| Downloads |
 |
 |
The Whosoever Gospel
Last week we saw Peter learn a lesson of change from God. We also saw that Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius’ household. This week we will see the result of that preaching. The five verses we will focus on today are of the utmost importance in the book of Acts and really the rest of the New Testament.
Before we see the results of Peter’s message, we need to be reminded of the content of the message. Peter’s message had six key elements in it:
- First, Peter made it clear that Jesus was “Lord of all.” In this context, it has particularly reference to Jesus being the Lord of all people, whether Gentile or Jew.
- Secondly, Peter references the baptism of Jesus. But why? I mean when is the last time you have referenced the baptism of Jesus when you shared Christ? When we think of the purpose of Jesus’ baptism, we usually think of Him identifying with us. But that is not why Peter references the baptism of Christ here. He references the baptism of Jesus here because of the what God the Father said at Christ’s baptism. God the Father set His “seal of approval” on Christ at His baptism. This is why all four gospels have the baptism of Jesus.
- v. 38 – The public ministry of Jesus. Peter points out two main things: The good deeds of Jesus and His miracles which proved His deity. The interesting thing is that Peter does not teach here, or anywhere for that matter, Christ’s teachings. But why? Because until someone becomes saved they cannot follow His teachings. The gospel must come first.
- Fourthly, Peter preaches on the Crucifixion of Christ. V. 39
- He then preaches the resurrection – 40-41
- Lastly, Peter presents Jesus as judge.
So Peter mentions these six important elements in this evangelistic message. Now we will see what results were wrought by God.
Proposition:
We can observe ___ results of the gospel message:
I. The hearers received the Holy Spirit as they heard the gospel – v. 44
Acts 10:44
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
This is remarkable. This verse is very rich in both practical and theological implications. Let us begin with the theological implications.
A. Remember that Acts is a transitional book. We are here seeing a transition already taking place. At Pentecost those who were already saved received the Holy Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit did not indwell people prior to the day of Pentecost.
Now I have mentioned that in our day the moment one is saved they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9-10). Well, we are now seeing that happen in Acts. These gentiles are receiving the Holy Spirit as they are being regenerated.
I point this out because so many today teach that you get the Holy Spirit’s indwelling after you are saved. They do this because they do not properly understand the book of Acts.
B. The next theological implication I want us to see is this: These gentiles were saved simultaneously with hearing the Word of God! This is exactly what Romans 10:17 is all about. (Now I will come back to this in a moment.)
C. This also shows that regeneration precedes faith. In other words these gentiles were regenerated by God before they even stood up or uttered any words that would affirm their faith. In fact, I believe you could say that regeneration produces faith in the hearer.
Now let’s consider the practical implications:
A. You do not need a “second blessing” where you receive the Holy Spirit.
B. People are saved before they come forward. We have this idea in our day and age that a person must come forward and say a prayer and such to be saved. In reality, if someone comes forward—and they are truly saved—they were saved before they came forward. Therefore, the idea that one must raise their hand, repeat a prayer, and come forward is foreign to the Bible.
Now I am not saying that all of those things are wrong or sinful, but some believe that if you don’t do those things then you are not doing what is right. Well, you can see what God’s word says.
C. You do not have to give a persuasive altar call. This goes with what I just said. Compare this to what we saw in Acts 2.
II. The hearers received confirmation of their salvation – v. 46
Acts 10:46
For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,
Now we have to be careful not to miss what was happening here. There are those who wrongly teach that as soon as you receive the Holy Spirit you will speak in tongues. They say that will be proof that you are saved. Typically these are the same teachers who teach what I called the second blessing.
Now we have a text here that seems to support what they are saying. Now this text does not support the idea of the second blessing—that sometime after you become saved you receive the Holy Spirit, in fact, this passage shows that you get the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation—but this text seems to support that tongues will follow the receiving of the Holy Spirit. So what do we make of this?
Well, we must keep in mind several things:
1. Acts is a transitional book;
2. Tongues were human languages not some ecstatic utterance;
3. Our text gives us our answer.
What is the context of these verses? God is proving to the Jewish believers (there were at least six such believer present) that the gentiles can be saved without converting to Judaism. So God allows these gentiles to speak in tongues as proof of their salvation. Look again at v. 45:
Acts 10:45
And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.
So, God allowed this as proof. This is just like the miracles. Remember they confirmed the gospel message.
III. These hearers received water baptism after being saved – vv. 47-48
Then Peter answered,
Acts 10:47-48
"Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Now, there are those who teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation. Of course, that is not true. In fact, that is heresy. That is no little mistake. It turns the gospel of grace into a gospel of at least one work. Grace plus anything = eternity in hell!
By now you all know the purpose of water baptism. It is to publicly identify yourself with Christ. In fact, one might say that water baptism was to the early church what today’s system of coming forward is. It is in water baptism that people publicly display their faith in Christ.
