Our Death and Resurrection

Acts 2:38-39

Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

1. Believe
2. Repent
3. Baptism
4. Receive

This goes for anyone, Peter says. There is no achievement to receive anything that has already been done for everyone. All it comes down to is believing. And by believing, recognizing the conviction of the Holy Spirit to repent of all sin. Finally, after repentance you will be baptized in the name of Jesus, or submerged/immersed/buried. Once baptized, you receive the Holy Spirit.

Let's start backwards. We ask the question - how can I receive the Holy Spirit, being clothed with power from on high? We are brought to steps 2 & 3 - repent and be baptized. Repentance and baptism work together. What is it? It is the dying of the flesh and emptying of self. It is our death to self. Repentance is the working of the cross, baptism is the working of the burial. This must happen before the receiving of the Holy Spirit - the resurrection, the new life.

Repentance contains 4 things (the 4 C's if you will):

1. Conviction
2. Confession
3. Contrition
4. Change

The Holy Spirit brings the conviction (John 16:8). He shines the light on us, on things either hidden or brought out before Him. Then it is our duty to confess before God, or admit the things we have done wrong. Contrition is the feeling of remorse and penitence over sin. But the result of repentance is most of all change. Repentance literally means "to change one's mind". Most commonly in the church it means to turn away from sin and to walk in the direction of the Father's will. Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Change is an alteration, a transformation of self.

Again, repentance is our death to self on the cross. Baptism is the burial of self. This is the way to receiving the Holy Spirit, step 4. But the most important is the first - Believe.

Believe. Study this word. This is what causes the next 3 steps to happen. This is all that it takes. Believe.

And this is the Gospel - Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. He paved the way for me. The work has been finished! Now my death is through repentance. My burial is through baptism, and my resurrection is through the Holy Spirit.

Amen.