Study Guide: How to Respond: Repent, Believe, Be Baptized
Quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB); please check each one in your own Bible.
The Big Idea
The big idea: When the good news is preached, Scripture calls every hearer to repent and to believe in Jesus. It calls them to confess him as Lord and to be baptized in his name. God promises forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 3:19; Romans 10:9).
Read Aloud
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “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, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
— Acts 2:37–41
The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
— Acts 17:30–31
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation.
— Romans 10:8–10
They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. He brought them up into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.
— Acts 16:32–34
Where We Stand
Scripture says
- When the crowd asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37), 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.” (Acts 2:38).
- Paul said in Athens that God “commands that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30).
- Paul declared to Jews and Gentiles “that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.” (Acts 26:20).
- Whoever confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in the heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved (Romans 10:9).
- Paul writes, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).
- Jesus sent his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them (Matthew 28:19–20).
- In Acts, those who heard and believed were baptized (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 18:8).
- At Cornelius’ house, Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 10:48).
- Peter said the promise is “to all who are far off” (Acts 2:39).
We conclude
- Our conclusion: repentance is turning to God from whatever a person served in his place (Acts 26:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:9).
- Our conclusion: a changed life is its fruit, not a price paid for forgiveness (Acts 26:20).
- Our conclusion: Scripture does not set repentance against faith, but joins them (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21).
- Our conclusion: because God gives repentance, calling for it does not make salvation a wage (Acts 5:31; 11:18).
- Our conclusion: the faith Scripture calls for is trust in a person, the one God sent, raised and made Lord (John 6:29; Acts 2:36; Romans 10:9).
- Our conclusion: Matthew 7:21 and James 2 warn against a faith that is only said (Romans 10:10; Galatians 5:6).
- Our conclusion: baptism belongs to the response the good news calls for (Acts 2:38; Matthew 28:19).
- Our conclusion: the Spirit’s coming on Cornelius’ house did not take the place of baptism in water (Acts 10:47–48).
- Our conclusion: Jesus’ command to baptize stands for as long as his promise does (Matthew 28:19–20).
- Our conclusion: the gift and the Giver are the same in each account of the Spirit (Acts 11:17; 15:8).
The Hard Questions
- Is repentance a condition of eternal life? See The strongest objection under God Commands All People Everywhere to Repent.
- How can Romans 10:9 be true, when Jesus warned that calling him Lord is not enough (Matthew 7:21)? See The strongest objection under Those Who Believe in Jesus and Confess Him as Lord Will Be Saved.
- Is baptism in water for believers today (1 Corinthians 1:17; Ephesians 4:5)? See The strongest objection under Those Who Believed Were Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.
- Why does Acts tell the gift of the Spirit in more than one order (Acts 8:16; 10:44–48; 19:5–6)? See The strongest objection under God Promises Forgiveness and the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Is baptism necessary for salvation? See Whether baptism is necessary for salvation under Questions Answered.
- Should infants be baptized? See Infant baptism under Questions Answered.
- Does salvation depend on settling every one of these questions? See Whether salvation depends on these questions under Questions Answered.
Discussion Questions
- What did the crowd ask Peter at Pentecost, and what did he tell them to do? (See the opening.)
- How do Acts 26:20 and 1 Thessalonians 1:9 describe repentance? (See God Commands All People Everywhere to Repent.)
- In Romans 10:9, what does a person confess with the mouth, and what does he believe in the heart? (See Those Who Believe in Jesus and Confess Him as Lord Will Be Saved.)
- What do Matthew 7:24 and John 6:40 add when you read Matthew 7:21? (See the objection under Those Who Believe in Jesus and Confess Him as Lord Will Be Saved.)
- Why did Peter say no one could forbid baptism at Cornelius’ house, in Acts 10:47–48? (See Those Who Believed Were Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.)
- What did the eunuch ask Philip in Acts 8:36, and what would it mean to ask it yourself? (See Living It Out.)
Hope
Jesus said, “Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting.” (Luke 15:10). He also said, “He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.” (John 6:37).
For the Leader
Allow about 45 minutes for one session. Read Acts 2:37–41 first, then Acts 17:30–31, Romans 10:8–10 and Acts 16:32–34. Invite everyone to open and check each verse in their own Bible. The article’s Notes on the Text explains Mark 16:9–20.
© 2026 Elvis Lucas, Open the Text. Original: https://openthetext.com/series/the-good-news/07-how-to-respond-repent-believe-be-baptized-study-guide/
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