Reacting to Jesus

A journey through 1st century church history.

In Acts 2 Peter preached the first sermon in the church that Jesus built (Matt. 16:18.) One could say that he unlocked and opened the doors to the kingdom (Matt. 16:18). Indeed, about 3,000 people came in through the unlocked and opened door. This is the church officially beginning on the day of Pentecost.

In fact, as Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel, these people interrupted him in mid-sermon because his words had "pricked their hearts" and they believed they had crucified the Son of God just as Peter had said. Their question, "what shall we do?" is a confession that they understood that Jesus was/is the Son of God. Peter answered their question by telling them that they needed to "repent and be baptized." So those who heard the gospel, believed it, confessed their faith in Christ, and were baptized were added by God to the church (Acts 2:41,47.) The original Greek says, "the Lord kept adding to them those who were being saved." There is a wealth of important information here. To summarize, those who were a short time ago hostile to Jesus heard the truth, believed it, confessed their belief, repented of their former ways, were baptized, and were added to the group of believers who were saved.

In Acts 6:3,5, we are introduced to Philip, a man full of the Spirit and wisdom. In Acts 8:5 Philip leaves Jerusalem to preach in Samaria. We are told that the Samaritans believed Philip preaching "concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ," and they were baptized (vs 12.) The account plainly states they heard and believed and were baptized. Although not stated, it is reasonable to assume they confessed their faith in Jesus. The constrast from vs 9 to vs 12 makes it clear they repented of their former ways.

In Samaria there was a man named Simon, a sorcerer who beguiled the people into believing he operated with the power of God. He also heard, believed and was baptized. When he later saw Peter bestowing the power of the Holy Spirit he desired to buy that ability from Peter. Although Simon had accepted the gospel teaching, he sinned with selfish ambition in wanting a special power to elevate himself. To get back in a saved relationship with God, having already been baptized, Peter told Simon to repent and pray for forgiveness.

Beginning in the 26th verse of Acts 8 Philip is called to go meet a man riding in his chariot to Ethiopia. This man, the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopia, was a devout believer in God as evidenced by the fact that he had travelled to Jerusalem to worship. He was reading from Isaiah 53 as he travelled home when Philip met him. In Acts 8:35 we are told that Philip began from that scripture and "preached unto him Jesus." So the Ethiopian heard a sermon and the only subject of that sermon was 'Jesus.'

His reaction to the sermon about Jesus was to interrupt Philip as the Jews had done to Peter in Acts 2. The Ethiopian interrupted to ask, "Look, here is water. What hinders me to be baptized?" Clearly, an important part of Philip's sermon about Jesus was explaining the significance of baptism. We can know this because the hearer's only reported reaction was to interrupt to ask why couldn't he be baptized since they had happened on some water (lake, pond, or river) as they travelled on their way. So the Ethiopian heard, he believed, he changed from being content not having Christ in his life to wanting Christ to be a part of his life, or repented in verse 37 he confessed his belief in Jesus as the Son of God, and in verse 38 he went down into the water and was immersed, or baptized.

In Acts 9, Saul was persecuting Christians when he had the original "road to Damascus" experience. This led him to believe in Jesus. His question, "what would you have me to do, Lord," is a confession of his belief, and an indication of repentance as is demonstrated in verse 20. Ananias was then sent to the penitent, fasting Saul (Paul) and told him to be baptized and thus wash his sins away (Acts 22:16.) Paul was a changed man from that point on in his life.

In Acts 10 we find Peter experiencing a vision helping him to understand that Gentiles are accepted into the kingdom of God. He then travels to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, thus a Gentile, and a good and charitable man. Peter has been called there by Cornelius, who had his own vision, to explain to the household of Cornelius what they must do to be pleasing to God. So Peter preached his standard message in a sermon that was altered to be more appropriate for Gentiles who didn't have the background history of the Jews.

This time the Holy Spirit interrupted Peter's sermon and "fell on" the assembled Gentiles and Peter understood his earlier vision that Gentiles were accepted into God's kingdom just as the Jews were (although he would later have trouble following through on his newfound understanding.) It is clear that having heard Peter's sermon, the assembly believed and were happy to repent of living a life without God in it. A confession of their faith in Jesus as the Son of God undoubtedly took place in some form, but is not mentioned. Then they were baptized.

In Philippi, Paul spoke with a group of women assembled by the riverside for prayer. One of the women, Lydia, is mentioned by name as one who worshipped God, yet she apparently had not heard the good news of Jesus, the gospel, until Paul spoke with the group. Her " . . . heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household . . ." , Acts 16:14,15, she showed hospitality to Paul and his company. 

Lydia heard the gospel message with an open heart, she obviously believed on Jesus as the son of God (that was Paul's message in every sermon he preached,)' she made a decision to repent of a life without Christ in it to begin a life centered on Christ. It is reasonable to assume that she spoke of this to Paul (confessed her belief in Jesus as the son of God.) Her baptism is mentioned in a most informative way.

She attended to the message "and when she was baptized". It is in the same manner as if I said, "She got on her bicycle, and when she was biking . . ." One follows the other without explanation because it was understood by the writer of Acts that being baptized is the natural consequence of being attentive to, and believing, the gospel message. Baptism follows hearing the gospel like biking follows getting on a bicycle. On this concept, Lydia and the Ethiopian of Acts 8 are in perfect harmony.

We find Paul in Acts 18:5 doing what Paul consistently does throughout the book of Acts. He was testifying that Jesus was Christ, God's anointed one. In verse 8 we find out that Crispus, all of his house, and many Corinthians hearing, believed, and were baptized. Although not explicitly mentioned in the text, to follow through in the manner described would require that they decided the basis for their lives was not right and determined to change it. That is repentance. It would seem at some point they had to vocalize to Paul their belief that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, or confess.

In Acts 19 Paul came upon some disciples in Ephesus. However, their acceptance and obedience were in error. In discussion with them Paul discovered that they had been baptized unto John's (the Baptist) baptism. Paul told them that John's baptism was the baptism of repentance, but that John's message was that his hearers should believe on Jesus Christ. Paul's message never varies, does it? Verse 5 tells us, "when they heard this they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ."

We have examined every case given in the book of Acts in which a conversion of a person to Christianity from whatever their former beliefs were is given on a personal level. It's clear that in every case they heard the gospel. It is at least implied, though not stated in every case, that they believed, that they repented and that they confessed their faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Interestingly, the only thing that is explicitly stated in every case is that they were baptized. It seems a necessary inference that once a person has heard and believed the good news of Jesus Christ, baptism is the natural response.

May we all sincerely attend to the Bible's gospel message just as the people of Acts did in the first century.