Herein lie our differences -- we believe that in baptism we are reciting the gospel, while you believe that in baptism we are reenacting the gospel. If one understands that salvation consists of following certain qualifications to achieve acceptance with God, then New Testament texts, such as
Acts 2:38, will be interpreted as steps of obedience in order to gain salvation. On the other hand, if one sees that the coming of Christ was a radical shift in God’s approach to salvation (
John 1:29)...and if one sees that man’s attempt to achieve salvation through obedience to the Law was a failure (
Romans 3) until God came and lived the Law perfectly in Christ (
2 Corinthians 5:19)....and if one sees that only Christ is qualified before God (
Matthew 3:17) through obedience to the Law (
Romans 10:3-11).... then, salvation will be understood as a work performed by Christ (
Hebrews 9:2-28; 10:10) and offered to man out of the grace of God (
Ephesians 2:5-9), and it must be received by faith alone (
Romans 4, 5). The focus will be on the greatness of the gift offered and not on the status, conditions or responses of the receiver of the gift. One will then interpret
Acts 2:38 more as responses of confession than as “how to get saved.” It is a recital of what Jesus has accomplished, rather than a reenacting of some portion of Jesus’ life that we accomplish through our obedience.
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