In a recent chapel message at Southwest Baptist University, Dean Inserra pointed us over and over again to Jesus as the only remedy for sin. Through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are counted righteous in Christ. This is the amazing message of grace that we have for the world.

Dean preached that message on Monday and I followed up in chapel on Wednesday by reminding everyone (or telling them for the first time) that there is enough grace and mercy and forgiveness in Christ for all our sins. That is, no matter how sinful or far gone we think we are, no matter how much we may think we aren’t worth saving, Jesus is enough and welcomes everyone who turns from sin and turns to him.

My hope was simple. I aimed to provide a glimpse of just how deep grace runs at the cross. I wanted our students and staff to see the unfathomable depths of grace at the cross of Christ. I wanted to encourage us all that no matter who we are, no matter our sin and shame, no matter how wicked our neighbor and those among the nations, the cross is enough. We simply cannot out-sin the cross.

In order to pain that picture, we went to Acts 2 and Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. In that sermon we see Peter begin to fulfill Acts 1:8. In Acts 1, Jesus told his disciples that they would be his “witnesses…in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” They would be his witnesses only after they received “power from on high,” which is the promised Holy Spirit. So, Peter has received the Spirit and is now proclaiming Christ. And the offer of forgiveness that he holds out, he holds out to those we might consider the worst of sinners.

UNFATHOMABLE DEPTH OF GRACE

The Content of Peter’s Powerful Witness: Messiah Jesus
What Peter does in this passage is to lean into the OT to show that what they are witnessing at Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit is exactly what they should have been ready for. The OT prophet Joel had spoken of these things (2:16–18ff). Part of what Joel said was that men and women would prophesy. But he also said in those days, “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (2:21). So, the question is, who is the Lord?

Peter points to Jesus. He quotes from the OT and says that those passages culminate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. That is, Psalm 16 wasn’t merely about David. It was about Jesus, the Son of David risen from the grave. Peter quotes Psalm 110 and shows that the “Lord” David spoke about was none other than Jesus. So, his main point is this: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (2:36).

The days those Scriptures spoken of are upon them. And God uses Peter to open their eyes to see it. And when these realities, they are “cut to the heart” (2:37).

The Response to Peter’s Sermon: Conviction and a Cry for Help
Peter has unpacked the Old Testament, in the power of the Spirit, and shown them that Jesus is the Messiah. And they have put the Christ on a cross. Being “cut to the heart” is another way of saying they have come under the conviction of the Spirit. They have felt the weight of their actions and are now desperate. So, they call for help. “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (2:37).

What shall we do? This is an important question. And how you answer it is life or death. That little space in your Bible, between verses 37 and 38 is the difference between heaven and hell. What shall we do? What hope is there for me? What hope is there for the most wicked person on the planet?

How does Peter respond?

The Unfathomable Depths of Grace

This is where we should linger just a bit. Go back for a second to the question the crowds ask Peter. “Brothers, what shall we do” (2:37). They have just crucified the Lord of glory. They’ve killed the King of Israel. So, we might expect at this moment for Peter to say, “There is nothing you can do. You’ve sinned too greatly. You’re too far gone. You have no hope.”

But he doesn’t say that does he?

No. He doesn’t berate them or throw their sin in their face. Nor does he give them a to-do list that they need to keep in order to pay their debt. Notice what he says. “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Two commands. Two promises. The commands: Repent. Be baptized. The promises: Forgiveness of sins and the reception of the Holy Spirit.
In short, he simply tells them to turn from their sin and come to Jesus. If they do, their sins, even the sin of crucifying Jesus, will be wiped away.

That, in a nutshell, is unfathomable depths of grace. The grace of God at the cross of Christ is deep enough even for those who murdered the Son of God. That means, it is deep enough for you, your family, your neighbors, and the nations.

But Why is Grace So Deep? Foundations

Some are tempted to point to the value of human life as the foundations of this deep grace. That is, the fac that men and women are of such value and worth, and that God loves humanity so much, is why there is so much mercy and forgiveness at the cross.

There is a level of truth here. Men and women are made in the image of God. Human beings are the only part of creation that bears God’s image (Gen 1:26–27). Yet, we are also sinful and fallen, having rebelled against our Creator. The reason grace runs so deep is not ultimately found in us.

No, grace runs deep because of the worth and excellency of Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is God of very God. He is 100% God and 100% human. He is without spot or blemish. He is faithful, without sin. He is the perfectly obedient Son, even to the point of death on a cross. Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature.

The reason grace runs deep, the reason the cross is enough for the worst of sinners, including you and me, is because the perfectly righteous and fully divine Jesus has made a full satisfaction for the sins of all who would believe in him.

Therefore, grace is deep because Jesus is enough. So, cling to him