Acts 2:36-40: a reflection

When the crowd at Pentecost is cut to the heart and asks what they must do, Peter gives the gospel's clear call: repent, be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and receive the Spirit; and he adds that the promise is wide, reaching even to those far off. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, Peter says, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call. To those cut to the heart and asking what to do, Peter's answer is clear: repent, turn to Christ, be forgiven, receive the Spirit. And the promise is not narrow but wide, for them, their children, and all who are far off. This shows the gospel call to repent and be forgiven, a promise wide enough for all who are far off. Repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. The promise of forgiveness is wide, reaching even the far off. The gospel call is clear: repent, be forgiven, receive the Spirit. God's promise reaches to all who are far off, whom he calls.

Notice the clarity and the breadth of Peter's answer. The crowd, cut to the heart by the truth that they had crucified the Lord, asked, what shall we do? And Peter's answer is clear and hopeful: repent, turn from your sin to Christ, be baptized in his name for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is a clear way of response held out: repentance, turning to Christ, and with it the promise of forgiveness and the Spirit. And Peter stresses the breadth of the promise: it is for you, and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord will call. The promise of forgiveness and the Spirit is not narrow, reserved for a few, but wide, reaching even to those far off, to as many as God calls. This is good news for us. When we are convicted of our sin and ask what we must do, the answer is clear: repent, turn to Christ, and receive forgiveness and the Spirit. And the promise is wide enough for us, whoever we are, however far off we have been; for it reaches to all who are far off, as many as God calls to himself. We can respond to this gospel call, repenting and turning to Christ, and receive the wide promise of forgiveness. The gospel's call is clear: repent, turn to Christ, be forgiven. The promise of forgiveness is wide, for all who are far off. However far off you have been, the promise reaches you. Respond to the gospel call: repent, and receive forgiveness and the Spirit.

That is worth taking to heart, for the gospel calls us clearly to repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the promise is wide enough for all who are far off, as Peter called the crowd to repent and declared the promise for all whom God calls. We can wonder what we must do about our sin, or think the promise of forgiveness is not for us; but Peter's answer is clear, repent and turn to Christ, and the promise reaches even to those far off. The promise is wide. However far off you have been, respond to the gospel call: repent, turn to Christ, and receive the forgiveness and Spirit promised to all whom God calls. Respond to the gospel's clear call to repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins, receiving the gift of the Spirit, knowing the promise is wide enough for all who are far off, as when the crowd at Pentecost, cut to the heart, asked what they must do, Peter answered, 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, for the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call; for to those convicted of their sin and asking what to do, the gospel holds out a clear way of response, repentance and turning to Christ, with the promise of forgiveness and the Spirit, and this promise is not narrow, reserved for a few, but wide, reaching even to those far off, to as many as God calls, so that whoever we are and however far off we have been, we can respond to this call, repenting and turning to Christ, and receive the wide promise of forgiveness and the Spirit held out to all whom God calls to himself.