Acts
Bible Study
Lesson 7
ACTS 2:38 Peter said to
them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
REPENTANCE
¥
By definition, repentance is changing your mind. It does not related to having
sorrow although you may be sorrowful when you repent.
2 Corinthians 7:9 yet now I
am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to
repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in
any way by us.
-
God repented (changed His mind) Jeremiah 26:13; Exodus
32:14; Amos 7:3
Jonah 3:10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented (repented in the KJV) concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.
¥ When Israel
is called to repentance, it is not to bring them into a covenant position
because they were already a covenant people. They needed to repent because they
strayed from God and needed to return to Him.
Acts 3:25"It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ' AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.'
¥ Peter tells Israel to repent (turn away from rejecting Christ) and turn back to God.
- The Jews needed to change their mind about who this Jesus was.
¥ Their repentance was not a general call to turn away from their sins but a specific call to recognize who Jesus Christ was.
¥ Unbelievers are not told to repent to come to Christ in this age.
-
They need to believe in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians
15:1—4 Éthat Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures,4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
¥ Paul uses term repentance five times:
-
The unsaved should be able to see GodÕs goodness and may lead them to change
their minds.
Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and
tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to
repentance?
-
Believers changing their minds.
2 Corinthians 7:9 I now
rejoiceÉthat you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance
2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.
-
God changing the mind of the unbeliever.
2 Timothy 2:25 with
gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant
them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
¥ PeterÕs call to repentance was given to a covenant people to come back to God by believing in the Son. Those who did not do this were cut off.
¥
A time for Israel to repent after ChristÕs death is prophesized.
Luke 13:6—9 6And He began telling
this parable: "A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his
vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.7"And
he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking
for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even
use up the ground?'8"And he answered and said to him, 'Let it
alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9and if it bears fruit next year,
fine; but if not, cut it down.'"
- The three-year period was JesusÕ ministry. The additional year brought us to Staphen.
- Because it was predicted, early Acts is not a part of the Mystery as revealed through Paul.
BAPTISM
¥ Baptism simply means thorough or complete identification.
¥ The first thing people think of when you say the word ÒbaptismÓ is water.
- There are many ÒdryÓ baptisms in the Bible.
-- Baptism of Israel by the Holy Spirit Mark 1:8
-- Baptism of Israel into Moses. 1 Corinthians 10:2
--
Disciples baptized with Jesus into His death. Mark 10:38
-- Baptism of Israel into fire. Luke 3:16
--
Jesus baptized into death. Luke 12:50
--
Baptized into Christ and His death. Romans 6:3
--
Baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13
--
Buried with Christ in baptism. Colossians 2:12
¥ Baptisms are found throughout the Old Testament—if you know where to look.
- Hebrews tells Israel to move
away from the Law—including baptisms.
Hebrews
6:1—2 1Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the
Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,2of instruction
about washings (baptisms-plural) and laying on of hands,
and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
Hebrews 9:10 since they relate only
to food and drink and various washings (baptisms), regulations for the body imposed until a time of
reformation.
- These are some of the washings
(by pouring) that Israel needed to observe. Exodus 30:18—21
Leviticus
11:25
and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and
be unclean until evening.
Exodus
29:4
"Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of
meeting and wash them with water.
- Sprinkling is another mode for
baptismal cleansing. Numbers 19:13, 19
Ezekiel
36:24—25 24"For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all
the lands and bring you into your own land. 25"Then I will sprinkle
clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your
filthiness and from all your idols.
¥ Baptism was an act of purification and cleansing and not a
picture of death.
Acts 21:16 'Now why do you delay?
Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.'
¥ Baptism of Israelites in the gospels was in preparation for their role as priests.
- All priests needed to be ceremonially purified through water baptism (Exodus 30:17—21)
- Israel was promised to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5—6)
¥ This is why the Disciples were commissioned to baptize (Matthew 28:19)
¥ PaulÕs commission does not include baptism. (1 Corinthians
15:1—4)
1 Corinthians 1:17 For
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,
¥ We in the age of Grace do not
have any ordinances (laws) to follow.
Ephesians
2:15 by
abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained
in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus
establishing peace,
Col 2:14
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees (ordinances) against
us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed
it to the cross.
Col 2:20—21 20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees (ordinances), such as, 21"Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!"
¥ In contrast to the multiple
baptisms under the Kingdom program, we have only one baptism.
Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
¥ All instances of water baptism in Matthew through Acts are connected to other Jewish-related events such as a ceremony, feast day, sign gift, miracle, tongues, or visions.
- Baptism is inseparably connected to Israel.
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