43 All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message.

47 “Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!”

— Acts 10:43-44; 47

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

— 1 Corinthians 1:17

42 Then he [the thief] said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

— Luke 23:42-43

Then some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

— Acts 15:1

2 Take notice: I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.

3 Again I testify to every man who gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

— Galatians 5:2-4

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace and mercy to you from Jesus Christ.

Historically churches baptized infants for securing their salvation. It actually is a confusion and misunderstanding that baptism is a means of salvation. While water baptism is a public testimony of salvation for people who have believed in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, is it not a requirement of the means of salvation for the unsaved. If water baptism was required for salvation, Paul made a major blunder when he said Christ did not send him to baptize but to preach the gospel. And the thief on the cross next to the crucified Jesus was unquestionably saved without getting baptized in water, which is another confirmation that the ritual of baptism is not necessary for salvation.

Some Jews in the early church life had the confusion that one must believe and be circumcised to gain the salvation. Circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant which was an agreement between God and Abraham dating to the time when Israel first became a nation. All Israelite boys were required to be circumcised eight days after birth. This ritual, however, did not save anyone from their sins. God made it clear that if a person was relying on circumcision to be saved, he would need to keep the entire Law, not just the circumcision requirements. Since no one has ever been able to keep the entire Law, any effort to gain eternal life through circumcision falls miserably short.