“And Peter said to them, ‘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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’”
(Acts 2:38-40)
At Pentecost, Peter preached to people who had heard about Jesus and had even seen Him, so they knew what had happened. He accused them of complicity in His crucifixion, accused them of being sinners. He called on them to repent and turn away from the corruption of this world, meaning the idolatry of paganism as well as the formal Legalism of the Pharisees.
Instead of being offended by this accusation and proclaiming their innocence, as many today would, his hearers were convicted. They knew they had sinned. They knew they merited God’s just punishment. Peter responded by bringing them the message of grace through faith in Jesus as the only way to escape God’s just wrath.
He was not calling only the Jews in first century Jerusalem to repent and renounce the corrupt and evil ways of the world, but all who were afar off, meaning all people who have ever lived, including we who live in the 21st Century. The Church continues to preach that same message today but unfortunately many do not see their guilt because they do not admit to or even see their sin. Many times, even those who admit to sin do not see how it affects others or even God. Most people believe in self-determination, preferring to hold fast to the concept of individual autonomy. What they do is nobody’s business but their own. They will not allow Almighty God any input in their lives as each of them is his or her own god, each of them determines what is right and wrong. Consequently, they are dead in their sins. The Lord has called us for this time to witness to the truth to such so they may be raised from the dead.