Jesus left.
The apostles were in Jerusalem.
They awaited the promise of the power of the Holy Ghost and the indication to begin preaching repentance and remission of sins in Jesus’ name. They waited in an upper room, prayed while there and cast lots to choose the replacement apostle of Judas amongst the other eleven.
Then, ten days after Jesus left,
“the Day of Pentecost arrived.”
Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were “ALL” filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.It hit!
“The “POWER” – the “promise” – came!
They were filled with the Holy Ghost. People gathered around from the city.
Acts 2:5-6 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
These gatherers wondered how the apostles could speak in the languages of all foreigners who witnessed the miracle that day.
Then Peter preached!!
Having just been filled with the Holy Ghost, He was empowered and inspired. He commenced preaching the message of Repentance and Remission of Sins in Jesus Name!!
After explaining that the Holy Ghost was the “promise” spoken by Joel,
Peter preached about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection – “the Gospel.”
Acts 2:22-24 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
This message gripped the hearts of the people. The Holy Ghost, then within Peter, empowered the man of God to speak words which cut through the
hardest-shelled hearts of the listeners.
And they believed Peter’s words.
Acts 2:37 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?
Before we continue, recall that Jesus told the apostles, including Peter, to begin preaching Repentance and Remission of Sins in Jesus’ Name beginning at Jerusalem.
He did not mention anything about a subsequent time when the message should no longer be preached. You are about to read the very passage where Peter obeyed this commandment.
What Peter preached on that day must continue to be preached so long as the Church is in this world.
Every minister of the Gospel, like Peter, must obey Jesus’ command and likewise preach these following words as the plan of salvation.
Peter answered the question, “What shall we do,” with the message Jesus told Him to preach.
Notice that not too many preachers today will answer the question these people
asked in the same manner
Peter answered it.
Ask various preachers how they would answer the question,
“What shall we do, now that we know Jesus died and was raised from the dead by God?”
Most will not tell them what Peter told them.
Most will disobey Jesus and take some of the following elements out, saying they are not necessary.
Acts 2:37-38
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?
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.
Now let us ensure we are treating this very serious subject properly.
Let us carefully compare this statement of Peter’s with Jesus’ command for the apostles to preach a certain message as follows, and see clearly that we, too must preach Peter’s message since it is commanded of Jesus, Himself!
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Repentance is mentioned in both cases!
And remission of sins is also mentioned in both cases. However, Acts 2:38 says, “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”
Baptism is included in Peter’s response regarding remission of sins.
Why did not Jesus mention baptism in conjunction with the remission of sins as mentioned in Luke 24?
Well, the conversation of the final commission according to Luke did include baptism. And we must blend both pictures together to get the full story.
Do not simply go by one account and forget the elements mentioned in the other accounts of the same event! Matthew’s account shows this!
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Obviously the “teaching” in Matthew 28:19 not only included all power being given to Jesus, but referred to the same preaching Jesus referred to in Luke 24:47:
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Blend all three of these references of the message together and you see that the Apostles would teach or preach repentance and remission of sins in Jesus’ name.
The reference to remission of sins in Jesus’ name points to
BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS,
as commanded by Jesus in
Matthew 28:19. It only correlates when you realize THE NAME Jesus referred to was HIS OWN NAME – JESUS!
Notice the two alternate ways in which remission of sins is mentioned:
(1) (ACTS 2:38) …be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…
…EQUALS…
(2) (LUKE 24:47) …remission of sins should be preached in his name
Both “remission” and the “Name” are mentioned in each account.
And they come together in water baptism.
Remission of sins is preached in Jesus’ Name.
This is the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ which Peter speaks about, for Peter said baptism in Jesus’ name was for the remission of sins.
Recapitulate:
The mention of the Name in Matthew 28:19’s reference to Baptism is referring to the same Name mentioned in Luke 24:47 because the two accounts refer to the same conversation.
And Luke mentioned the Name of Christ in conjunction with remission of sins.
This latter point of “remission of sins” involves water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, since Matthew 28:19 links with Luke 24:47 and, in turn, Luke links itself with Acts 2:38, we discover through comparison of these passages that the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost that is used in Baptism is actually
“Jesus Christ”. It must be.
Otherwise the passages have no correlation with one another.
The only way to see no contradiction between these verses is to understand that the Name spoken about in
Matthew 28:19 is Jesus.
They do have correlation. All bible students recognize that.
They each refer to the great commission and the fulfilling of that great commission.
Peter obeyed Jesus’ great commission when he told the people to be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of their sins. And the context of the great commission as found in Luke 24 clearly shows that the
name is Jesus Christ.
Luke 24:46
And said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:38 fulfills the great commission!