Nathaniel R. Martin

Repent and Be Baptized: Acts 2:37-41

Sermon Idea: The gospel of Jesus Christ requires a response, and the church should urgently call people to respond. 

Introduction: When I mapped out the book of Acts several weeks ago, I dedicated a week to this passage because I wanted to provide a convictionally Baptist interpretation of these verses to strengthen you as members of a Baptist church. This is a passage often appealed to by our paedobaptist friends in defense of infant baptism, and it would serve as good discipleship to dive deep into the waters of that discussion.

That is a fine goal, and a worthwhile discussion, and I still may make a point or two in that regard, but it will not be the focus of this morning. The more I reflected on Peter’s gospel preaching and the verses that follow in 2:37-41, two ideas remained with me and eventually became a burden on my own soul. In fact, they became such a burden that I couldn’t let this week go by. Both Jack and Aaron offered to preach for me, and given how my week went, I honestly should have let them. 

My stubbornness got the best of me, becasue I was eager to share with you my takeaway from Acts 2:37-41. It is not novel nor paradigm-shifting, but straightforward: The gospel of Jesus Christ requires a response, and the church should urgently call people to respond.

Peter’s view of life was shaped forever by the reality that Christ was raised from the dead and had ascended into heaven. He did not treat the gospel like one possible way to understand the world, which should be considered alongside others. No, for Peter, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ was the good news of the gospel, which should not only be proclaimed to others, but pressed upon them with a degree of urgency, calling for a response. 

A couple of weeks ago, I finished teaching through the New Hampshire Confession of Faith on Wednesday evenings. The final article addresses the world to come, including the eternal destinations of Heaven and Hell. During that time, I shared with those present two quotes that capture the urgency Peter exemplifies in these verses. The first is from Hudson Taylor, the founder of China Inland Mission, and the second is by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the late Baptist pastor in London.  

It was the reality of Heaven and Hell that led Hudson Taylor to pray, “Would that God make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; heaven so real that we must have men there; Christ so real that our supreme motive and aim shall be to make the Man of Sorrows the Man of Joy by the conversion to him of many.”

It was the reality of Hell that led Charles Spurgeon to say, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

My hope and prayer is that we would be a people who believe the gospel in such a way that we would be compelled to share it and call people to respond to it.

As we examine these verses this morning, I want us to see the response required by the gospel, the promises it offers, and the urgent need to respond to the gospel. 

I.) The response required by the gospel (Acts 2:37-38) 

Those who heard Peter’s preaching were impacted by what they heard, 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Ac 2:37)

Given how important the referent of “this” is, let’s review the gospel preached by Peter. What they heard was the good news about Jesus Christ, whose life was attested by God through signs and wonders, whose death on the cross was according to the definite plan of God, who was raised from the dead because death couldn’t hold him, and who has ascended into heaven as both Lord and Christ. 

This is the message that cut them to the heart. It was the good news about Jesus, the crucified one, being the resurrected and ascended Lord in heaven. Realizing that they have been wrong about Jesus, they now ask, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter’s response is twofold, 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (Ac 2:38)

Repentance was a key feature in the preaching of both John the Baptist and Jesus.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Mt 3:1–2)

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:14–15)

If repentance was a key feature in the preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus, and now the apostles, I dare say that means it’s pretty essential. What does it mean? 

To repent is to change your mind, and so turn from your ways. When Peter calls these men to repent, he calls them to change their minds about Jesus and their understanding of the kingdom of God. This change of mind would reorient their entire lives, so that their thoughts, words, and actions would be brought under the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord. So, when we say repentance is a change of mind, we do not mean it’s a mere mental change, but rather a change of mind that changes how your entire life is oriented. 

The Baptist Catechism explains clearly and beautifully how repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in obedience to God. 

Q. What is repentance unto life?


A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace (Acts 11:28), whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin (Acts 2:37, 38), and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ (Joel 2:12; Jer 3:22), doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God (Jer 31:18, 19; Ez. 36:31), with full purpose of and endeavour after new obedience (2 Cor. 7: 11; Is. 1:16, 17).

In our preaching, whether on the Lord’s Day or in your personal evangelism, we must call people to repentance, to change their minds about who Jesus is, and so change the orientation of their lives, so that they will come into submission to Jesus Christ. 

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Ac 17:30–31)

It is sometimes said that the church should be a hospital for sinners. That I agree with! What I am not inclined to agree with is how this image is sometimes used. If it is used to prevent the pastor from addressing sin, calling for repentance in the church, or making any distinction between Christians and non-Christians, then the image loses its helpfulness. What do I mean by that? 

People who go to hospitals are supposed to get better. If you were to learn that a hospital saw 0% improvement in its patients, you would look for another hospital. People don’t go to the hospital to stay sick. They go to get better. 

We want everyone to come as they are, but we want their souls to be treated with the gospel of grace and their lives to be wholly submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The third & last stanza of that famous invitation hymn, Just As I Am, makes it very clear that the hymn writer had no concept of an unchanged, unrepentant Christian. 

Just as I am, and waiting not

to rid my soul of one dark blot,

to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,

wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;

because thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Those who respond in repentance are to follow that with a public profession of their faith by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, “…

and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (Ac 2:38)

Baptism is, on the one hand, a public profession of faith, and on the other, a sign that identifies believers with Jesus Christ and incorporates them into the body of Christ, the church. 

Jesus instructed us that disciples are made by being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is how someone responds positively to the gospel of Jesus Christ: repentance and baptism. 

We need to be clear about how to respond appropriately to the gospel, and we must call people to repentance and baptism. As we do so, we need to teach the promises offered through the gospel.

II.) The promises offered through the gospel (Acts 2:38) 

for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Ac 2:38)

The first promise that comes through the gospel is the forgiveness of sins. We must be abundantly clear that our most significant problem is the sin that separates us from God and from one another. We can educate, resource, and legislate, but none of these will solve man’s most significant problem. 

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated that preaching is the primary activity of the church because God remains unchanged and man’s need remains unchanged. 

“…the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and proclaim this, to show man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure for it.” 

Repentance and baptism are related to the forgiveness of sins, becasue by trusting in Christ, the benefits of Christ’s death are applied to us. We are washed, cleansed, and purified by the blood of Christ. The wrath of God against our sin is satisfied on the cross, so that our sins are forgiven and removed as far as the east is from the west. 

The gift of the Spirit is the second promise offered through the gospel, but we must be cautious here. As we read Acts, the relationship between time and the Spirit changes in relation to Baptism. Sometimes the Spirit comes before baptism and sometimes after. We will explain those texts in time.

Notice the scope of the promise, “39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

This is where many of our friends who baptize infants find some textual support. They hear, “…and for your children,” and hear echoes of the Abrahamic covenant, where the covenant sign of circumcision was for you and your children. 

In the context, however, the promise is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which is for all generations and all nations, “everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 

There is the key. The promise is given to everyone whom the Lord calls to himself. That is who is a proper recipient of baptism: the called and repentant who have received the Spirit. It is worth noting that this is precisely what happens in verse 41: So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Now that we have seen the required response and the promises offered through the gospel, we must recognize the urgent need to respond to the gospel. 

III.) The urgent need to respond to the gospel (Acts 3:39-42) 

40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Ac 2:40–41)

I find it interesting that in verse 40 it says, “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them…” The image that we are given is an urgent call to repent and believe. It is the picture of pleading. 

We need to dedicate ourselves to sharing the gospel and pleading with sinners to repent and believe. We need to get back to inviting people to church on a regular basis, so they can hear the gospel and be pleaded with to repent and believe. 

We need to be honest about the wickedness for which the wrath of God is coming and which Christ can save us from.

9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Th 1:9–10)

Friends, when was the last time you prayed fervently and urged someone else to repent and come to Christ? I asked this not to guilt or condemn, but to convict so that we all might be bolder in sharing the gospel and urging sinners to come to Christ. 

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees…Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: Baptism

Sermon Idea: Baptism is a means of grace through which God builds up his church by his promised presence. 

Introduction: Do you remember your baptism? Do you remember who baptized you, where you were, and what church affirmed your baptism? Did you have family and friends present? Did denounce one way of life and profess faith in Christ Jesus, submitting to a new way of life. 

Better yet, how now do you reflect on your baptism? What meaning, significance, and benefit does it still have for your Christian life? Baptism is a one-time act for the Christian, but its meaning, significance, and benefit define the entirety of the Christian life. This is because baptism is a means of grace through which God builds up his church by his promised presence. 

I hope to encourage you this morning by reminding you of all that your baptism signifies. I pray that doing so will strengthen your ability to walk in the newness of life. 

Two great errors in our thinking about Christian baptism make discussing it as a means of grace potentially difficult. Some overestimate baptism’s role in salvation and others underestimate its importance in and for the church. 

The error of overestimating baptism’s role in salvation is that some see that act of baptism as salvific in and of itself. Allow me to say, at the outset, we deny that without hesitation. The act of water baptism itself is not necessary as a work for salvation. We are saved by God’s grace alone in Christ alone through Faith alone. 

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:42–43)

Of course, this is an extreme example. So we need not fall into the opposite error, the one more prevalent in Baptist circles, of underestimating the importance of baptism in and for the church. There is a temptation to think that because baptism is not necessary for salvation, it is not necessary. This is the temptation to think that baptism really means little and that it is simply the first act of obedience to Jesus as his disciple. 

Understanding baptism as a means of grace helps us avoid both of these errors by seeing it as ordained by Jesus Christ for our good to build up the church by his promised presence. I began by reading Matthew 28:18-20. Let’s look again and see both of these truths—that baptism is ordained by the Lord Jesus and accompanied by his promised presence. 

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19–20)

Along with baptism being instituted by the Lord Jesus, in which he promises his presence, notice that baptism is first something that happens to believers and second only what believers do. What do I mean by that? 

We don’t baptize ourselves; we are baptized, and God puts his name on us in baptism. Isn’t that incredible? God, in his grace, gives us a new identity defined by his own name. We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. 

Of course, baptism is a believer’s act—I don’t want to downplay that at all. It is a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. It is the first act of obedience as a disciple of Jesus Christ, but it’s vital to note that our act, by necessity, comes second. We are baptized because God has saved us in Christ, so God’s purpose is primary in baptism.

So although baptism in and of itself does not save, it is necessary because it was instituted by the Lord Jesus. It’s how we are incorporated into Christ and his church, receiving the promise of his presence.  

If we are to appreciate and understand baptism as a means of grace, we need to understand that baptism is a sign. We see covenant signs given to God’s people throughout the Bible. After the flood, Noah is given the rainbow, renewing the covenant at creation. Abraham is given circumcision as a sign of belonging to the covenant community. Moses is given the Sabbath as a sign on Mt. Sinai. The sign of the new covenant is baptism. It signifies something, says something, or preaches something. 

We call baptism a sign because it is a visible word from the Lord that communicates and assures us of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To remind ourselves of this and reflect on what baptism signifies, I want to read three confessional definitions of baptism. Each of these comes from historic Baptist confessions of faith, albeit from different streams. Listen to the consistency in how these confessions refer to baptism as a sign of the real benefits we have in Christ. 

Baptism is an ordinance of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, or dipped, a sign of our entrance into the covenant of grace, and ingrafting into Christ, in his death and resurrection, and our living, or rising to new life. – The Orthodox Creed 28

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. Second London Baptist Confession of Faith 29.1 

Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church fellowship, and to participation in the Lord’s Supper. – Abstract of Principles XV

In all of these statements, the sign is the professing believer’s immersion into water, which signifies life in Christ and all its benefits. 

It is a sign not only for the baptized but also for the church affirming the profession of faith in baptism. This point is really important for us because it makes every baptism an opportunity to be built up again by the grace of God. 

J. Ryan Davidson says it this way, “…as someone is lowered into the water  and raised to walk symbolically, in newness of life, each of us has the ability to reflect on our own baptism. Our baptism then becomes a sign again and again and again that the Lord uses to nurture us in our faith. It is a means of grace.”

At Hermon, I encouraged the congregation not to view baptisms as passive participants. After explaining the meaning of baptism, I would encourage the congregation to do three things. They all start with “R,” because I just can’t help myself.

  1. Rejoice 

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:8–10)

  1. Remember 
  1. Respond 
  • Repent and believe the gospel. 
  • Reflect and return to faithful obedience.

For the remainder of our time together, I want to reflect specifically on five realities that baptism signifies. Every time we baptize, God proclaims visibly glorious truths about who we are in Christ. To do this well, we have to examine several texts.

 As we do this, it will be helpful to know that the New Testament often uses baptism to express all that is involved in conversion. We use language this way frequently, though often in less significant manners. Two examples provided by one writer are phrases like “all hands on deck,” where “hands” refers to sailors, and “Check out my wheels,” when asking someone to appreciate your car. 

I.) Baptism proclaims union with Christ 

This is the most fundamental sign of baptism that grounds all the others. In salvation, we are gloriously united to Christ by the Spirit so that what is true of him becomes true of us. This is because God considers us to have died with Christ and to have been raised with Christ. From this union, we receive glorious benefits. Being united with Christ, the Son of God, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God. Being united to Christ, who is righteous, leads to God seeing us righteous in Christ. Being united with Christ, who is holy, leads to God sanctifying us and setting us apart as holy. 

Baptism signifies this union because the believer is visibly immersed in the water, symbolizing being buried with Christ, and then is brought back up to symbolize being raised with Christ. Listen to Romans 6:1-4.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:1–4)

When a new believer is baptized, it is visible assurance that God really does consider their old self to be crucified with Christ. They can rest assured that God really has raised them to new life. This means that in baptism God grants you a new identity that is defined by the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

For all those viewing the baptism, the proclamation of our union with Christ reminds them that they have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. They are reminded that their identity is defined by Christ. 

Remembering your baptism is a means of grace because it provides assurance when we are tempted to feel guilt over forgiven sin and provides fuel and motivation for present obedience, How can we who died to sin still live in it? 

II.) Baptism proclaims cleansing from sin 

One of the glorious implications of being united with Christ is that our sins are forgiven and so we are cleansed of our sins. Baptism proclaims visibly in a powerful way, because of the use of water that washes over our whole person. Do you see how baptism by immersion into water is so fitting to signify cleansing from sin? This is why in Acts, when Paul recounts his conversion he speaks to baptism as the washing away of sin. 

 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ (Ac 22:13–16)

Think about how baptism signifying cleansing from sin can minister to your soul. When tempted to return to shame, remember your baptism. When tempted to return to sin, remember your baptism. Those who’ve been baptized into Christ have been washed by the Spirit of God in the name of Christ. 

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Co 6:11)

There is no stain of sin that can stick when your washed by the Spirit and in baptism. Your baptism signifies the forgiveness of past sin, but it signifies the promise of forgiveness for present and future sin. 

III.) Baptism proclaims new life in Christ 

Baptism signifies that since we’ve died with Christ we also have been raised to new life in Christ. This life is eternal and was not earned by us, but graciously bestowed upon us through faith in Jesus Christ. 

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:4)

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Col 2:11–12)

What we also need to reflect on is that since the life we have is eternal, then baptism is a means to proclaim and assure us of the resurrection from the dead. Remembering our baptism and viewing baptisms throughout our Christian life allows us to anticipate in hope that God will raise us just as he raised Christ. 

This is why I really appreciate how the Baptist Fatih & Message includes testimony to the final resurrection in its article on baptism. 

It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. 

IV.) Baptism proclaims assurance in Christ 

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (1 Pe 3:18–22)

This is one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret and understand. I put in a ton of work on these verses when I preached through 1 Peter. For our purpose this morning, we can focus on what Peter tells us about how baptism brings assurance. 

First, we need to carefully note that baptism saves, not in the act itself. It doesn’t save, says Peter, “as removal of dirt from the body.” 

Baptism saves 1.) as an appeal to God for a good conscience and 2.) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

What does Peter mean by appealing to God for a good conscience? Baptism is truly the Bible’s version of the sinner’s prayer. It represents how someone responds to the good news of the gospel and appeals to God. Baptism itself doesn’t accomplish anything, but because the believer has faith in Christ, it assures them of God’s promises, leading to a good conscience. Baptism points to the God who saves us in Christ, allowing the baptized individual to rest in their union with Him, cleansing from sin, newness of life, and so on. 

Remembering your baptism brings assurance because we can know that God’s promises are yes to our prayers. I am not saying that you can’t value a pivotal moment in your life when you responded to an altar call or treasure a family member leading you in prayer in response to the gospel. 

However, it is crucial to acknowledge that what the New Testament urges us to remember is our baptism for assurance and growth. Just consider all the passages we’ve already read. Remembering our baptism lies at the heart of them all, with spiritual maturity, obedience, and assurance as their goals. Baptism serves as a means of grace.

V.) Baptism proclaims incorporation into the body of Christ 

Baptism most certainly marks us out from the world and incorporates us into the body of Christ, the church. It is the means God uses to change our status in relation to the church. It is our initiation into the covenant people of God. 

One significant consequence of this is that baptism proclaims unity within the body of Christ. The church consists of individuals from various places and cultures. Although these distinctions persist, a common unity transcends them. Baptism just doesn’t communicate something about an individual’s relationship with God but with the church. 

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:4–6)

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Co 12:12–13)

Baptism is more than just an act of obedience; it’s more than a symbol. It’s a sign and a symbol of grace through which God builds up the church. It is a visible word through which we see the proclamation of union with Christ, cleansing of sin, new life, assurance, and incorporation into the body of Christ. 

Application 

  1. Repent and be baptized 
  1. Remember your baptism 
  1. Rest in the assurance of God’s grace signified in baptism