The Greatest Personal Question By Dudley R. Spears

1. The Greatest Personal QuestionBy Dudley R. Spears “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? 38Then 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” Acts 2:37-38

2. “What shall we do?” • Anyone who has ever been in the position of truly wanting to know, “What must I do,” should be interested in this study. • That all important question doesn’t have one thing to do with your choice of vocation, your financial planning or your career.

3. “From your own Bible” • It is strange that if I were some sort of expert in the field of financial planning I could arrest your attention much more quickly than if I show you from your own Bible what you and I must do to be saved.

4. Background to Acts 2 • On the day of Pentecost the first gospel sermon ever preached in the name of Jesus was heard by thousands of people in the ancient city of Jerusalem. • At one point in the sermon, conviction was so strong that the audience cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).

5. Continued • We know not how many made such a cry, but there were enough that the inspired preacher responded as he was guided by the Holy Spirit of God. • “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” (verse 38).

6. “Repent and be Baptised” • The answer of the Holy Spirit through Peter to this all important question is simple, plain, and unmistakable: • “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

7. “Faith in Jesus” • Convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, the Christ, and Saviour of men, and convicted of their sins against him, they could repent of such sins. • Their faith in Jesus led to this repentance.

8. Repentance • Repentance is turning away in godly sorrow from all sin….. • 2 Cor. 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death”. • Sins of thought, word, and deed, secret sins and known sins.

9. Continued • He who repents is ashamed of and sorry for all sins alike because they are wrong, and turns from all alike. • It does not require a long time to repent; these people repented on the spot.

10. Baptised • Next, Peter said, “and be baptised every one of you”—that is—all who believed and repented. • Those who had not believed and repented would not and could not be baptized in obedience to God.

11. “Be baptised” • “Be baptised” means to be dipped, buried, immersed. • All Greek-English lexicons so define it. • There is no other word in the Bible so well defined as this one. • All religious people agree that a believer in Christ who has been immersed in obedience to God has been baptized.

12. Continued • The facts and circumstances in the Bible connected with obedience to this command show that it means immersion. • Much water is necessary in order to baptize (John 3:23); those who were baptised “went out” and “came” to the water (Matt 3:5; John 3:23); they went down into the water (Acts 8:38).

13. “Baptism a Burial” • Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. • Col. 2:12 “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead”

14. Baptism a Washing • So when the people were baptized “in the river Jordan,” they were buried. • Thus John buried Jesus and Philip buried the eunuch. • In baptism the body is washed; hence it is a washing.

15. Continued • Heb 10:2 “For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins” • Titus 3:5 “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit”

16. “Baptism a Birth” • 1 Peter 3:21 “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” • It is a Birth: • John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

17. “Without Doubting” • In our efforts to obey God we should always do that about which there can be no question or doubt.

18. “In the Name of Jesus Christ” • “In the name of Jesus Christ” means, while in faith, turning from their sins, they were baptized “unto the remission” of sins, they must look to Jesus and rely upon his name for pardon and salvation.

19. “Remission” • “Remission” of sins means release from sins; the pardon, or forgiveness, of sins. • “For the remission of sins,” as given in the Common Version means unto, or into, or in order to the pardon, or forgiveness, of sins or in order that sins may be forgiven.

20. “The Voice of History” • Horatio Hackett (Baptist), in his Commentary on Acts, says: “In order to the remission of sins.” • Again he says: “In order to the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:28; Luke 3:3) we connect naturally with both the preceding verbs. • This clause states the motive, or object, which should induce them to repent and be baptized.”

21. Continued • John A. Broadus (Baptist), at Matt. 26:28, says of the same expression: “’For [or unto] the remission of sins,’ in order that sins may be remitted.” • Alvah Hovey (Baptist) says: “Here repentance and baptism are represented as leading to the forgiveness of sins.”

22. Continued • Harkness (Baptist) says it may be rendered “in order to. or for the purpose of receiving.” • Harman (Methodist) says: “For [that ye may obtain] the remission of your sins.”

23. Continued • H.A.W. Meyer (German Lutheran) says: “’Eis’ [for] denotes the object of the baptism, which is the remission of the guilt contracted in the state before ‘metanoia’ [repentance].” • McClintock (Methodist) says: “To be baptized for the remission of sins means to be baptized with a view to receiving this.”

24. Continued • Philip Schaff: (Presbyterian) says: “He called upon his hearers to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, . . . that even they . . . might receive the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost.” • Joseph H. Thayer (Congregationalist/Unitarian) says: “To obtain the forgiveness of sins.”

25. “The promise” • Peter continued saying, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (verse 39). • “For” shows that they would receive the Spirit because Jesus had promised another Comforter.

26. “Another Comforter” • To the apostles, Jesus promised: • “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).

27. “To You and Your” • “To you . . . and to your children,” means the Jews and their descendants. • “All that are afar off” means the Gentiles. God calls through the gospel • to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 2:14), • and all who obey the gospel are the called of God.

28. “All Truth” • The Holy Spirit was to bring all that Jesus had said to the remembrance of the apostles and to guide them “into all the truth,” (John 16:13). • and thus through inspired men he guided all who heeded the gospel call into all truth and all blessings which are in Christ.

29. “With many other Words” • Peter continued “with many other words” to testify and exhort. • To testify was to bear witness to Jesus and to prove that he was “both Lord and Christ.” • To exhort was to persuade people to accept him as such.

30. “Saved” • Peter’s command is clear: “Save yourselves.” • The Holy Spirit and the apostles understood that people could save themselves. • He who speaks against people doing anything to be saved speaks against the Bible.

31. “Work out your own Salvation” • Certainly, people cannot do anything that will merit, procure, or provide salvation. • They cannot forgive their own sins. • God does this through Jesus. Paul explains exactly how people save themselves.

32. Continued • “So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation [by continuing to obey God] with fear and trembling; for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12, 13).