by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
"All you have to do is accept Jesus ...".
but Peter said, when asked: "What shall we do?"(Acts 2:37):
"Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
unto the remission of your sins ...."
Then, to confirm this, Luke stated (Acts 2:41): "They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added (unto them) in that day about three thousand souls." It is true that we must "receive his word," and this might be equivalent to what some today call "accepting Jesus." Peter also stated that: "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." These are acceptable terms, and most would consider them synonymous. The question is: What is the biblical meaning of calling on the Lord, accepting Jesus and receiving his word?
Peter answers this question: "They then that received his word were baptized." If someone refused baptism or decided to defer this action, could it be said that he "received his word?" His word called for them to be baptized. Any who were not baptized did not receive his word. As we continue our study of the conversions we will see that baptism is the act that put the penitent believer into Christ (Acts 2:41,47; Romans 6:3). May God bless you in your study.