The Gospel According to Peter
Discussion Questions
- Read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-38. Then read the devotional, “The Gospel According to Peter.”
- What stands out to you about Peter’s message in Acts 2:38?
- Laney suggests that Peter’s gospel is more about joyfully “waking up” than fearfully escaping judgment. How might this shift from fear to joy change the way we live and share our faith?
- The devotion ends with an image of being seated at the table after being told your reservation was canceled. What does that metaphor say to you personally about God and the life of faith?
When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:37-38 (NRSV)
Peter’s first sermon is just as notable for what he doesn’t say as for what he does.
He doesn’t present Jesus as a cosmic scapegoat. There’s no framing of Jesus’s death as a transaction to save us from eternal torment, no talk of divine wrath, no emphasis on being “washed in the blood.”
Instead, Peter talks about the crucified and resurrected Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the people ask Peter, “What should we do?” Peter doesn’t say, “Believe in Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die.”
He says, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit.” That’s the gospel according to Peter. Framing Jesus as a safeguard against divine wrath was added later by people who never met Jesus in the flesh.
The gospel according to Peter is less like a fire alarm and more like waking up after sleeping through your alarm and realizing your new life with God is already underway. It’s not sitting in a courtroom for your own trial; it’s being seated at the table after being told your reservation was canceled.
It’s about forgiveness, restoration, new community. Joy, not fear.
It’s time to resurrect the gospel according to Peter.
Prayer
Resurrecting One, tune my heart to Peter’s message of hope instead of fear.
About the AuthorMatt Laney is co-Pastor of Virginia Highland Church UCC in Atlanta, GA and the author of Pride Wars, a fantasy series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers. The first two books, The Spinner Prince and The Four Guardians are available now.