This is a post I made in my Facebook group Calvinism, Arminianism, Pelagianism, Wesleyanism, Finneyism, Lutheranism…
“SAVE YOURSELVES” IS A HOLY GHOST GOSPEL EXHORTATION
Someone was recently arguing that Calvinism is nothing more than teaching that “God saves sinners.” I assumed he was alluding to their doctrine of unconditional election and monergistic or passive regeneration.
So I pointed out that in Acts 2:40 Peter told sinners to “Save Yourselves”! That is not something you ever hear Calvinist preachers tell sinners, yet that is Holy Ghost preaching on Pentecost!
His rebuttal was basically that it was not about salvation from sin. But looking at the context how is this not about salvation? Act 2:38 Peter says repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. In Act 2:41, right after Acts 2:40 where Peter said “save yourselves,” it says that three thousand souls gladly receive the words and were baptized.
The word “save” in Acts 2:40 is “σῴζω” and it the same word used in other passages like Mat 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save (σῴζω) his people from their sins.” And Mat 18:11 “For the Son of man is come to save (σῴζω) that which was lost.”
Peter was not talking about a particular salvation in Acts 2:38 and then suddenly change and talk about a different type of salvation in Acts 2:41! Is this the type of strange hermeneutics that Calvinists have to engage in because of their recommitment to their cliche of “You can’t do anything to be saved” or “God alone saves”? Why not abandon Calvinism and the cliche’s and just accept the Bible and what the scriptures teach? The sinner is not passive in salvation. The sinner must do something to be saved. Sinners must “save yourselves” according to Holy Ghost preaching.
~ Jesse Morrell
Biblical Truth Resources 
When your theology does not allow you to evangelize the way they did in the book of Acts, your theology is wrong.
ummm… as much as I am against “Calvinism” — I must correct you in the ‘scalpel’ approach you used on Acts 2:40. You left out over half of the verse. That is something that a Mormon or a J.W. would do. “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward ( crooked ) generation.” Not a good idea to use 2 words snatched out of a verse to prove a non-truth. The key thing from Peter’s speech/sermon/answer is in verse 38 when he tells them to “Repent”… and then the other things follow. The filthy greaser-grace / sloppy-agape / OSAS bunch NEVER mentions the word ‘Repent”, and as such they are worse than a ‘Calvinist’ in terms of ‘Salvation’. A good ‘Calvinist’ preacher/Pastor knows that people should “Repent’… but not as a way of saving oneself from the eternal flames… but to do what The Lord Jesus and apostle Peter command.
I don’t see the problem exactly. “Save yourselves” is in context of repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins, so “Save yourselves” is definitely about salvation.