On the right hand of God

[Adino]

Originally Posted by mfblume

As I said I can accept that. However, the reference to blotting out our sins, which is synonymous with remission of sins, is fully causal in that verse. This means it is not out of the way to say Acts 2:38 is using EIS as causal as well. This would mean Acts 2:38 is causal and is saying that the historic healing of the conscience of God is accepted by the believer when the believer's conscience is healed.

I would agree that the believer's conscience is healed when he accepts the historic healing of the conscience of God.

Yet, as I stated in my last post, I don't see how the EIS can be causal in Acts 2:38 when the 'historic healing of the conscience of God' is accepted at the heart's conversion prior to baptism. The moment faith comes into being, the heart should be at rest.

As in my previous analogy....

Upon hearing the 'good news' of his father's forgiveness and reconciliation the son chooses to place his trust in its reality. This results in a healing of his soul and a cleansing of his conscience of sin. The son moves forward attempting to live a life which would have been pleasing to his loving father.

How long had the son been forgiven? Ever since his father forgave him.

Though forgiven for many years, had the son experienced his father's forgiveness? NO, he did not experience the forgiveness of his father until he learned of it and came to rest in the reality of the historic forgiveness. The word of his father's reconciliation brought healing and a purging of conscience just as the word of our Father's reconciliation brings healing and a purging of our conscience of sin (2Corinthians 5:18-19). Our conscience of sin is made perfect / purged / purified by faith in the finished work of the Cross (Hebrews 9:9; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:2; Hebrews 10:22; Acts 15:9).

Though God's conscience of our sin was appeased historically on the Cross, our personal conscience of sin can only be purged when we come to learn of the work of the Cross through the hearing of the Gospel. The forgiveness God enacted 2000 years ago is experienced by us today when we hear and accept by faith the Good News of His historic forgiveness.

Mfblume, the great majority of those who call themselves Christians would say their conscience of sin was set at ease when they trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior. What do you say of those whose conscience of sin was 'healed' by faith alone prior to baptism?