Acts 2:38
"Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
Notice the order and promise of events outlined by Peter. The order is obvious, with repentance coming first, followed by the remission of sin and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Repentance is the trigger point for salvation, resulting in the remission of sins through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Without repentance, there is no remission and no gifting of the Spirit. In fact, the Spirit is the proof of one's repentance.
In terms of the promise, after repentance, remission and baptism of the Spirit surely follow. Some churches are wrongly teaching that the baptism of the Spirit comes from some separate act of piety. They admit to the act of salvation, but don't see the Spirit as coming in power until another standard of holiness is met. Not so, for remission and the Spirit follow at the heels of repentance. There is no time lag.
In fact, without the Spirit's presence, there is no salvation. Without the Spirit, there is no marking of the person as a child of God. Simply put, there is no true believer without the gift of the Spirit upon them, for in the Spirit we are set aside once and for all as believers. That is the assurance of our salvation.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for surety of the Spirit's touch upon the life of every believer and for the assurance his presence offers in my life. Amen.
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