38 Peter replied, “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.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
The first thing I want to point out is what Peter told them to do - Repent and be baptized. Well, since repentance is granted to a man from God (2 Timothy 2:25), they CAN’T repent unless God gives it to them. Without God granting that, lost men are UNABLE to repent. And if God grants repentance, it means that an individual is no longer lost but is saved because he was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And if God grants repentance, the man WILL repent.
Then verse 39 - the promise. Is the promise for everyone? Nope, sorry. It is clear the promise is for “ALL whom the Lord our God will call.” ALL whom He calls. Not the whole world, not everybody who ever lived, but ONLY those He calls and of that group, ALL of them. God does not call each and every man who ever lived (1 Corinthians 1:26) - and according to Romans 8:29-30, ALL those He calls He justifies, and ALL those He justifies He Glorifies, every single one. The clear meaning of the text is that God glorifies (i.e. saves), every person He calls. Just as Lazarus at his resurrection (John 11:38-44) had no option or opportunity to reject Jesus’ call to come forth from the grave, there is no option or opportunity for a lost man to reject the salvation call, nor is there Scripture that supports it.
Yes, God commands all to repent (Acts 17:30 - some identify this as a general call, or external call, however, it is a command, not a “call”) but He calls only a chosen few to be saved. Verse 39 speaks of the specific call, the call to salvation.
Bottom Line - the promise is ONLY for those whom God calls.
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