Question about Acts 2:38

Originally Posted by Timmy

To me, Acts 2:38 looks like a promise (the gift of the Holy Ghost) with two conditions (repent and be baptized). Oneness Pentecostals apparently see it as the way (the only way) to be saved, with four items in the list of requirements: repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and speak in tongues (somehow implicit to the verse, but that's another topic!).

Can you explain how you get four (or even three) commands from it? Again, to me it looks like two commands, and a result of following the commands. And the promised result is a "gift". How can receiving a gift be considered a command? It's up to the giver of the gift to fulfill that part, not the recipient!

“… Repent and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38b, NKJV).


The problem here Timmy is that some people attempt to link repentance with water baptism as something which is necessary for salvation! An immediate problem arises, in that Peter in his subsequent sermons in Acts, makes no further references to baptism in his gospel presentations. So if baptism were necessary for salvation, then why doesn’t Peter directly link salvation to repentance, when preaching in Solomon’s porch (Acts 3:19)?

Grammatically the Greek verb translated “repent” is a second person plural in the active voice, and the Greek verb translated “be baptised” is a third person singular in the passive voice. Furthermore the Greek pronoun translated “your” (re; “remission of your sins”) is a second person plural. Therefore the grammatical connection is between “repent” and for the “remission of your sins”, because both of these are plurals. The verse does not read in the Greek “repent and be baptised … for the remission of your sins,” as it is a grammatical impossibility to link two verbs; a plural and also singular verb to a plural subject.