"Then Peter said unto them, 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." (Acts 2:38)
Repentance is the main concern and basis for baptism, the remission of sins, and the reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost. The basis for baptism has consistently been, in Luke's writings and throughout the Scriptures, repentance (Luke 3:3; Matthew 3:8; and Mark 1:4). Baptism presupposes that the candidate has already repented of sin, and trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. Luke has a special emphasis throughout his treatises (Luke and Acts) about the relationship between repentance and the forgiveness or remission of sins (read Luke 3:3; 24:47; Acts 3:19; & 8:32). The basis for the remission of sins isn't in the Baptism, but in the evangelical truths which are expressed in Baptism (the excellent and salvific work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is His death, burial and resurrection) to which the candidate must have necessarily embraced prior to Baptism. The preposition "for" should not be read as "in order to" rather it should be understood as "because of or on the basis of." In other words, those who have repented are called upon to identify themselves with Christ and His people through Baptism, and this because their sins have been forgiven. The gift of the Holy Ghost refers to both the person and various graces which accompany His divine indwelling presence. No one in Acts has ever received the gift of the Holy Ghost who neglected repentance, but we do have an example of some who in fact received the gift of the Holy Ghost without Baptism (see Acts 10:44-48; 11:12-16).
Repentance is the main concern and basis for baptism, the remission of sins, and the reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost. The basis for baptism has consistently been, in Luke's writings and throughout the Scriptures, repentance (Luke 3:3; Matthew 3:8; and Mark 1:4). Baptism presupposes that the candidate has already repented of sin, and trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. Luke has a special emphasis throughout his treatises (Luke and Acts) about the relationship between repentance and the forgiveness or remission of sins (read Luke 3:3; 24:47; Acts 3:19; & 8:32). The basis for the remission of sins isn't in the Baptism, but in the evangelical truths which are expressed in Baptism (the excellent and salvific work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is His death, burial and resurrection) to which the candidate must have necessarily embraced prior to Baptism. The preposition "for" should not be read as "in order to" rather it should be understood as "because of or on the basis of." In other words, those who have repented are called upon to identify themselves with Christ and His people through Baptism, and this because their sins have been forgiven. The gift of the Holy Ghost refers to both the person and various graces which accompany His divine indwelling presence. No one in Acts has ever received the gift of the Holy Ghost who neglected repentance, but we do have an example of some who in fact received the gift of the Holy Ghost without Baptism (see Acts 10:44-48; 11:12-16).
