Salvation From Two Perspectives

Acts 2:38-39

“And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself.”

In these two verses we see both the human and divine side of salvation. From the human side we are called to repent from our sins and that is a decision we must make ourselves. The baptism mentioned here is water baptism, or identification, which is another decision we make for ourselves. Water baptism is an outward sign, a public indication of a decision we have previously made. Although I trusted the Lord as my Savior when I was twelve years old I was not baptized until I was almost 20. I did not understand baptism for a long time and knew that I was “baptized” as a child. As I came to understand the meaning of baptism I wanted to make that public identification.

The last portion of this verse could be misunderstood when we read “you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. It is a promise given by God that the gift is one you receive the moment you trust Christ as your Savior. It is not tied to the process of water baptism.

The divine side is mentioned in v. 39 “as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself”. Paul explains in Ephesians 1:3 that “He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world…” This teaching is difficult to understand but we can be sure God knows each one of us who will come to trust the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

I appreciate the phrase in v. 39 “all who are far off”. I don’t think this phrase speaks of a distance perspective, but from a time perspective. It is referring to you and me. Think of the fact that almost 2,000 years have passed since that statement was made, but God already had you in His plan. We should give Him praise often that He called us to be His children