Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 (KJV)

            ... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

            Most religious denominations preach ACTS 2:38  as the gospel of their salvation. They even call themselves Christians.   

 Are they?  If you tell a lost person,

            “Repent of your sins, be baptized (in water),  and you will receive the Holy Ghost,”  as the way for him to be saved -- and he believes you -- he will go to Hell like a bullet when he dies!

            Why?  Because ACTS 2:38 is not the plan of salvation in the Church age dispensation.  If a person believes that he has to repent (or turn away from)  his sins

then he is believing in his own righteousness as part of the salvation process. 

Two things are wrong with this belief. 

            If a person believes that he has to be baptized in water by a priest, or some other man, then he is trusting in a work on his part,  or a traditional religious rite. Water baptism does not wash you  from your sins.   

Revelation 1:5 (KJV)

...Jesus Christ...washed us from our sins in his own blood--not water!

To use the phrase  for the remission of sins to convince a lost person that water baptism does cleanse him is deceitful.  A person who is lost,  who has not had the eyes of his understanding enlightened, can not be born again by trusting in the gospel of ACTS 2:38.  

Why not?  Because it leaves out the true gospel, which is:

1 Corinthians 15:1 (KJV)  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel

1 Corinthians 15:2 (KJV)  By which also ye are saved,

1 Corinthians 15:3 (KJV)  ...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 15:4 (KJV) he was buried, and that he rose again the third  day  according to the scriptures:

Revelation 1:5 (KJV)...Jesus Christ...washed us from our sins in his own blood--Not Water!

Romans 5:9(KJV)being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Romans 5:11 (KJV)  ...our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)  For by grace are ye saved through faith;

Ephesians 2:9 (KJV)  Not of works

Romans 3:24 (KJV)  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ

Romans 3:25 (KJV)  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past

Romans 3:28 (KJV)  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Romans 6:14 (KJV)  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1 Corinthians 1:17 (KJV)  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel

1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

John 3:36 (KJV)  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not  the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 3:16 (KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that  whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (KJV) 

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, ... and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 

( Not water baptism)

Matthew 3:11 (KJV) he  (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost

John 1:33 (KJV)  ... he (Jesus) which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

  (into the spiritual body of Jesus at the moment God gives you the new birth)

            a spiritual baptism -- not water baptism

Romans 8:9 (KJV)  

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of  God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  If you have not been baptized with the Holy Ghost,  you are not saved!  You don’t get this spiritual baptism through water baptism administered by a priest or a man. You receive it  from Jesus at the moment of the new birth  (and this is not evidenced by speaking with other tongues).

John 3:3 (KJV)  

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:7 (KJV) 

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

            (Spiritually -- not by works or water baptism)

Ephesians 1:13 (KJV) 

In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise

James 1:21 (KJV)   

... and receive with meekness the engrafted  word, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 1:23 (KJV) 

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

            So, in the Church age (from the resurrection of Jesus until the Rapture of the Church), a Christian is saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus’ substitutionary blood atonement at Calvary -- without works or water baptism.  And to tell a lost person that he has to repent from his sins,  and be baptized in water for the remission of his sins is not the gospel.  It  gives that lost person the belief that he has to do something as his  part in his salvation.  Such as:  turn from his sins, and promise never to sin again,  and get baptized in water by some man in order to earn God’s favor.  That’s works.   

            The word repent means to change your mind about something.  It doesn’t mean to put your trust in your efforts in turning from your sins in order to be accepted by God.  

Proof?  The Lord never sinned,  yet he repented.

Exodus 32:14 (KJV) 

And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Genesis 6:6 (KJV) 

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth..

Judges 2:18 (KJV) 

  ... for it repented the LORD...

            The Lord couldn’t turn from his sins and promise never to sin again!  So repent   does not mean to give up your sins, and promise never to sin again in order to be accepted by God.   But,  to be saved, you do have to repent from something.  You must repent , or change your mind about trusting in your own ability to save yourself,  or doing your part in your salvation. You must change your mind from believing that you can add even one drop of self-righteousness to attain your salvation.  You must believe that there is nothing you can do to contribute to your salvation.  You need to put your faith in trust in what Jesus did for you—at  Calvary,  and that what he did is sufficient to save you completely!  

Forever!

          If you think that you have to do good works,  or stop sinning,  in order to be accepted by God,  or that you can lose your salvation by your works after you get saved,  then you have not repented properly. 

And God will not give you the new birth,  I don’t care if you have been baptized in water 100 times!  He will not baptize you with the Holy Spirit into the spiritual body of Jesus  (the true church).  You will just be  a wet sinner on your way to Hell.

            A born again Christian can look back on ACTS 2:38 and interpret it this way:

            But the lost person, who hasn’t heard the word of truth,  the gospel of his salvation, and hasn’t had the eyes of his understanding enlightened, does not interpret ACTS 2:38 this way.

That’s why you don’t preach ACTS 2:38 as the plan of salvation to a lost person.