Luke the physician wrote how Peter spoke about Jesus to the multitude gathered outside the house where the upper room was located by declaring, “let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 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?”, and in chapter two and verse thirty-eight of the book of Acts Luke shared how Peter told the multitude, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ” where we read:
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 you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The verse begins, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, ...” Luke began with the words, “then Peter said unto them” which means “at that time Peter, whose name means a little rock or stone, uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, the multitude”, “Repent” or “change your mind for better and heartily amend with abhorrence your past sins”, “and be baptized” which means “and be immersed, submerged and overwhelmed with water” “every one of you” or “each of the people in the multitude” “in the name of Jesus Christ” which means “in the name which is used for everything which the name covers including the thoughts or feelings of which are aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing and remembering belonging to Jesus, whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate, the anointed One and Messiah” “for the remission of sins” or “toward the release from penalty, bondage and imprisonment which belongs to errors, wrongs, mistakes and missing the mark”. Luke shared how Peter instructed the crowd of people to “turn from their wicked ways with abhorrence” and be “immersed” in water in the “name” of “Jesus Christ”.
The verse goes on to say, “... and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Luke continued with the words, “and you shall receive the gift” or “and you, multitude of people, will lay hold of, claim and procure the gratuity and present” “of the Holy Ghost” which means “pertaining to the sacred, pure, morally blameless and ceremonially and religiously consecrated third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, who is coequal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son”. Luke shared how Peter told the people in the multitude they would “receive” the “gift” of God's “Holy Spirit” as a result of their “repenting and being baptized” in Jesus Christ's name.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn not only how a person is to respond when they understand their sin crucified Jesus, but also what happens when they receive Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”. God loves every person, and when they “repent” of their sins and are “baptized” in water in Jesus' name, they will be given the “gift” of His Holy Spirit like the people in the upper room. Jesus Christ came into the world to die for the sins of every person, and anyone who receives Him obtains a relationship with His Heavenly Father God and a promise of “eternal life”. Let all who read these words, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”, and “receive” the “gift” of His “Holy Spirit” to have “everlasting life” with God.
Next time Luke shares how Peter tells the multitude, “the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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