By David Webb

It has been said that only those who have been rescued from death can fully appreciate life.  If this is true, then only those who have been rescued from the guilt of sin can fully appreciate the promise of eternal life.

On the first Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a crowd of worshippers stood silently before the apostles of Jesus hearing irrefutable evidence that they had been the betrayers and murders of the Messiah.  They had ruthlessly taken the life of Jesus, thinking him to be an imposter and blasphemer, and one who was certainly worthy of death.  But now the realized they had not taken the life of a criminal, but had taken the life of the Son of God.

When Peter concluded his remarks, he boldly proclaimed, "Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."  Those words stunned the crowd who had gathered to worship Jehovah in the ancient Temple court yards.  They began this great feast day to thank Jehovah for his blessings, but they were now learning they had murdered His only begotten Son.

When these devout worshippers heard that the Jesus was the Christ, the anointed of God, "they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do? '"  Many were no doubt thinking they were about to become the recipients of Jehovah's wrath.  But instead, they were about to learn they were becoming the recipients of their Father's love.

Peter continued by giving them the simple solution to their dilemma.  He said, "'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call '  With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. '"

No one could question the  faith most of these worshippers had, for they had witnessed the many miracles, signs and wonders performed by Jesus, and had seen the empty tomb where the body of Jesus once lay.  They had also been the eyewitnesses of the miraculous demonstrations, and had heard the prophetic revelations from the 12 apostles of Jesus.  Many were willing to conclude that the only reasonable explanation for all this was that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, and was now sitting and reigning at the right hand of God.

Therefore, Peter told them to repent – to change their lives as a result of their change of heart.  Many others had heard the words of Jesus before, and were eyewitnesses of his power.  But they never allowed their belief to mature enough to openly confess their faith in him, and follow him as a disciple.  However, this is the very thing they were now being commanded to do.  Belief in Jesus alone would never save them.  Their faith would need to be validated and authenticated by their obedience to the commandments of the Lord.  Only then would they repent of their sins, die to their former life, be buried with Christ in baptism, and be resurrected to walk in newness of life as a true servant of Jesus Christ.

In addition to repenting of their past sins, Peter told these believers to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their past sins.  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned his disciples to go forth and preach the gospel, and added, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16).  Peter now demanded these worshippers to fulfill that same command.  He told them, to receive the remission of sins they must first repent, then be baptized by the authority of Jesus Christ.  These words not only showed them baptism was necessary for their salvation, but that baptism must have behind it the authority of Jesus Christ – the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Therefore, to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – the promised gift of eternal life that the Holy Spirit gives – they must repent and be baptized, everyone of them, in the name of Jesus Christ.  It was a promise available to "all whom the Lord our God will call."  It was available to everyone, since all were now being called by God through the preaching and teaching of the good news about Jesus Christ.

But the thousands gathered in the Temple courts faced another dilemma.  If Jesus was the Messiah, if he was in fact the very Son of God, then they would have to abandon the heritage of their forefathers and follow the man from Galilee.

We cannot even begin to imagine the impact this would have on their minds.  For them to admit that Jesus was the Messiah of promise and prophecy would mean to forsake all that their ancestors had courageously stood for.  They would be admitting that the great religious leaders of the day, the leading rabbis, and the renowned teachers among the scribes and Pharisees, were all wrong.  In fact, they would be admitting their entire system of reasoning and interpretation of prophecy had been wrong.

And, some no doubt realized the long-term implications of this new teaching. They recognized that a change in the rulership of God's spiritual kingdom could mean a change in the Law and a change in the worship of Jehovah.  Those changes would not come easy.  They would first be openly criticized, and then severely persecuted by their fellow countrymen for becoming followers of Jesus the Christ. Even members of their own families would denounce them as having departed from the God of heaven, and from his Law.  It would not be an easy thing for any man to face.

However, in that mass of devout worshippers, there were enough who simply did not care what the consequences might be.  They believed the evidence.  They knew Jesus was the Messiah, and they wanted the remission of sins which Peter promised was unto them and their children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord God would call.  These men heard the call of God through the preaching of Peter, and they would now happily respond to that call.  Nothing would stand in their way, for they loved the praise of God more than they feared the condemnation of men.

Luke records, "those who accepted his (Peter’s) message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."  These three thousand probably represented only a small percentage of the number who were actually gathered there, but they were the beginning of a movement that would soon sweep around the world.

This Feast of Pentecost had begun as any other.  It was intended to be a day when the people of Israel would thank Jehovah for his blessings, and for the giving of the Law.  They had come to the city of Jerusalem to offer Jehovah the "first fruits" of their harvest, and they customarily honored this as the day on which God gave his Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.

However, the day became another kind of "Feast of First Fruits."  It became a day that marked the first fruits of God's spiritual kingdom – those who were the first to hear, believe, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins.  And the day also marked the giving of another Law, the Law of Jesus Christ – the beginning of the unfolding of a new covenant which God was delivering through the Holy Spirit-inspired apostles.

We can only imagine what was in the minds of the thousands as they left the Temple court yards that day.  Many were completely rejecting everything they had seen and heard.  They would blind their own eyes and stop up their own ears to the undeniable evidence concerning the man from Galilee known as Jesus.  But others would leave with the knowledge that the kingdom of Christ had come, and the King was not only reigning from his throne in heaven, but from within their own hearts.  And they would know him as Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, their Savior and their friend!