The gift of the Spirit is for all men who repent, even to those afar off, in fulfillment of the promise of the Father - Acts 2:37-41.
After
completing his sermon on Pentecost, Peter summons his audience to repent and be
baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ.” But something more than a call
to accept the gospel is transpiring - he concludes his sermon on a note of fulfillment
and with a foretaste of things to come.
The apostle’s sermon begins with a citation
from the book of Joel, and it ends with a clause from the same passage, thus
neatly bracketing Peter’s message.
What began on the Day of Pentecost is the
commencement of the era of fulfillment, the messianic age that is to continue
until the consummation of all things on the “day of the LORD.”
What the crowd of Jewish pilgrims “saw
and heard” is none other than the promised outpouring of the Spirit “in
the last days” as prophesied in the book of Joel.
With the death, resurrection, and exaltation
of Jesus, the “last days” have begun in earnest, and therefore, the
Spirit is granted to his people, starting with the fledgling church in
Jerusalem, but certainly not ending with them - (Joel 2:28-32).
Considering the unexpected events in
Jerusalem, the “day of the LORD” is more imminent than ever, therefore,
everyone who hears Peter’s words must repent, even “as many as the
Lord our God shall call.”
- (Acts 2:37-41) - “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to him. And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying: Save yourselves from this crooked generation. They, then, that received his word were baptized: and there were added to them in that day about three thousand souls.”
BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT
The “promise” is the “gift of the
Spirit” promised in Scripture and by Jesus. Just before his ascension, he
commanded his disciples to “tarry in Jerusalem” until they were endued
with power from on high, the “promise of the Father.”
John baptized “in water,” but the “Coming
one” baptizes “in the Holy Spirit.” Afterward, Christ’s disciples become
his witnesses and take his gospel to the “uttermost parts of the earth”
- (Acts
1:4-5, Luke 3:16, 24:49).
The setting of the sermon on Pentecost must
be kept in mind. The sights and sounds that accompanied the Spirit’s outpouring
caused confusion among the pilgrims gathered at the Temple, “Jews and
proselytes” from at least fifteen nations.
As the editor of Acts, Luke does not
list them simply for literary effect, but to make a theological point. The bestowal
of the Spirit marks the start of the mission to announce the kingdom of God to
all nations (“Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every
nation under heaven”).
From its start, the covenant with Abraham envisioned
a people consisting of more than just his biological descendants. At one point
in Genesis, Yahweh shows Abraham the stars of heaven and challenges him
to number them if he can. So, also, will be the number of his “seed” - (Genesis
15:5, 17:4-6).
But his physical descendants failed to keep to the covenant. That did not mean Yahweh had rejected Israel. On the contrary, to facilitate their redemption, He promised to provide a new covenant relationship that includes the gift of His Spirit.
The day is coming when Yahweh will “gather
you from among the nations and bring you into your own land.” And on that
day, He will put a “new Spirit within you… And I will put my Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in My statutes” - (Ezekiel 36:24-27).
Thus, the fulfillment of the covenant
promise began on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, not only with the
outpouring of the Spirit but also with the addition of three thousand converts
from among the Jewish pilgrims.
COVENANT FULFILLMENT
But that is only the beginning since the “promise”
is “to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord
our God will call to him.”
The proclamation of the gospel began in Jerusalem, but as the book of Acts
demonstrates, it progresses from there to “Judea, Samaria,” and even to Rome,
the very heart of the empire.
At the end of the book, we find Paul
in Rome under house arrest. Nevertheless, despite his circumstances, he “received all
that went to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness,” both to Jews
and Gentiles alike - (Acts 28:30-31).
Thus, the gift
of the Spirit and the proclamation of the “good news” do not represent a
radical departure from the covenant with Abraham, but its fulfillment. What
began on Pentecost was only the first stage in taking the kingdom to all
nations, even “to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
And thus, the “promise
of the Father” is for “you and your children, and to all that are afar
off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
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