I am a Jesus pusher!!! Peter preached a strong sermon to a great crowd of Jews. His concluding statement was, “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,” (Acts 2:38). There are two main verbs in this statement. “Repent” is in the active voice; the Jews are responsible for this response. The Spirit of Jesus moved upon their lives revealing truth; they are now responsible for responding to this truth.
The second main verb is “be baptized.” It is an imperative, a command. It is in the passive voice; the subject, the Jews, receives the action of this verb. This was startling to me! When the Jews truly repent, they will be acted upon by baptism. Clearly understand, baptism is a physical act which involves water. Paul compared this physical act of being covered with water to Jesus’ burial. The act of coming out of this covering of water was likened to the resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, we are buried with Jesus and resurrected with Jesus in newness of life (Romans 6:4). There is a mystical aspect to this activity. While an individual may be responsible for the physical action of water baptism, the spiritual reality of this baptism can only be received as the Spirit of Christ acts upon the individual. The entire focus is our place in Jesus. He is the sphere in which we dwell; He is the seat in which we are positioned (Ephesians 2:6). It is in His embrace we experience all the blessings of God (Ephesians 1:3). Everything is about Jesus. I am a Jesus pusher!!!