For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
the promise.
Acts 3:25,26 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed…
Genesis 17:7,8 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee…
Psalm 115:14,15 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children…
and to all.
Acts 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 11:15-18 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning…
Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
as many.
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Romans 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
and to all who are far off
This phrase expands the scope of the promise beyond the immediate Jewish audience to include Gentiles and those geographically distant from Jerusalem. It echoes the prophetic vision of Isaiah 57:19, which speaks of peace to those "far and near." This inclusion signifies the universal nature of the Gospel, fulfilling Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses "to the ends of the earth." It also prefigures the later missionary journeys of Paul, who would bring the Gospel to the Gentiles.
to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.
This highlights the divine initiative in salvation, underscoring that it is God who calls individuals to Himself. It aligns with the doctrine of election, as seen in passages like Romans 8:30 and Ephesians 1:4-5, where God predestines and calls His people. The phrase also reflects the fulfillment of Joel 2:32, quoted earlier in Acts 2:21, which states that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." This calling is both an invitation and a divine action, ensuring that the promise of salvation is available to all whom God chooses to draw near.
• Just a verse earlier, Peter declares, “Repent and be baptized… and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
• The “promise” includes:
– Complete forgiveness of sins (Acts 3:19; Hebrews 10:17).
– The indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4; John 14:16–17).
– Full inclusion in God’s new-covenant family (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26–27).
• Because Scripture is entirely true, we embrace this as God’s unchanging pledge, not a mere historical remark (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2).
• Peter is speaking to the crowd in Jerusalem—devout Jews who had gathered for Pentecost (Acts 2:5).
• Personal ownership: each hearer must individually repent and believe (Acts 3:19; Romans 10:9).
• The gospel is “first for the Jew” (Romans 1:16), honoring God’s covenant faithfulness (Genesis 12:3).
• God has always framed His covenants with a generational horizon: “I will establish My covenant… with your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7).
• Parents are charged to transmit faith:
– Teach diligently (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).
– Model sincere belief (2 Timothy 1:5).
• The promise assures believing parents that their children are within reach of the same grace, yet each child must respond personally (Ezekiel 18:20; Acts 16:31).
• “Far off” points first to scattered Israelites (Isaiah 11:12) and ultimately to the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:13–17).
• Distance in space and in time is no barrier. The same promise still stands for people across centuries and continents (Isaiah 57:19; Acts 10:34–35).
• This anticipates the worldwide mission that unfolds throughout Acts (Acts 1:8; 13:46–48).
• Salvation rests on God’s gracious initiative: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).
• Divine calling and human response work together (Romans 8:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14).
• The invitation is genuine for everyone who hears (Revelation 22:17), yet the effectual call secures a people for His Name (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9).
Acts 2:39 extends the Pentecost promise—full forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and covenant inclusion—to every repentant believer: the original Jewish audience, their descendants, the dispersed and the Gentile nations, and everyone across time whom God draws to Himself. Because God’s Word is true, we can trust that this same promise reaches us today, urging each generation and every corner of the earth to embrace Christ by faith.
(39) The promise is unto you, and to your children.--The tendency of sects has always been to claim spiritual gifts and powers as an exclusive privilege limited to a few. It is the essence of St. Peter's appeal that all to whom he speaks can claim the promise as fully as himself. The phrase "those that are afar off," was probably wide enough to cover both the Jews of the Dispersion, to whom the Apostle afterwards wrote (1Peter 1:1-2), and the heathen nations among whom they lived. The use of the phrase in Ephesians 2:13; Ephesians 2:17, inclines rather to the latter meaning.Even as many as the Lord our God shall call.--There seems, at first sight, a limitation on the universality of the previous words. And in some sense there is; but it is not more than is involved in the fact that spiritual knowledge and culture are not bestowed on all nations and ages alike. Wherever there is a difference, some possessing a higher knowledge and greater power than others, the Apostle could only see, not chance, or evolution, but the working of a divine purpose, calling some to special privileges, and yet dealing equitably with all.
Verse 39. - To you is the promise for the promise is unto you, A.V.; shall call unto him for shall call. To you is the promise (see Acts 1:4; Acts 2:33). There is also a reference to the prophecy in Joel, quoted in vers. 17-21. To all that are afar off; i.e. the Gentiles, as appears clearly from Ephesians 2:17, where the same phrase is applied to the Ephesian Christians, and the Jewish Christians are spoken of as "those that were nigh." The fulfilment to the Gentiles is specially recorded (Acts 10:45; Acts 11:15, 18, etc.). Shall call unto him (comp. Romans 1:6; Romans 8:28, 30; Romans 9:24; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:6 (etc.), which confirm the application of the "afar off" to the Gentiles.