Acts 2:38

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 2:37-47

Effects of the Divine power upon the heart. I. COMPUNCTION . Fear is awakened by every drawing near of God to man. And with fear is closely connected the sense of sin. Stated from the other side, the truth is: behind the power of God lies his holiness, which is as a consuming fire. The deepest seat of fear is not in our physical but in our moral instincts. Thus the fear awakened by the revelation of the All-holy is itself a witness to the fact that conscience is the central unity of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 2:38

And for then, A.V. ; said (in italics) for said, A.V. and T.R.; repent ye for repent, A.V. ; unto for for, A.V. ; your sins for sins, A.V. Repent , etc. We have in this short verse the summary of Christian doctrine as regards man and God. Repentance and faith on the part of man; forgiveness of sins, or justification, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, or sanctification, on the part of God. And both these are expressed in the sacrament of baptism, which as it were ties the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Acts 2:38-41

The first practice of baptism as a Christian rite. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized … the Holy Ghost." "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized … three thousand souls." The sun of the day of Pentecost did not set without marking the moment of the inauguration of the rite of Christian baptism—a rite which has never ceased to prove the occasion of stir and difference of opinion down the history of the Church. Baptism, and the baptism of water, was of course a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them - Peter had been the chief speaker, though others had also addressed them. He now, in the name of all, directed the multitude what to do.Repent - See the notes on Matthew 3:2. Repentance implies sorrow for sin as committed against God, along with a purpose to forsake it. It is not merely a fear of the consequences of sin or of the wrath of God in hell. It is such a view of sin, as evil in itself, as to lead the mind to hate it and forsake it. Laying aside all view of... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Acts 2:37-39

Acts 2:37-39. Now when they heard this Having patiently heard Peter out, and not given him the interruption they had been used to give Christ in his discourses; (which was an important point gained;) they were pricked in their heart Or, were pierced to the heart, with deep and lively sorrow, and felt such a sense of their enormous guilt, in the injuries and indignities which they had offered to this glorious, this divine person, that, with the utmost eagerness and solicitude, they cried... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Acts 2:14-42

Peter’s preaching (2:14-42)Seeing the people’s interest, Peter addressed them, this time speaking in his normal language. His address shows some features of the early apostolic preaching. First he quoted from the Old Testament, to show that the Pentecost events fulfilled what the prophets foretold. To Peter the important point of the prophecy was that God poured out his Spirit on everyone - not everyone whether believers or not, but everyone within the community of God’s people, whether male or... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Acts 2:38

Repent. App-111 . be baptized . . . in. App-115 . For the formula of baptism, see App-185 . name. Note the frequent use of "the name" in the Acts. Compare Acts 3:6 , Acts 3:16 ; Acts 4:10 , Acts 4:12 , Acts 4:17 , Acts 4:18 , Acts 4:30 , &c. See also Genesis 12:8 . Exodus 3:13-15 ; Exodus 23:21 . Jesus Christ. i.e. Jesus as Messiah. App-98 . for. Greek. eis. App-104 . remission = forgiveness. Greek. aphesis. Compare App-174 . sins. App-128 . gift = free gift. Greek. dorea. See... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Acts 2:38

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.As long as this verse remains in the sacred New Testament, the terms of admission into Christ's kingdom shall continue to be understood as faith (those were already believers), repentance and baptism unto the remission of sins. The cavils and controversies of the post-Reformation period have not altered in the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38. Repent, and be baptized— They are not only called on here to repent, but a submission also to the ordinance of baptism is required of them; for though on their repenting and believing, they were, according to the tenor of the gospel covenant, entitled to the remission of their sins; yet as Christ had, for wise reasons, appointed this solemn rite, as a token of their taking up the Christian profession in a public manner, there could have been no sufficient evidence of the truth of... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Acts 2:38

38. Repent—The word denotes change of mind, and here includes the reception of the Gospel as the proper issue of that revolution of mind which they were then undergoing. baptized . . . for the remission of sins—as the visible seal of that remission. read more

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