Let's look at this text again, but in detail and see if your proposition is a viable one:

Acts 2:38 (ASV) "And Peter [said] unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."


If we take Peter's words "literally", i.e., at face value, bifurcating them from the rest of Scripture; for argument's sake setting aside the Analogy of Faith, we would have to conclude that remission of sins results from two things: 1) repentance, and 2) baptism. Is THAT what you hold to be true; that salvation results from repentance and baptism? Where does faith come in? Is salvation denied to those who are not first baptized? Do you see the problem here? If the text is taken the way you appear to be interpreting it, then remission of sins is only granted upon the act of repentance and physical baptism. Methinks that this proves too much, even for you, no?

Let's return to the original text:


Acts 2:39 (ASV) "For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him."


First of all it must be determined what this "promise" is. Would you agree that it is salvation, summed up in Peter's exact phraseology, "remission of sins"?

Secondly, it must be determined who the "you" are. (a) Are they only those who were "pricked in their heart" and who asked, "what shall we do?"(vs 37)? (b) Or, are they those who "received the word and were baptized" (vs 41)? (c) Or, are the "who" everyone who was within Peter's voice? (vs. 5 & 6)? I do not think a case can be made for (a) since the "promise" spoken of was not to those who had a movement of conscience, but rather to those who would repent and be baptized. And further, he also mentions them "who are afar off", i.e., those who weren't even there. Even more so, (b) is actually untenable because the "promise" was mentioned BEFORE their actual receiving of the word and were baptized. So that leaves us with (c), i.e., everyone who was in the audience that day was told that the promise was to them and to their children, and it even extended to many who lived elsewhere and who were not even present that day. I'll expand on this more below.

Thirdly, Peter's words are actually OLD COVENANT phraseology and should not be construed as something totally "new". He was simply repeating what the Lord had told Abraham concerning his salvation and that of his "seed". (Gen 17:7ff) This "promise" was to be a God to him and to his seed after him throughout their generations. It was an infallible/immutable promise which God could not nor ever has broken. (cf. Rom 9:6-8; Rom 11:1ff) And to whom then was this promise made, both that which was spoken to Abraham (actually beginning with Adam in Gen 3:15) and through Peter to those who were present that day? It was spoken to:

Fourthly, The promise is given to "as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.". What we are actually told is that this "promise" (of salvation) is extended to everyone who is effectually called by God; i.e., those who the Spirit regenerates and bestows all the means by which one can apprehend the message of the Gospel and embrace Christ by a living faith, repenting of their sins. The "you" are therefore the spiritual "seed" of Adam, Abraham, David, etc.; the elect of God who are in God's wisdom "made willing in the day of His power"! Within God's purpose of election are included infants, or do you wish to deny this?

In His Grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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