A human question, and its answer
What Shall We Do?
Cut to the heart by Peter's sermon at Pentecost, the crowd cried out for direction. "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" It is the question of awakened consciences longing to know how to respond to the gospel.
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”Acts 2:37
Who asked, and why
Who asked, and why. This question came from the crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, after Peter preached the risen Christ (Acts 2:37). The Holy Spirit had been poured out, and Peter had boldly declared that Jesus, whom they had crucified, God had raised up and made "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). The effect was immediate and profound: "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). These were people who had, directly or by consent, been part of rejecting Jesus. Now they realized the enormity of what had happened, that they had crucified the Lord of glory. Their question was not idle curiosity but the cry of a conscience newly convicted, a heart pierced by the weight of sin and the wonder of the risen Christ. It is the question of everyone who, hearing the truth about Jesus, feels the ground shift beneath them and asks what possible response there could be. They did not ask to argue; they asked because they were undone.
The answer
The answer. Peter did not leave them in despair but gave a clear and gracious path. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Repent, that is, turn from sin and turn to Christ. Be baptized, publicly identifying with the Lord they had rejected. And the promises follow: the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Peter widened the door as far as it would go: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). He pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). The answer to their anguished question was not a burden but grace, forgiveness offered freely to those who had crucified the very One who now offered it. That day about three thousand received his word and were baptized (Acts 2:41).
How Christ answers it
How Christ answers it. The whole answer centers on Christ. The forgiveness is "in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38), for there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). When a pierced conscience asks "What shall we do?", the gospel does not point to religious performance but to a Person to receive. Even the ability to turn is his gift, for the promise reaches "as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). The Christ they crucified is the Christ who forgives them, offering his own righteousness to those who have none. This is the astonishing heart of the answer: the very people who put Jesus to death were invited to be saved by his death. What we must do is repent and believe, and even that we do only because he first draws us. The question of the awakened conscience is finally answered by grace, and grace has a name, Jesus Christ.
Questions people ask
What does it mean that they were "pricked in their heart"?
It describes deep conviction, the Holy Spirit awakening them to the gravity of their sin in rejecting Jesus. This conviction, not mere curiosity, drove their urgent question, "what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).
What did Peter tell them to do?
"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). He called them to turn to Christ and receive forgiveness and the Spirit.
How could those who crucified Jesus be forgiven?
That is the wonder of grace. The very ones who rejected him were offered salvation through his death, in his name (Acts 2:38). Forgiveness is a free gift to all who repent and believe, extended even to Christ's own enemies.