Quote:
Originally Posted by helen_febus
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, 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.
According to this verse Sins are only remitted after baptism.
I feel that this is a good "why".
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Thanks Sis. And with regard to the whole "One Stepper"/"Three Stepper" thing - it is a sloppy shorthand and it does tend to ignore the fact the most "Three Steppers" actually articulate things like God's grace in the same fashion as "One Steppers."
But it is historic terminology that many people in the discussion immediate recognize and can use to jump right into the fray.
With regard to
Acts 2:38 and "remission of sins" -
Mark 1:4;
Luke 1:77-78 and
Luke 3:3, all tell us that the "disciples of John" - those who were baptized in John's "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins"
had all received just that: the remission of sins!
The language here is identical to
Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins." Some people want to argue about the meaning of "for" in these passages. Does it mean "because of" or does it mean "in order to..."? For me, I see that the Greek word "
εις" can mean either,
depending on context; so what does it mean here? (Clicking this link opens a PDF document on the subject).
One way to try and see, is to look at how the "disciples of John" would be later incorporated into the "disciples of Jesus Christ."
Acts 18:24-28 and
Acts 19:1-8, has an account of several people (including Apollos) who went through just this process.
Now, John the Baptist and John's father Zacharias (speaking as he was 'filled with the Spirit') along with Mark and Luke
ALL tell us that the disciples of John the Baptist already had "the remission of sins" through repentance and John's baptism.
So, why does Paul rebaptize people in Jesus' name who already have clearly received the remission of sins? AND - How does this help to inform our understanding of
Acts 2:38, in the "in order to receive" versus "because of" debate?
For me, it does appear that water baptism in the name of Jesus is an essential element for entering into the Christian community. However, the "remission of sins" is a work associated with Calvary, the blood of Jesus Christ and BY TYPE - the repentance of the believer.