I remember hearing a well-known preacher say, “If you want to learn how to preach the gospel, study the book of Acts. There you have the actual sermons of the apostles themselves.” Acts chapter 2 records the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and the apostles speaking in tongues. The people who witnessed this event were utterly amazed. Some asked what was the meaning of the event, and others wrote it off by saying the apostles were drunk.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 

Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine” (Acts 2:1—13).

In verses 14-21, Peter begins to address the people. He assures them the apostles are not drunk. Peter declares the events taking place prove that the kingdom promised in the Old Testament was being fulfilled. He cites two Old Testament passages as being fulfilled at Pentecost. He first declares that the kingdom promised in the book of Joel has come. 

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 

‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams. 

Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke. 

The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 

And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Acts 2: 14-21).

He then shows that the kingdom and the throne promised to one of David’s sons have been established. The kingdom has come, and David’s son, Christ the Messiah, is sitting on the throne promised to David. 

Jesus had all the credentials to prove he was the promised seed of David, the Messiah. The Jews still crucified him but God raised him from the dead. He ascended to heaven and was given authority over all people (cf. John 17:1-3). Christ is the exalted son of David, the Messiah, who sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The tongues were the evidence of the ascension and exaltation of Christ. Our Lord earned the right, or authority, to send the Spirit as his vicar. Follow Peter’s argument carefully in the following verses in Acts 2. First, Jesus had all the credentials to prove his claims that he was the promised Messiah. The Jews still “refused to have this man to rule over us” and crucified him. His Father raised him from the dead, seated him at his own right hand, and gave him a new name, the name “Lord.” The new name denoted his earned authority to save or damn all people (cf. John 17:1-3). The great lesson to be learned is set forth in verse 36, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ [Messiah (HCSB)].” The heart of the lesson concerns the lordship of Christ. He is the one who fulfills the office of New Covenant King. The very same Jesus that the Jews crucified was raised from the dead and declared by the Father to be Lord over every sinner.

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him:

‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. 

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope, 

because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 

You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ 

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand 

until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”‘ 

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:22–36).

Verse 36 is the conclusion to Peter’s explanation of the events of Pentecost. It is also the heart of the new covenant gospel, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ [Messiah].” In Scripture Jesus is set forth as our “Lord” and “Savior” but in present day preaching it is only “Savior” that is emphasized. The phrase “accept Christ as your personal Savior” is never used in the New Testament. It would be just as correct to say you must “accept Christ as your personal Prophet” or “accept Christ as your personal King.” The whole concept of preaching in most churches today can be summed up in that phrase “accept Christ as your personal Savior.” The emphasis in Acts is totally different. In Acts the emphasis is on the resurrection and ascension of Christ. The saving benefits of Christ are never separated from his lordship. You may quote Luke 2:11, “today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.” (HCSB) and say, “This text says a Savior is born to us.” True, but the text also states that this Savior is “Messiah the Lord.” 

I am not objecting to the word accept. I am not suggesting that the phrase accepting Christ should be changed to receiving Christ even though I prefer using the word receive. I remember a dear brother made a big issue out of this. He refused to say, “You must accept the gospel.” He felt the word accept means we have a free will. He said that phrase implied the sinner has the ability to both reject and believe the gospel and thus the phrase taught man has a free will. He insisted we should say, “receive Christ.” He likened it to pouring water into a bucket. The bucket does not “accept the water,” for it is totally passive; the bucket merely “receives the water.” Likewise, we do not accept Christ; we receive Christ. I told the man that we are not buckets. We are creatures with a mind, heart, and will, and all three parts of our humanity must be affected by the gospel. The mind must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit, the heart or affections must be penetrated by the truth of the gospel, and the will must be liberated by the same gospel. When biblical regeneration takes place, we gladly accept Christ. When the Holy Spirit gives you a new heart, you will willingly accept Christ.

I once asked my friend, “If I show you a Bible text that says we should ‘accept the gospel,’ will you change your mind?” When he agreed, I showed him 1 Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”  The text says the gospel is worthy of full acceptance, so what is wrong with telling someone to accept it?

If we desire to follow the apostolic preaching of the New Testament, we must preach a whole Christ, meaning we should set forth our Lord as the New Covenant Prophet, Priest, and King. Likewise, we must insist just as much that we preach a gospel which affects every part of man’s being, namely his (1) mind, (2) heart and (3) will. The whole man must be affected by the whole Christ. Paul is quite clear in stating this fact in Romans 6:17. I have inserted numbers to highlight the gospel affecting man’s whole being. By nature we are slaves of sin, but thanks to God’s sovereign electing grace (it is always God’s grace and never man’s will that is the motivating factor that delivers us). “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you (2) wholeheartedly (3) obeyed the (1) form of teaching to which you were entrusted.” 

First of all, “form of teaching” means the gospel. The gospel first addresses the sinner’s mind. As we will see, the gospel must move the heart or affections, but it reaches the heart via the mind. Biblical preaching presents verbal and rational truth. The gospel does not come to us in dreams and visions; it comes to us in clear words. It does not come to us with either water being sprinkled on us or our being totally immersed in water. The gospel does not come to us in communion cups or on a membership card in a local church. That “form of teaching” which is essential to biblical preaching and true salvation always comes to us in propositional form. It states God’s Word that must be understood and believed. It also lists man’s false ideas that must be rejected. God does not save us in an intellectual vacuum. We are rational beings. God made us that way. He treats us as rational beings. The mind must be instructed with gospel facts before we can be saved. 

Second, the biblical facts that must illuminate and penetrate the heart or affections concern the character of an offended God, the nature and reality of sin, and the promises of full and free forgiveness of all sins through the shed blood of Christ. When the Holy Spirit does his regenerating work, the sinner does far more than merely believe some facts, even the right facts. He no longer reads Romans 3:23 and understands in some general sense that all people without exception are sinners. He now feels like God is speaking directly to him. The text now personalized means, “I am the helpless guilty sinner.” He feels like God is addressing him directly as an individual. The sinner freely admits that his guilt is dyed deep red and is totally without excuse. He openly acknowledges his lost estate.

The third part of man that must be affected by the Holy Spirit applying the gospel truths is the will. By nature the will is chained to sin and self and must be set free, enabling us to believe the truth. We do not get a second mind, heart, and will. In one sense we repent and believe with the same mind, heart, and will with which we rejected the truth. In another sense, the mind, heart, and will are all “new” in the sense that the Holy Spirit frees them from dominion to sin and self. The action of the will follows the mind and the heart. The will chooses what the heart finds desirable, and the heart finds desirable what the mind finds appealing. We choose to do what pleases us. Before our mind is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we can only desire to please ourselves. The sinful mind (or nature) hates God and his truth (cf. Rom. 8:7). When the Holy Spirit regenerates the mind and heart, we find trusting Christ to be most desirable. 

We cannot even want to be saved until the gospel illuminates our mind to see the real beauty of Christ, but when the Holy Spirit does his regenerating work, we cannot not want to believe. We are given a new mind only in the sense that our natural mind is retaught by the gospel truths enabling us to believe the gospel. Paul calls this work of sovereign grace the “obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26 KJV). 

It is obvious that God’s goal in the redeeming work of Christ is having a gospel that brings sinners into submission to Christ as both Lord and Savior, “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him” (italics added) (Rom. 16:25-27). Or we could say, following Luke 2:11, to bow to a savior who is Lord.

Imagine for a moment that a lost person says, “I want to be a true Christian. I want to be a true follower of Christ. I sincerely believe that Christ is the true and final Prophet of God. I am going to obey his teaching because I believe that he alone speaks for God. I will gladly submit to his authority as my King. However, I do not believe in the idea of the need for a blood sacrifice to pay for my sins. I believe the whole system of blood sacrifice is pagan in origin.” We would have to say to such an individual, “I am sorry but you cannot become a Christian with such a belief. Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King is a package deal.” 

There are many people who will extol wonderful things about Jesus as the greatest teacher that ever lived but will balk at the doctrine of propitiation. Actually, the word propitiation is probably one of the most hated words in the Bible.

Suppose another person says, “I thank God for the cross and atoning blood of Christ. I believe the shed blood of Christ is my only hope of salvation. However, I do not think Christ was correct in everything he taught. He was a man of his times. Some of his views are not consistent with what we have come to believe today.” Again we would have to say, “I am sorry but you cannot become a Christian on those terms. You cannot have Christ as your priest to pay for your sins and then reject him as your prophet. It is a package deal.” The current view that teaches you can receive Christ as your Savior but, at the same time, reject him as Lord over your life is not at all the gospel of the New Testament. If we desire that sinners see the face of God in peace, we must proclaim the whole Christ—Prophet, Priest, and King—to the whole man—mind, heart, and will.

The modern day gospel misunderstands at least two major points concerning our subject. One, it reduces saving faith to being only an activity of the mind. Gospel faith is not merely believing some facts are true. It is receiving a person and trusting him to fulfill a promise he made. When someone says, “I believe in Christ,” I ask them, “What do you believe in him for? What do you trust him to do?” A forgiven sinner has some knowledge of forgiveness by the blood shedding on the cross. Believing in Christ as our Lord and Savior is not the same as “believing Columbus crossed the ocean blue in 1492.” Anyone can believe that fact, or any other historical fact is true, but no one can “believe in Christ” in the biblical sense apart from God’s sovereign electing grace. 

Two, when we receive Christ, we do not receive facts; we receive a person, and that person is the Lord of glory himself. We receive Christ in a way that is not true in any other relationship between two people. Paul said, “I know a man in (italics added) Christ …” (2 Cor. 12:2). The Bible is the only literature ever written at any time in history, in any language, or in any style that describes a relationship of two people as one person being “in” the other person. Every believer is baptized into Christ. That is unique language because it is an unique experience. Scripture speaks of our being in Christ and Christ being in us. This descriptive language is unique to the Word of God.

The apostle John introduces his gospel by asserting the absolute deity of Christ. He was the creator of the world. He came into the world he created. He came unto his own, and they rejected him. But some received him. Notice it was a person they received, “all who received him, to those who believed in his name,” (John 1:12).  Salvation is being joined to that person by a living faith. Of course, those who received Christ believed the essential facts about him, but the facts pointed to a person. Salvation is not in the facts but in the person to whom the facts pointed. 

Technically speaking, we believe the testimony of the Father concerning his perfect satisfaction with the work of atonement accomplished by Christ. The work of atonement, made by Christ on the cross, was directed toward the Father. Christ’s obedient life and death fulfilled the work of atonement that Christ accomplished as our substitute. This work was directed to the Father. Christ “offered himself unblemished to God,” (Heb. 9:14). The atoning work of blood shedding was essential to satisfy God’s holy character. The resurrection, ascension, seating at the Father’s right hand, and receiving full authority to forgive whom he chose was all involved in Christ being given the new name of “Lord” as a reward for his atoning work. Verse 37 in Acts 2 records the response of the unbelieving Jews to Peter’s explanation of the events of Pentecost.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 

Verses 38-39 are surely on any list of most misused texts of Scripture. Verse 38 is used as a proof text to prove that you must be baptized in order to be saved. If this is the meaning, then we must rewrite many texts that make it very clear that baptism is not essential to salvation. 

Peter replied, “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” (Acts 2:38).

Verse 39 is a key text used by those who believe in infant baptism. I have been a student of the Word of God for over fifty years. I have been in many discussions by mail and face to face. I have been forced to revise my understanding on more than one occasion. I have seen good and godly men twist Scripture verses at the expense of clear truth in order to hang onto a creed. I must say that using Acts 2:39 as a proof text for infant baptism is simply astounding. It denies and defies every rule of biblical exegesis. It is one of the most glaring examples of bad interpretation that I know. 

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).

The paedobaptist view of Acts 2:39 is clearly set forth by Robert Shaw in his widely used exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The “promise” in Acts 2:39 is said to be the covenant of grace made with Abraham. That same promise is said to be made with Christian parents and their children. For a moment, assume that is correct. Assume further that Shaw is correct, and then we must read Acts 2:39 this way, “The promise of the covenant made with Abraham is the same promise made to the people to whom Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost.” There is not a single shred of evidence for reading that into the verse. You must ignore what the text actually says and read into the text what is not there. 

I am reminded of the story of Spurgeon and the Anglican priest. The Anglican priest wanted to discuss infant baptism. He said to Spurgeon, “I will read a verse of Scripture in favor of infant baptism and in response you give a verse for your view.” The Anglican quoted Matthew 19:14: “Let the little children come to me …” Spurgeon thought a moment and then quoted Job 1:1, “In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.” The Anglican asked, “What in the world does that verse have to do with infant baptism?” Spurgeon replied, “The same as Matthew 19:14, nothing at all.” Acts 2:39 has absolutely nothing to do with infant baptism. Here is Robert Shaw’s comment:

We thus find, that when God established his covenant with Abraham, he embraced his infant seed in that covenant; and that the promise made to Abraham and to his seed is still endorsed to us is evident from the express declaration of the Apostle Peter (Acts ii:39): “The promise is unto you, and to your children.” If children are included in the covenant, we conclude that they have a right to baptism, the seal of the covenant.^[1]

The first thing Shaw has to find in the text in order to use it as a proof text is evidence that Peter is speaking to believing parents. The “you” being promised has to be proven to be believers concerning their children sharing in the “promise” made to Abraham. The problem is that Peter is addressing lost sinners! He is not speaking to believing parents. The promise being mentioned is clearly spelled out in verse 21. It is “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Peter is preaching the gospel to the very people who literally crucified the Son of God. The “promise” is given in response to the question asked by the lost Jews with the blood of Christ on their hands. They asked, “What shall we do?” 

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

This verse has nothing to do with believing parents. It has to do with ungodly sinners who crucified Christ. You don’t instruct believing parents to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40b). 

The second thing Shaw needs to explain is how non-covenant children (those children not born in a Christian home) are included in the “promise.” Notice carefully exactly what Acts 2:39 says. It is Peter’s response to the question asked in verse 37 by the convicted but still lost Jews who crucified Christ. It was the promise of salvation to all who call on the Lord in saving faith. This same promise is made to the children of the ungodly Jews if they will believe this same “whosoever shall” (cf. Acts 2:21) gospel. This very same promise is made to these lost Jews, and is made to their children, and is also made to “all who are far off.” That would be the Gentiles. In other words, the pagans have the identical same promise of the gospel as do the lost Jews and their children. If the promise means the covenant of grace, then the pagans are just as included in it as are the lost Jews and their children.

There is one more difficulty for those who want to get the infants of believing parents into Acts 2:39. That which governs who believes the promise in Acts 2:39 is not physical birth but sovereign election. Peter is quite clear that all the elect will realize the promise. Salvation is not determined by your birth certificate and who your parents are; the new birth experience is determined by sovereign electing grace—even as many as the Lord our God shall call. The phrase, “…for all whom the Lord our God will call” governs the whole verse. In other words, the promise will be realized by 1) as many of those who are effectually called from among those who heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost, 2) as many of the children who are effectually called, and 3) as many from among the pagans who will be called. 

There is not a single word about a special promise to the children of believers in this text. The children of believers have no more promised to them than do the Gentile pagans who are far off. What is clear is that some children of believing parents are among the elect and some are not. The Lord who is both the only Savior and the only judge saves whom he will. The promise of salvation is to all who believe the gospel. All of these are synonymous with all those who are elect regardless of whether they are among the Jews or the Gentiles. The one doing the choosing in every case is God. If you chose to believe in infant baptism—God bless you—but please, do not use Acts 2:39 as a proof text. If you claim to believe and preach a biblical gospel, make sure it begins and ends with Jesus Christ as Lord of Lord and King of Kings. 

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