Many religious leaders today seem to have a different answer to this crucial question than the apostles. When the Jews heard Peter’s sermon in the book of Acts, they were convicted of their role in the death of Jesus.
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:37 NKJV
Peter’s response was:
Acts 2:38-39 NKJV
- Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
The result?
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 2:41 NKJV
And what happened?
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:47 NKJV
Today, many people are told that salvation is simply a matter of having faith and nothing else. However, if this were truly the case, then why did Peter provide a different answer in the first sermon recorded in the Bible, which resulted in people being saved?
Acts 2:37 tells us that when the Jews heard Peter’s message about Jesus being the Messiah, they asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Instead of telling them that faith alone was sufficient, Peter responded,
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
This response led to the conversion and baptism of about 3,000 people that day (Acts 2:41). If faith alone was all that was required for salvation, then why did Peter instruct these people to repent and be baptized?
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