What are those purposes? Repentance and baptism are “for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Does this command and its life-giving purpose apply to us who come later? Yes, for Acts 2:39 continues by saying, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off.”
This faith response and its promise are integral to the original, genuine Gospel. Repentance and baptism are simply faith obeying. If faith in Christ does not obey Him, it is not real faith at all (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; James 2:14-26). Paul opened and closed his famous letter to the Romans by stating his evangelistic mission: “to bring about the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26). That describes our mission too: faith that obeys.