Baptism, DOES IT REALLY WASH AWAY SIN??

[mizpeh]

Professor Tyler (Amherst College, Mass.), said, “I shall translate 1. Acts 2:38 liberally, thus: ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in (or on) the name of Jesus Christ unto remission of sins.’ The preposition eis seems to denote the object and end of the two verbs which precede in the imperative. In other words, REMISSION OF SINS IS THE OBJECT AND END RESULT of repentance and baptism.”

Professor H.C. Cameron (Princeton College, NJ) said, “The preposition eis in Acts 2:38 is evidently used in its final sense; and the phrase is clearly connected with metanoeesate kai baptistheeti (repent and be baptized), AS THE END TO WHICH REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST LED.”

Professor Packard (Yale College, Conn.) said, “My own impression (to give it for what it is worth) is that I should translate it, if these words occurred in Plato, for instance, TO THE END OF REMISSION OF SINS. It would then make aphesis hamartioon AN OBJECT AIMED AT, OR A RESULT ATTAINED BY THE ACTS DENOTED BY THE VERBS.”

Professor Foster (Colby University, Maine) said, “Without a special examination of the passage in connection with others in which like expressions occur, I should say that the word here has the force of ‘unto,’ ‘in order to,’ ‘for the sake of,’ INDICATING A RESULT TO BE ATTAINED.”

Professor D’Ooge (Ann Arbor University, Mich.) said, “In reply to your inquiry, I would say that in my judgment the preposition eis, in the verse referred to, expresses THE RELATION OF AIM OR END IN VIEW, answering the question eis ti (for what?), and to be translated by ‘unto,’ ‘in order to,’ ‘for.’ This sense of eis, as you doubtless know, is recognized by Liddell & Scott for classical; by Winder, for New Testament usage.”

Professor Flagg (Cornell University, NY) said, “In answer to your inquiry about the force of the preposition eis in the passage of the New Testament to which you refer (Acts 2:38), I should say that IT DENOTED INTENTION OR PURPOSE, ‘with a view to,’ much as if he had been written, ‘SO AS TO OBTAIN REMISSION OF SINS.’”

Professor Proctor (Dartmouth College, NH) said, “It is my opinion that eis is to be connected with both the predicates, and that IT DENOTES AN OBJECT OR END IN VIEW.”

Professor Harkness (Brown University, RI) said, “In my opinion eis in Acts 2:38 DENOTES PURPOSE, and may be rendered in order to, or FOR THE PURPOSE OF SECURING, or, as in our English version, for.”

Professor T.D. Seymour (Yale College) said, “I do not remember any passage in which eis could properly be translated because of. I am not sure that I understand your second question; as I understand it, I should say that EIS IS NEVER RETROSPECTIVE, it always implies that the person or thing or act concerned is turned toward the thing which follows eis.”

Professor W.W. Goodwin (Harvard) said, “In reply to your first question I must say that I cannot conceive of any expression in which eis would be properly translated because of. To your second question I should say that I DO NOT SEE HOW EIS CAN EVER BE RETROSPECTIVE.”

Professor John H. Wheeler (University of Virginia) said, “It seems to me in either language (Greek or English) THE REMISSION OF SINS IS SOMETHING TO WHICH THE ONE WHO IS BAPTIZED IS TO LOOK FORWARD - he is to be baptized AS A MEANS OF PROCURING THAT REMISSION.”

Professor Chas. F. Smith (Vanderbilt) said, “I do not doubt that eis in Acts 2:38 means unto and is prospective.”

In addition to all of the above, Dr.Williams, translator of The Williams Testament said eis “is always prospective.”

Still another list and not one is given as a member of the church of Christ:

The following is a list of Greek scholars (and I have no further information on these besides what I’ve included) who commented on Acts 2:38 and the meaning of baptism for (eis) the forgiveness of sins:

1. Winer, Greek scholar, Winer’s New Testament Grammar, “the purpose and end in view”

2. J.W. Willmarth (Baptist), scholar, “unto, in order to”

3. Hackett (Baptist), scholar, referring to Acts 22:16 “states a result of baptism, answers ‘for the remission of sins’ in Acts 2:38, i.e., submit to the rite in order to forgiveness”

4. Meyer “denotes object of baptism which is the remission of guilt”

5. Penick, professor of classical languages at the University of Texas, “’eis’ looks forward and I know of no case in the New Testament where it looks back”

6. C.B. Williams (Baptist) “eis is always prospective”. His translation: “that you may have your sins forgiven.”

7. J.P. Lange (Lutheran theologian) “eis shows the immediate purpose of baptism”

8. Olshausen, “baptism is accompanied with the remission of sins”

9. C.H. Morgan (Baptist), Dean of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary “I do not know of any recognized Greek lexicon which gives to eis the meaning of ‘because of’.”

10. W.R. Harper, Professor at Chicago University, “’unto’, i.e., ‘in order to secure’”

11. Axtell (Baptist), Professor of Greek, ‘unto, for, in order to, with a view to, denotes the object or end toward which the action expressed by the predicate verbs was to be directed.”

12. S.H. Butcher (Presbyterian), Professor of Greek, “expresses the end toward which the action tends”

13. I. Bywater, Professor of Greek, “expresses the end or purpose to be attained: to the end that your sins may be remitted.”

14. H.C. Cameron, Professor of Greek, “the end to which repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ led”

15. P. Doddridge (Congregationalist), “in order to be forgiven of their sins”

16. M.L. D’Ooge (Baptist), Professor of Greek, “unto, in order to, for”

17. K. Fullerton (Presbyterian), Professor of Greek and Hebrew scriptures “into or unto, the aim or end of baptism is remission of sins”

18. G.S. Sale (Presbyterian), Professor of Greek, “result or purpose of baptism, to obtain remission of sins”

19. C.F. Sitterly (Methodist), Professor of Greek and English Bible, “reason or motive that should induce to repentance and baptism”

20. J.H. Thayer (Congregationalist), Professor of N.T. Criticism and Interpretation, author of Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, “unto the remission of your sins”

21. R. Halley (Congregationalist), Principal of New College, “future and prospective”

22. A. Harkness (Baptist), Professor of Greek, “denotes purpose, in order to, for the purpose of receiving”

23. J.C. Proctor, Professor of Greek, “denotes object or end in view”

24. W. S. Tyler, Professor of Greek, “denotes object and end of the two verbs”