The verse Acts 2:38 is a pivotal verse in the Bible that addresses the central question of how one’s sins can be forgiven and how a right relationship with God can be restored. In this verse, the apostle Peter responds to the crowds at Pentecost who realized their guilt before God and asked “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter answered, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This verse succinctly summarizes the biblical response to the problem of sin – repentance, baptism, and receiving the Spirit. But why are both repentance and baptism needed for the forgiveness of sins? Let’s explore this in more detail.
The Need for Repentance
Firstly, Peter commanded the people to “repent” in order to receive forgiveness of sins. To repent means to turn away from and renounce sin in one’s life. It involves a change of heart and mind toward sin that leads to a change in action and behavior. When John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries, their message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). The call to repentance was necessary because sin separates people from a holy God (Isaiah 59:2). Every person has sinned against God (Romans 3:23) and repentance begins with acknowledging one’s sinfulness and need for forgiveness. When Peter called the people at Pentecost to repent, he was calling them to humble themselves, turn from their sins, and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. Repentance means confessing one’s sins to God, seeking His forgiveness, and determining to live differently by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unless people recognized their sin and repented, they could not find forgiveness of sins through Christ.
Throughout the New Testament, it is clear that repentance is necessary for salvation. Jesus said He came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). He warned that unless you repent you will perish (Luke 13:3, 5). Peter preached that God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). Paul summed up his ministry efforts as “declaring to both Jews and Greeks to turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Repentance was at the heart of the apostolic preaching and urging people to repent was central to their evangelistic efforts. Only through confessing and repenting from sin can one’s relationship with God be restored. Thus, repentance is an essential precursor and requirement for receiving God’s forgiveness and salvation through Christ.
The Meaning and Necessity of Baptism
Peter also commanded the people at Pentecost to “be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins.” But why was baptism so closely tied to receiving forgiveness of sins? First, it is important to understand what baptism symbolized. The Greek word baptizo means to immerse or dip something in water. For the Jews, various washings and baptisms were a familiar part of their faith. Ritual washings symbolized spiritual cleansing from impurity or sin (Numbers 19; Hebrews 9:10). John the Baptist came baptizing people in the Jordan River as a symbol of repentance and readiness for the coming Messiah (Mark 1:4-5). New converts were also baptized as a public testimony and celebration of their newfound faith in Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 8:12-13, 36-39; 10:47-48). So baptism was closely associated with conversion and became a symbolic act representing the washing away of sins and identification with Christ.
Furthermore, by commanding baptism specifically “in the name of Jesus Christ,” Peter connected baptism to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul explains this symbolism in Romans 6:3-4, stating “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Going under the waters of baptism and rising again pictures Christ’s atoning death for sin and His resurrection life – and the believer’s death to sin and new life in Christ. Believer’s baptism publicly demonstrates one’s personal identification and union with the redemptive work of Christ.
Baptism is closely tied with receiving forgiveness because it serves as a personal and public expression of faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It marks the initiation of Christian life and publicly identifies the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism was commanded by Christ (Matthew 28:19) and was uniformly administered to new believers in the early church (Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8). While the act of baptism itself does not grant forgiveness, obedience in baptism is the public pledge and testimony of one’s repentance and faith in Christ that results in forgiveness. Baptism visibly marks out believers in Jesus as recipients of His salvation.
Receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Thirdly, Peter promised the people at Pentecost that if they repented and were baptized in Jesus’ name, they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the promised gift of God who indwells those who belong to Christ. The Spirit was the evidence and confirmation that a person belonged to God. Peter earlier promised that if the Jews repented, God would send “times of refreshing…from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19-20). That anticipated era of refreshing and restoration was breaking in through the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. The presence of the indwelling Spirit is the distinguishing mark of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-32). When a person repents and puts their faith in Christ, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as part of the promised blessings of salvation. So experience of the Spirit gives tangible evidence that one’s sins have been forgiven and new spiritual life has begun. The coming of the Spirit also empowered believers to live a new life of righteousness.
In summary, the steps outlined in Acts 2:38 – repentance, baptism, and receiving the Spirit – provide a concise summary of how sins are forgiven and new life is granted through trusting in Christ. Repentance demonstrates humble acknowledgment of one’s sin and need for mercy. Baptism serves as an act of faith that publicly identifies the believer with Christ and His atoning work. Receiving the Spirit confirms God’s acceptance and empowers believers to live transformed lives. This verse succinctly captures the essence of the biblical pattern of conversion. Salvation is not based on human effort but on grace received through repentance and faith in Christ. Baptism and the Spirit were the subsequent manifestations and early evidences of God’s forgiveness through Christ. Together they marked the initiation of Christian life in the early church.
The Ongoing Necessity of Repentance and Faith
While Acts 2:38 captures the initial repentance and conversion experience, ongoing repentance and faith is also essential for believers. Becoming a Christian is just the beginning of the journey of lifelong discipleship. Christians still struggle with sin and must continually fight against the flesh and walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17; Colossians 3:5-10). As believers mature in faith, it is essential to maintain a repentant heart that eagerly receives God’s forgiveness. Christians confess their sins in humility and repentance, knowing that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Repentance and confession of sin before God is essential to maintaining communion with Him as His children.
Furthermore, while baptism is a one-time event, ongoing trust and faith in Christ’s finished work is essential. Believers must nurture daily dependence on Christ through ongoing faith. We are exhorted to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our daily faith relies on the assurance that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Because of the gospel, Christians are freed from sin and called to walk in righteousness by faith in God’s promises. The Christian life is an ongoing life of repentance and faith as believers rely daily on God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ.
What If Believers Struggle with Sin?
It is sadly possible for genuine believers to backslide or wander away from the Lord at times if they do not maintain repentance and faith. Examples like King David’s adultery and murder or Peter’s denial of Jesus serve as warnings that believers can fall into grievous sin. However, Scripture gives hope that those who have strayed can repent and return to the Lord. Jesus entreated the wandering church at Ephesus to “remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:5). God graciously forgives and restores those who humble themselves and return to Him (Jeremiah 3:12, 22). As 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God is always ready to grant mercy, restoration, and forgiveness to any who repent.
Does Baptism Save?
It is important to clarify that baptism itself does not grant or guarantee salvation. The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism serves as a symbol and public declaration of the inner repentance and faith that brings salvation. There were some in the early church who relied on outward circumcision for salvation, so Paul wrote that true membership in God’s covenant community comes through inward circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, not external ritual (Romans 2:28-29). Though circumcision did not grant salvation, it still served as an important act of obedience for God’s people. This helps explain baptism – the symbol does not grant salvation, but still serves an important function for believers. So baptism is a crucial public expression of faith that should follow conversion but does not earn salvation.
This is evident in the example of Abraham, the father of all who believe. Paul explains in Romans 4 that Abraham was justified by faith alone before he was circumcised. “He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised” (Romans 4:11). Circumcision was a seal and symbol that confirmed the justification Abraham already had through faith. Similarly, though baptism does not provide forgiveness of sins, it serves as an outward confirmation and seal of the repentance and faith that brings salvation. So baptism is closely linked with receiving forgiveness because it is the defining public act that marks out believers in Jesus. However, it is ultimately one’s inward faith in the gospel that saves.
Should Infants be Baptized?
This background helps explain why baptizing infants is inconsistent with the biblical pattern. Scripture shows that baptism follows conversion; it represents a conscious act of faith and repentance by the individual. All the baptisms recorded in the New Testament were of adult converts, not infants. Therefore, those who practice infant baptism believe that it functions differently than how baptism functioned in Scripture. They view infant baptism not as an act of the baby’s faith but as a symbol of the parents’ faith and the community’s promise to raise the child in the faith. They also see it as demonstrating God’s prevenient, covenantal grace. However, there is no clear example of infant baptism in the Bible. The consistent biblical pattern is that baptism publicly represents the faith and conversion experience of the individual believer.
Furthermore, infants cannot repent or profess faith in Christ, which Peter directly connected to receiving forgiveness of sins. Infant baptism assumes faith will come later rather than reflecting saving faith already present. So from a biblical standpoint, infant baptism does not reflect the function or meaning attached to baptism in the early church. Baptism in the New Testament represented the tangible evidence of conscious faith in and repentance toward Christ on the part of the person baptized. That is why it was so closely tied to conversion and receiving forgiveness of sins.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
It is also important to address the difference between water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said that while he baptized with water, Jesus would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out on believers, as well as in the conversion of the Gentiles in Acts 10-11. Whereas water baptism is a public symbol of the inward repentance and faith that brings salvation, Spirit baptism is the actual imputing of new life through Christ by the indwelling presence of the Spirit. By water baptism, a believer publicly identifies himself with Christ’s death and resurrection. By Spirit baptism, he actually participates in Christ’s death and resurrection through being united with Him by the Spirit (Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
Every Christian receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at conversion; as Paul writes, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9b). Spirit baptism grants new life in Christ and is part of beginning the Christian life. Water baptism pictures the inner reality of Spirit baptism. Believers are exhorted to go on being continually filled with the Spirit throughout their walk with Christ (Ephesians 5:18). But Spirit baptism, which joins believers to Christ and imparts new life, is a once-for-all definitive act of God that initiates Christian life.
The Ongoing Call to Repentance and Faith
In conclusion, Acts 2:38 provides a crucial, succinct summary of the biblical pattern of conversion. Peter called for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He commanded baptism in Jesus’ name, connecting it closely with conversion and receiving forgiveness because it represents faith in Christ’s atoning work. And he promised the gift of the Spirit, which confirms and brings experience of the blessings of salvation. This verse profoundly captures the essence of the gospel – through Jesus Christ, forgiveness and new life is offered to all who repent and believe. Baptism and the gift of the Spirit are the initial tangible expressions of God’s forgiveness received through faith. Although there is no need for re-baptism, there is an ongoing need for repentance and faith as Christians follow Christ. Throughout our lives, we must continue turning from sin and trusting in God’s grace, for “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).