“Believe in the One I sent”
These were the words spoken by Jesus when ask a question by those wanting to do the works of God. Jesus responded, the only work God wants from you; believe in One he has sent.
In Ephesians 2 we are told, God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. We are saved when we believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The reason I want to make this crystal clear, today’s scripture has created a lot of confusion and arguments. I pray that we will all remain open to listening to God’s Spirit!
Acts 2:38-39
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
Before we jump into verses 38 & 39 I believe that verse 37 is needed. The Apostle Peter shared the Good News on the day of Pentecost. In verse 37 we read the result of his preaching. Peter’s words pierced their hearts and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” When they heard the Word of the Lord, the Good News of Jesus Christ, the word produced faith and they believed. Because they believed they then asked what now? Belief must come before repentance or baptism. Think about it, before believing we are dead, what can a dead person do? NOTHING! The moment you believe you are given life, you are forgiven and set free, you receive God’s Spirit. You get baptized to identify with Jesus and other believers.
I know some denominations teach that without baptism you are not saved and you do not have the Holy Spirit. The problem with this teaching is found in Acts 10. In verse 46 & 47 Peter asked the question, Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did. Clearly the people who believed received the Holy Spirit and then were baptized.
Remember, we are saved by grace not by works. When we believe the Spirit immediately begins working in our lives giving us the desire and power to do what pleases God. Therefore we will repent, we will want to be baptized. Before I believed I had no idea what repentance was and why would I want to be dunked in a tank of water in front of a bunch of people I didn’t know? But the moment I believed, my life was dramatically changed! I wasn’t baptized until a few weeks later but I knew the Spirit was at work in me.
I know that this teaching may result in questions. I welcome you to contact me personally and we can talk more. God’s Word should not produce disunity among His followers.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is GREAT! His faithful love endures forever!
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