of refreshing come in the presence of the Lord . ( if you believe this is everyone's sins )