• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Peter's Second Gospel Sermon
Most people who know anything at all about the Christian faith realize that Peter preached thefirst gospel sermon ever preached on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. The secondrecorded sermon in the Christian dispensation of time is again a sermon preached by Peter asfound in the next chapter in Acts, chapter 3. That there was preaching being done betweenPeter's first sermon and his second there is no doubt for the Bible says "the Lord was adding totheir number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47 NAS) and this was afterPentecost but before the events recorded in Acts 3.Of those sermons, of which we know nothing, we can only say with certainty that the truth wastaught and what was taught was the same as that taught by Peter in Acts 2 by inspiration of theHoly Spirit. For it to be otherwise would be to say two or more different gospels were preachedwhich we are sure was not the case. Peter did not preach one gospel one day and anothergospel another day. He did not have a different gospel for everyday of the week or month nordid one apostle preach one thing and another apostle preach something else.In order to not make this article too long I want to zero in on only one issue ² what did Petertell those he preached to on this second preaching occasion that they needed to do in order tobe saved? The answer to that is found in Acts 3:19, "Repent therefore and return, that your sinsmay be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."(NAS) The English Standard Version has, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins maybe blotted out." The New King James has, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sinsmay be blotted out."Albert Barnes, the well known Bible commentator, says of the Greek word translated "return" or"turn again" or "be converted" in this passage that it "means properly to 'turn; to return to apath from which one has gone astray; and then to turn away from sins, or to forsake them.' It isa word used in a general sense to denote 'the whole turning to God.'µ (from his commentary onActs) It does not then designate one specific thing but includes everything not covered by theword "repent."One needs to ask some questions. Earlier in this sermon Peter has accused those of whom hewas speaking to of delivering up Jesus to be killed (Acts 3:13), disowning Jesus (Acts 3:13), andasking that a murderer be set free rather than Jesus thus condemning Jesus to death (Acts 3:14-15). In view of Jesus' innocence of all wrongdoing this was sin and sin of the worst sort since Jesus was the Son of God. What they had done was evil and repentance was needed.Now what is repentance? Paul says, "Godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation." (2 Cor.7:10 NKJV) Thus godly sorrow precedes repentance and is not itself repentance. Judas wassorry but did not repent in the biblical sense of the word and was not saved thus the sorrow hehad was not "godly sorrow" since godly sorrow leads to repentance and salvation. Jesus saidwith reference to Judas, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe tothat man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he hadnever been born." (Mark 14:21 NKJV) Jesus could not have said that of Judas had Judas beensaved in the end. John the Baptist spoke of bearing "fruits worthy of repentance" (Matt. 3:8 NKJV) thusreformation of life is a product of repentance and is not in itself repentance but a result of 
 
repentance. Repentance is that which lies between godly sorrow and reformation of life and wemight ask what that is? It is a determination made in the mind and will of man to cease sin andto turn to God and live for God. It is a matter of the mind and will of man, a decision madebecause of godly sorrow that will lead to reformation of life, a turning from sin and a turning toGod and a godly life.The point being made is that when Peter used the phrase "return" in Acts 3:19 he hadsomething in mind other than repentance. He had already told them to repent. He was notbeing redundant in his language. He was not just using different words to refer to the samething.Now the careful reader who reads the entire sermon (Acts 3:12-26) will note that just like inPeter's first gospel sermon (Acts 2) he does not mention faith in Christ. Is it because he doesnot think it matters? That is ridiculous in view of the fact Peter is speaking by means of theHoly Spirit and the whole New Testament emphasizes faith. The explanation lies elsewhere. InActs 3 faith in Christ is understood. How so? No one repents until convicted by guilt. No oneis convicted by guilt of sin until they come to believe. It is not possible to repent until youbelieve. Repentance itself will be proof of faith.If one will take the time to read Acts 3:12-18 he will see clearly that Peter has preached Christto them and the sin he points out to them that they are guilty of is not just the murder of anyordinary man but of God's "Servant Jesus" (Acts 3:13 NAS), the "Holy and Righteous One" (Acts3:14 NAS), the "Prince of life" (Acts 3:15 NAS). Now they have just witnessed a miracle done inthe name of this Jesus whom they had put to death (the man lame from his mother's womb ²Acts 3:2) and Peter has done this preaching to them. If they repent it will only be because of faith. They will have come to believe what Peter preached.We are now at a point in this sermon that we were in Peter's first sermon. No mention of faithbut faith is necessarily implied. We are then told directly in both sermons the necessity of repentance (Acts 2:38 and Acts 3:19). We are also told in both sermons that if we will do asPeter has said, said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we will have "the forgiveness of your sins"(Acts 2:38) or that which is the same ""your sins may be wiped away." (Acts 3:19 NAS) But inboth sermons there is something else mentioned in addition to repentance that is necessaryunless we desire to cut sentences in half and delete part of God's word on the subject.We can now come to an understanding of what the word "return" means in Acts 3:19, the otherthing Peter says that is needed to have sins wiped away, by seeing what it was Peter required of those on the Day of Pentecost in order to have "the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38 NAS).What was that one thing he mentioned that it would take to obtain the forgiveness of sins inaddition to repentance on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2? It was baptism.Now note what Barnes said as quoted earlier. "It (a reference to the Greek word translated"return" in the NAS or "be converted" in the NKJV - DS) is a word used in a general sense todenote 'the whole turning to God.'µ All that is left of that turning to God according to Peter inhis Acts 2 sermon is baptism. Should we be surprised? Why should we be surprised? Do wethink the Holy Spirit preached different gospels at different times? If baptism was required of those not Christians on the Day of Pentecost why would we think it would not be required of those not Christians some days later?
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...