Let's Go Back to the Bible

Be baptized or pray to be saved? Which?

In Acts 2, Peter told individuals in Jerusalem, “Repent and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (2:38). But, then in Acts 8, Peter told someone else, “Repent…and pray to the Lord that…the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (8:22). Now, which one is it? Is someone supposed to “repent and be baptized” in order to be forgiven (2:38)? Or is someone supposed to “repent and pray” in order to be forgiven (8:22)?

The answer is found in the simple step of identifying to whom Peter was speaking. In Acts 2, Peter was speaking to Jews who had crucified Jesus and had never been forgiven of any sin. They needed to be baptized to be forgiven of all sins (cf. Acts 22:16). In Acts 8, Peter was speaking to Simon, who had already been baptized for the forgiveness of sins (v. 13), but had sinned again as a Christian. Simon needed to pray to be forgiven of this sin (cf. 1 John 1:9).

Alien sinners were never told to pray to be saved. Christians were never told to be baptized again to be saved. Isn’t Scripture marvelous, how it makes these things abundantly clear!