Biblical Discernment
Pentecost – What is it?
And what do we do with Acts 2:38?
jacksdon@gmail.com
The book of Acts is the battleground. Most denominations follow the Roman Catholic “tradition” of starting the Body of Christ church with Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. But, will this “tradition” stand against the test of Scripture?
Pentecost was a Jewish feast day. The word means 50 and has its’ origin in the book of Leviticus – Leviticus 23:16 – This describes the “meal offering unto the Lord.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days, after His resurrection, teaching the 11 apostles about the “kingdom of God” [Acts 1:3]. What Scriptures did He use in His teachings? Luke 24 provides the answer.
Vs 25-27 “Then He said unto them, oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ [Messiah] to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself.”
Vs 44-45 “And He said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.”
The Body of Christ church is never the subject of OT prophecy, but the coming earthly kingdom is. With their “understanding of the Scriptures opened” they now ask the logical question, “will you, at this time, restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Our Lord didn’t rebuke the 11 for asking this question, but rather, He told them it was not for them to know the time element.
Next, the Lord gives the 11 [another] “Great Commission.” He had told the 11 that they would be “baptized with [not by] the Holy Spirit” [Vs 5] and now He tells them that they will “receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses……….” Note their order of witness – [1] Jerusalem [2] Judah [3] Samaria [4] uttermost part of the earth [Vs 8]. The 11 make it their first order of business to bring their number back up to 12. This is important – the number 12 pertains to Israel – 12 tribes, 12 thrones, etc., - not the Body of Christ church.
Next the day of Pentecost “was fully come” the 12 were all baptized [with] and filled with the Holy Spirit [2:1-4]. Note that the Lord Jesus is the baptizer and the Holy Spirit is the element. In the Body of Christ the Holy Spirit is the baptizer and the Church is the element. Now Luke tells us who were dwelling at Jerusalem – “….Jews and proselytes…..” [2:5-10]. And they began to speak in other languages so that they could witness to the multitudes in their own language[s].
Peter [an apostle to the circumcision] stands up and proclaims, “….this is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel” [Vs 16]. Joel [2:28-32; 3:1ff] writes of the “restoration” of Israel. Joel did not know about the Body of Christ church.
Peter addresses “…ye men of Israel…..” [Vs 22] and accuses them of murdering their Messiah and threatens them with the fact that death couldn’t hold Him. He then presents our Lord in resurrection to sit on David’s throne [Vs 23-30]. Peter presents the cross [tree] as bad news and demands “repentance” and [water] baptism “for the remission of sins.” Then Israel would receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Why would Peter tell Israel to “..repent and be baptized [in water] for the remission of sins.….?” Moses had told Israel that they would become a “..kingdom of priests….’ [Exodus 19:5,6; cf 1 Peter 2:9]. The initial rite of entrance into the priesthood was “washing with water,” i.e., water baptism [Exodus 29:4]. How do we know that this was water baptism? Paul, writing to the Hebrews, speaks of the “divers washings” of the Jews in chapter 9, verse 10, where the word for “washings” is ‘baptismos.’ Water baptism is always depicted as a cleansing in Scripture – Acts 22:16. The Jews were to repent [have a change of mind about the Messiah], submit to the cleansing of water baptism for the remission of their sins, and then [and only then] would they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This would prepare them to become a nation of priests. I well recall hearing a Southern Baptist minister [Dr. Patterson] say that Acts 2:38 “…is the ONLY passage in the Bible that seems to say that you must be baptized to be saved.” He apparently wasn’t aware of the following passages:
Mark 1:4 – “…..baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” This is the same verbiage used by Peter in Acts 2:38.
Luke 7:29,30 – The people ‘justified’ God being baptized with the baptism of John. The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God…being not baptized of him.
Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved……”
Acts 22:16 – Saul of Tarsus was told by a “devout man according to the law” to “….be baptized to wash away thy sins….”
1 Peter 3:21 is reserved for another paper. [Hint: Israel is in view].
If Acts 2:38 is applicable to the Body of Christ [and it isn’t] then Paul made a strange statement in 1 Cor. 1:16-17.
Of course, the Baptist minister was trying to fit the Body of Christ church on the “kingdom” foundation laid by Peter on the Jewish feast day in Acts 2. The Body of Christ won’t fit on Peter’s kingdom foundation. Paul laid the foundation for and was the wise “master builder” of the Body of Christ [1 Cor. 3:10].
Pentecost – What is it?
And what do we do with Acts 2:38?
jacksdon@gmail.com
The book of Acts is the battleground. Most denominations follow the Roman Catholic “tradition” of starting the Body of Christ church with Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. But, will this “tradition” stand against the test of Scripture?
Pentecost was a Jewish feast day. The word means 50 and has its’ origin in the book of Leviticus – Leviticus 23:16 – This describes the “meal offering unto the Lord.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days, after His resurrection, teaching the 11 apostles about the “kingdom of God” [Acts 1:3]. What Scriptures did He use in His teachings? Luke 24 provides the answer.
Vs 25-27 “Then He said unto them, oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ [Messiah] to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself.”
Vs 44-45 “And He said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning Me. Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.”
The Body of Christ church is never the subject of OT prophecy, but the coming earthly kingdom is. With their “understanding of the Scriptures opened” they now ask the logical question, “will you, at this time, restore again the kingdom to Israel?” Our Lord didn’t rebuke the 11 for asking this question, but rather, He told them it was not for them to know the time element.
Next, the Lord gives the 11 [another] “Great Commission.” He had told the 11 that they would be “baptized with [not by] the Holy Spirit” [Vs 5] and now He tells them that they will “receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses……….” Note their order of witness – [1] Jerusalem [2] Judah [3] Samaria [4] uttermost part of the earth [Vs 8]. The 11 make it their first order of business to bring their number back up to 12. This is important – the number 12 pertains to Israel – 12 tribes, 12 thrones, etc., - not the Body of Christ church.
Next the day of Pentecost “was fully come” the 12 were all baptized [with] and filled with the Holy Spirit [2:1-4]. Note that the Lord Jesus is the baptizer and the Holy Spirit is the element. In the Body of Christ the Holy Spirit is the baptizer and the Church is the element. Now Luke tells us who were dwelling at Jerusalem – “….Jews and proselytes…..” [2:5-10]. And they began to speak in other languages so that they could witness to the multitudes in their own language[s].
Peter [an apostle to the circumcision] stands up and proclaims, “….this is that which was spoken through the prophet Joel” [Vs 16]. Joel [2:28-32; 3:1ff] writes of the “restoration” of Israel. Joel did not know about the Body of Christ church.
Peter addresses “…ye men of Israel…..” [Vs 22] and accuses them of murdering their Messiah and threatens them with the fact that death couldn’t hold Him. He then presents our Lord in resurrection to sit on David’s throne [Vs 23-30]. Peter presents the cross [tree] as bad news and demands “repentance” and [water] baptism “for the remission of sins.” Then Israel would receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Why would Peter tell Israel to “..repent and be baptized [in water] for the remission of sins.….?” Moses had told Israel that they would become a “..kingdom of priests….’ [Exodus 19:5,6; cf 1 Peter 2:9]. The initial rite of entrance into the priesthood was “washing with water,” i.e., water baptism [Exodus 29:4]. How do we know that this was water baptism? Paul, writing to the Hebrews, speaks of the “divers washings” of the Jews in chapter 9, verse 10, where the word for “washings” is ‘baptismos.’ Water baptism is always depicted as a cleansing in Scripture – Acts 22:16. The Jews were to repent [have a change of mind about the Messiah], submit to the cleansing of water baptism for the remission of their sins, and then [and only then] would they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This would prepare them to become a nation of priests. I well recall hearing a Southern Baptist minister [Dr. Patterson] say that Acts 2:38 “…is the ONLY passage in the Bible that seems to say that you must be baptized to be saved.” He apparently wasn’t aware of the following passages:
Mark 1:4 – “…..baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” This is the same verbiage used by Peter in Acts 2:38.
Luke 7:29,30 – The people ‘justified’ God being baptized with the baptism of John. The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God…being not baptized of him.
Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved……”
Acts 22:16 – Saul of Tarsus was told by a “devout man according to the law” to “….be baptized to wash away thy sins….”
1 Peter 3:21 is reserved for another paper. [Hint: Israel is in view].
If Acts 2:38 is applicable to the Body of Christ [and it isn’t] then Paul made a strange statement in 1 Cor. 1:16-17.
Of course, the Baptist minister was trying to fit the Body of Christ church on the “kingdom” foundation laid by Peter on the Jewish feast day in Acts 2. The Body of Christ won’t fit on Peter’s kingdom foundation. Paul laid the foundation for and was the wise “master builder” of the Body of Christ [1 Cor. 3:10].
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