Bible Study on Acts 2:38 ("Repent and be baptized")
Acts 2:38
“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.” (ESV)
Welcome to the Bible Study Guide for Acts 2:38, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
RESEARCH
Observations & Questions: What observations or questions do you have when you reread the passage more than once? (Hint: some questions may include: What is baptism? Or what all is required to be forgiven of our sins?)
Original Language: What does “repent” and “baptism” mean in the original language? (Hint: use Blueletterbible.org, Biblehub.com or Logos Bible Software to look up the original word in the Greek language).
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s)? What is learned about the relationship between repentance, baptism and forgiveness? (Hint: Read Acts 2 and 3 to see if you can find any verses that talk about how someone may be saved - take note of verses like Acts 2:21, Acts 2:41 and Acts 3:19.)
Book: Is the theme found in immediate context repeated throughout the book? (Hint: Use cross-references or your concordance to find verses throughout the book of Acts that speak of baptism or the process of people believing. It may include verses like Acts 8:12, Acts 8:26-40, Acts 10:43-38, Acts 11:15-18, Acts 13:38-39, Acts 16:14-15, Acts 20:21, or Acts 26:18.)
Bible: Does my interpretation hold true throughout the rest of the Bible? (Hint: Use your cross references and concordance. Look up words in the back of your Bible like “baptism,” “repent/repentance,” “forgiveness,” “saved,” “salvation” or other words that will help you uncover this topic. The Chara Project team found many verses that give clarity on the relationship between repentance, baptism, and forgiveness, including John 3:16, Romans 3:22-26, Romans 4:5, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 10:9, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:26-27, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 3:9, Colossians 2:11-23, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Titus 3:4-5.)
RESEARCH
Resources: What insights do you learn from Biblical scholars provided in Study Bibles, commentaries, and credible online resources? What insight can you find on the grammar used in the original Greek in Acts 2:38? For example: the word “for” in the phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins” is the greek word “eis” which means “because of” - so the grammar is implying that water baptism is because we have been forgiven of our sins not in order to receive that forgiveness.
Translations: Does another Bible translation (or version) add perspective or clarity on what the original language was trying to communicate? (Hint: Check out the Amplified Bible, which is found on the YouVersion Bible App, or at BibleGateway.com)
APPLY
Ask: What do you learn about God - His character, attributes, or desires?
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Join the Chara Project team as they study Acts 2:38 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.