Acts 2:38
Viewing the King James Version. Click to switch to 1611 King James Version of Acts 2:38.
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.
- King James Bible "Authorized Version", Cambridge Edition
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Other Translations of Acts 2:38
- King James Version (1611) - View 1611 Bible Scan
Peter {said} to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- New American Standard Version (1995)
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.
- American Standard Version (1901)
And Peter said, Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given to you.
- Basic English Bible
And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Darby Bible
Then Peter said to 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 Spirit.
- Webster's Bible
Repent, replied Peter, "and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, with a view to the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Weymouth Bible
Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- World English Bible
And Petre seide to hem, Do ye penaunce, and eche of you be baptisid in the name of Jhesu Crist, in to remissioun of youre synnes; and ye schulen take the yifte of the Hooli Goost.
- Wycliffe Bible
and Peter said unto them, `Reform, and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,
- Youngs Literal Bible
View Wesley's Notes for Acts 2:38
2:38 Repent - And hereby return to God: be baptized - Believing in the name of Jesus - And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost - See the three - one God clearly proved. See #Ac 26:20|. The gift of the Holy Ghost does not mean in this place the power of speaking with tongues. For the promise of this was not given to all that were afar off, in distant ages and nations. But rather the constant fruits of faith, even righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Whomsoever the Lord our God shall call - (Whether they are Jews or Gentiles) by his word and by his Spirit: and who are not disobedient to the heavenly calling. But it is observable St. Peter did not yet understand the very words he spoke.
View People's Bible Notes for Acts 2:38
Ac 2:38 Repent, and be baptized. For the first time the terms of pardon under the New Covenant and the Great Commission are given; given once for all time, and always the same. The convicted, broken-hearted, sorrowing sinner, believing that Jesus is the Christ, is to repent and be baptized. Repent. Not sorrow. They already sorrowed; but a change of purpose; the internal change which resolves to serve the Lord. The Greek term "metanoeo", rendered "repent", means a change of mind. The act of obedience in baptism is an outward expression of both faith and repentance. In the name of Jesus Christ. "Upon the name" (Revised Version). Upon the ground of the name. In submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. For the remission of sins. Thus, by complying with the conditions just named, they shall receive remission of sins. No man can receive pardon without faith and repentance, nor can he without submission to the will of Christ. Meyer says: ``"Eis" (for) denotes the "object" of baptism, which is the remission of the guilt contracted in the state before "metanoia" (repentance).'' And Prof. Hackett writes: ``"In order to the forgiveness of sins" we connect naturally with both the preceding verbs. This clause states the motive or object which should induce them to repent and be baptized.'' The gift of the Holy Spirit. Promised as a comforter to all who obey Christ, but whom "the world cannot receive" (Joh 14:17).
PAUL SHUFORD's comment on 2013-05-01 09:56:04:
listen if you think that your getting in GODS KINGDOM WITHOUT REPENTING AND BEING BAPTIZED in the name of JESUS CHRIST FOR THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS THEN HELL WILL BE YOUR EVERLASTING HOME
Tracey's comment on 2013-03-19 10:09:10:
The correct wording is; we are to be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost? I am still a little confused...Father meaning God, Son meaning Jesus?
farm nelson's comment on 2013-02-26 16:05:11:
Did Jesus ask the thief a question or give him a promise. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Read carefully and give your opinion.
mothersill's comment on 2013-02-09 07:27:32:
In John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God". Again Jesus said "Except a man be born of the water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God". Amen. God said "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but "the end thereof are the ways of death”. Amen and Amen...
Beverly Gray's comment on 2013-02-03 00:28:35:
I know that the Bible is right and somebody's wrong, God's word is always right let every man be a liar and God's word be Truth and the Truth will make you free. Yes I believe Acts 2:38 and I believe in Jesus Christ, yes I believe that JESUS is GOD.
Fruitloop's comment on 2013-01-21 13:12:26:
So if a man has accepted Christ and has not been baptized, can he still go to heaven? He has been told a couple of different things. He does not go to church, but has made a decision and was baptized as a young boy.
Billy's comment on 2012-11-05 21:31:42:
@Stephen B.
Baptized means immersion in water. The water represents the grave (being buried) and coming out of the water (resurrection). If you have truly and fully repented (turned away from your sinful ways), the blood is applied to wash away your (previous) sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This does not forgive you for any sins committed after that. You are forgiven for them by dying daily (repenting). Jesus (God manifested in the flesh) had the power to forgive the thief and promise him salvation. At the time the thief died on the cross, the Holy Ghost had not yet been given. There are many examples of people in the Old Testament that went to Heaven without baptism because they were accepted by the Father. Water baptism by John was "unto repentance". After Jesus has been resurrected and overcame death, hell and the grave, his followers were to go and await The Comforter (the Holy Ghost). That is what they received on the day of Pentecost (that doesn't mean it was only one day, as witnessed by the rest of the New Testament). Mary, the mother of Jesus was one of those who received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. People who pray to Mary are actually disobeying God's Word, as she was just a human as the rest of us.
stephen belding's comment on 2012-10-16 20:39:02:
Peter is talking about being baptized in the name of Jesus - not being baptized with water - especially when 3 thousand got saved on the day of Pentecost. There is no mention of water only being filled with the Holy Ghost. However if one were to listen to Jesus on the cross when he said to the thief that accepted Jesus as savior - this thief was not baptized but was told by Jesus that - you shalt be with me in paradise. The thief died on the cross - so he couldn't have been baptized - right...
Tony Allen's comment on 2012-09-23 13:34:01:
John 3:1-8 Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and the spirit otherwise he will not see the kingdom of God even from afar off! So we come to Acts 2 - Repent, be baptized and you SHALL receive the Holy Spirit! Unfortunately most churches, nominal and even most Pentecostal, do not accept that speaking in tongues is the only sign that you have received the Holy Spirit! Jesus wouldn't make that statement to Nicodemus about the need to be born again without there being some tangible evidence of that event - He wouldn't leave us floundering as to whether or not we are born again - hence the accompanying sign should be! In Acts 10: Cornelius prayed often and gave alms to the poor but was instructed by the angel to go to Joppa where Peter would tell him what he needed to do further - receive the Holy Spirit - and in Acts 11 Peter tells the rest of the apostles that they received the HOLY SPIRIT "as we did at the beginning!"
Rhonda's comment on 2012-02-27 16:51:52:
It gives the proper instructions for salvation. I don't understand why so many are missing it!!
kebede's comment on 2012-02-01 13:04:30:
is the right way only we have save in thy name of jesus christ only
Acts 8:16 etc...
Kostas's comment on 2011-12-22 17:11:35:
Only those translations that are saying "remission" of sins are correct to the original Greek which is the word "Aphesis". Remission & forgiveness are not the same. But above all, The Name Of The Lord JESUS Christ must be spoken, & both the baptizer & the one receiving the baptism must be qualified for it. The one must be an apostolic minister or anyone who has already been baptized in the Name of the Lord, & the one who goes through the baptism, to be taught prior to it, the importance & the revelation of the Name, & have full faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Below is a good article:
THE BIG
MISTAKE
This message is no doubt one of the most important messages you will ever read. It concerns a
commandment that was given by our Lord Jesus Christ, which is being carried out incorrectly by
nearly every church that is professing Christianity. This statement is true, even though the
command is plain and easy to understand. I am referring to the clear teaching of water baptism.
The various religions of this world baptize people with water 635 different ways. In the realm of
nominal Christianity, people are baptized primarily one way; this way omits the use of any name
at all. Thus, Satan with his crafty devices has seen to it that almost everyone who has been
baptized has been baptized wrong!
In the denominations of nominal Christianity, the Scripture verse of Matthew 28:19 is misused in
a very clever way. Matthew 28:19 reads as follows: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” We must bear
in mind that when this command was given, no actual baptism was happening at the time. A
command was given, and God intended that it be carried out, not just repeated. Countless
thousands of ministers repeat the exact words of the command without ever doing what the
command says to do. Jesus specifically ordered that we are to be baptized in the NAME
(singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost! In order to find out what that name
is, we simply look in the Bible at incidents of water baptism after Calvary as administered by the
apostles of Jesus Christ. We will find that there is not one incident ever where anyone was
actually baptized using the words, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” It was always done in the
saving name of Jesus, which fulfills the command to use the singular name. When we say the
words, “I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,” we are in full obedience of Matthew
28:19. Jesus said, “I am come in my Father’s name….” (John 5:43). The angel of the Lord said
to Joseph regarding Mary, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). In John 16:7, Jesus said He would
send the Holy Ghost. It all happens in the name of Jesus!
We will now look at actual events of baptism to see exactly how it was done by the Apostles of
Jesus Christ. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we will begin with chapter 2 where many
people who were listening to Peter were convicted of their sins and were looking for the remedy
to the problem. In Acts 2:37-39 we read as follows: “Now when they heard this, they were
pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren,
what shall we do? 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.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as
the Lord our God shall call.” As we can see, the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not even
alluded to by Peter as he answered their question, because the Apostles understood full-well that
Jesus commanded his saving name to be used to fulfill Matthew 28:19. Were the Apostles
correct in this matter? In Acts 2:41 we read the following: “Then they that gladly received his
word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
Another example of an actual baptism is found in Acts 8:14-16 as follows: “Now when the
apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent
unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost: (for as yet he was fallen on none of them: only they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.)
Yet another example showing how the singular name of the Lord Jesus Christ was being used in
water baptism is found in Acts 10:47-48, which tells us, “Can any man forbid water, that these
should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded
them to be baptized in the name of the Lord….” In this example, we must also note that water
baptism was not simply suggested, but it was commanded! This is consistent with the very words
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, when he commanded in Mark 16:15-16, “….Go ye into all
the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
One question that frequently arises regarding water baptism is whether or not a person should be
rebaptized if they had not previously been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. In Acts 19:3-5
that question is answered, and the matter is settled. The Apostle Paul met with some people who
had been disciples of John the Baptist and were baptized by him. We know that when John
baptized, no name was used, but it was simply done unto repentance, opening the way for people
to receive Jesus, the Lamb of God. After Jesus shed his blood on the cross, the saving name was
required in baptism. Even those who had received the valid baptism of John needed to be
rebaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. That is why we read of this in Acts 19:3-5 as follows:
“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that
they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they
heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
At this point I must also point out that the word baptize, comes from a Greek word that means to
make fully whelmed, which means to put completely under the water. It was the Roman Catholic
religion that started baptizing by sprinkling and pouring during the time of the building of St.
Peter’s Basilica. Because they charged money for baptizing, they began to baptize infants,
because they needed the money.
We must also remember that the Bible tells us that we are not to be baptized into a church, but
rather into Christ! Romans 6:3-4 tells us in no uncertain terms the following: “Know ye not, that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
When we consider the subject of water baptism, it is essential that we remember that it is in the
Gospel! In I Corinthians 15:1-4, the Gospel is clearly defined as the death, burial, and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Thus, our repentance is the death of our old sinful self; baptism
with water in the name of our Saviour, Jesus, is our burial; and receiving the Holy Ghost is our
first resurrection unto a new life. The resurrection of all people at Judgment Day is the final
resurrection from the earthly graves. We cannot ignore any part of the Gospel, or we have
ignored the whole Gospel.
So much more could be said about this subject, and we can learn so much by reading our Bibles
rather than reading catechisms and other church books, which contain doctrines of men. The
points we must remember are: 1. Baptism is commanded. 2. Baptism must be by immersion. 3.
Baptism must be done using the name of Jesus. 4. Baptism must be done once the Gospel is
understood. Babies are not to be baptized.
It is a sad fact that nearly everyone that has been baptized in these last days has accomplished
nothing more than getting wet. It is a problem that can be easily corrected. Acts 4:12 will meet
all of humanity on Judgment Day, and it should be heeded now, while there is still a little time.
That powerful verse still echoes down the corridor of time with these words, “Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved.”
Pastor David J. Meyer
Last Trumpet Ministries International
Dusty's comment on 2011-06-30 17:50:31:
Acts 2:38 is the only way to make it with out his spirit in us he can not quicken are body john 3:5 says you must be born of the water and the spirit to enter into the kingdom of heaven
Josie's comment on 2011-06-11 10:08:19:
this is wonderful, God made a way for us to live a christan life and to have God in our hearts and with us all the time.Without the Holy Ghost I wonder if we would make it o heaven.
Sis Vicky's comment on 2011-03-14 23:42:22:
Jesus, the name above all names! You must be baptized in the name of Jesus. God is one, not 3. Be baptized in his name and get filled with the Holy Ghost! Worship in Spirit & in truth. Read your ENTIRE bible and go to an Apostolic Pentecostal Church.
angeline jones's comment on 2011-02-24 00:03:57:
this was the command that peter was given
jesus wants us all saved and filled with the holy ghost he wants every one to be born again and maKE HEAVEN THERE FINAL RESTING PPLACE
Nene B's comment on 2010-09-16 19:49:29:
Thank you, Lisa that is very good teaching on the only key out of this wicked and adulterous generation. Obey Acts 2:38,and be saved and read 10:41-48,19:1-6 last of all look at the order Jesus told Peter in Matt.16:18-19 the key was used for the first time on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. God bless you Lisa F.P.C !!
LISA's comment on 2010-04-21 16:56:43:
YOU NEED TO TRUELY REPENT OF YOUR SINS MAKE A COMPLETE TURN AROUND BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST MEANS: TO LAY DOWN THE OLD MAN AND PUT ON THE NEW MAN TARRY ON THE ALTAR TILL GOD FILL YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST WITH THE EVIDENCE OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES MEANS THAT HOW YOU KNOWYOU GOT IT FOR THE PROMISE IS UNTO YOU AND TO YOUR CHILDREN AND TO ALL THAT ARE FAR OFF EVEN AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL CALL,SO HARD NOT YOUR HEART FOR THIS DAY IS RECORDED AGAINST YOU READ IN PSALM 95:7-8.IN ORDER TO BE SAVE YOU GOT TO TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS READ 2CHRONICLES 7:14-16.YOU CAN NOT BE DOING THINGS THATS NOT OF GOD AND EXPECT HIM TO HEAR YOUR PRAY AND BLESS YOU ALSO HE LET IT RAIN ON THE JUST AS WELL AS THE UNJUST MY GOD IS A JUST GOD HE WILL SAVE ANYBODY THAT HAVE THE MIND TO WANT TO BE SAVED SO I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS READ JOSHUA 24:15 MAKE YOUR CHOICE YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE EMAIL ME BACK ON WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MY THROUGHT.
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