When Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden, God quickly responded. He punished them both, punished the serpent, forced them to leave Eden, and eventually sent His Son to die on the cross. Jesus’ perfect death would make it possible for us to have every sin washed away and spend eternity in heaven with Him.
In the book of Acts, Peter preached the first gospel sermon to a crowd of people guilty of nailing Jesus to the cross, and those people responded. They learned that God had sent His Son, that they had rejected Jesus, and that they were now guilty of that sin. The Bible tells us that they were “pierced to the heart” and then asked, “[W]hat shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). They had been made aware of their sin problem, felt guilt deep in their hearts, and now wanted to know the solution.
When the people asked that question, Peter also responded. In the next verse, he answered, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” (Acts 2:38). Peter gave them the solution, telling those sorrow-filled people what they needed to do to have their sins forgiven.
God responded with love, the people responded with sorrow, and Peter provided the solution, but how will we respond today? Are we willing to respond to the love of God by obeying His commands and having our sins forgiven?
Matt Langfield