What is the meaning of Acts 2:40? With many other words he testified Peter’s sermon did not end with the words recorded earlier in Acts 2; Luke tells us Peter continued to press the truth home. • The Spirit-filled apostle poured out testimony, much like Paul later declares, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27). • His extended witness echoes the Gospel writers’ acknowledgment that Jesus did “many other things as well” (John 21:25)—proof that God’s messengers give abundant evidence so hearers can respond in faith. • Testifying is more than reciting facts; it is personal, eyewitness proclamation (Acts 4:20). Peter’s own transformation from denier to preacher underlines the authenticity of his words. and he urged them Peter’s testimony moved naturally into exhortation. • Urging (or exhorting) reflects a shepherd’s heart, as seen when Paul says, “We were exhorting and encouraging each one of you” (1 Thessalonians 2:11–12). • The appeal carries an urgency similar to “We are therefore ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). • Peter’s tone was not merely informative; it was pleading. Having announced that Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), he now presses his listeners to act on that truth. "Be saved from this corrupt generation.” The call is twofold: a rescue and a separation. • Be saved: Salvation is a divine act that delivers repentant sinners from God’s coming judgment (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). Peter insists that each hearer personally receive the gift (Acts 2:38). • From this corrupt generation: The phrase recalls Moses’ lament, “They are a perverse and crooked generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5) and Jesus’ own indictment of His contemporaries (Matthew 17:17). – Corruption speaks of moral decay—“darkened in their understanding” (Ephesians 4:18). – Generation underscores the culture at large, not merely individual misdeeds (Philippians 2:15). • Salvation therefore involves turning from the world’s rebellion to the risen Christ. It is immediate deliverance and an ongoing call to live set apart (1 Peter 1:14–16). summary Acts 2:40 shows Peter tirelessly presenting gospel truth, passionately pleading for a verdict, and clearly defining the stakes: rescue from a world bent on rebellion. His words urge every listener, then and now, to flee the corruption of sin and embrace the saving Lordship of Jesus Christ. |
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