Quote:
Originally Posted by n david
JMO -
Forgiveness happens at repentence;
Remission (washing away) of sins occurs at baptism.
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I was taught by my UPC pastor that there is a difference between forgiveness and remission. He taught that forgiveness has to do with the penalty of sin and was received at repentance but that remission had to do with cleansing from sin and did not happen until baptism. He used an example of a guest spilling something on a carpet. They were forgiven for their clumsiness when they asked the host to forgive them but the stain wasn't removed until someone cleaned it up. He also used the example of a debt. A debt can be forgiven but it is not paid unless the money is remitted to the creditor. He also taught that we humans cannot forgive sin but we can remit/remove/wash away sin if we baptize someone in Jesus' name.
This teaching is based on the KJV version of
Acts 2:38 where, in the opinion of some, remission of sin is connected to water baptism. When the RSV came out in the nineteen fifties, the UPC officially condemned it and an article was written about it in the November 1953 Pentecostal Herald. In the Illinois District Conference a resolution was adopted on May 15, 1953 for "the rejection of the usage of the Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible in our churches." In the UPC General Conference later that year that same rejection of the use of the RSV was made the official standard of the organization by a resolution adopted. One of the reasons for rejection of the RSV was because it was claimed that
Acts 2:38 was mistranslated by using the word "forgiveness" instead of "remission." In that November 1953 Herald, Bro. M.J. Wolff has an article called "The New Bible." He comes down pretty hard on the RSV. He lists several reasons for his rejection of the RSV. Point no. 4 says "The drastic changes made in certain passages of 'this book' are unacceptable to true Christianity: we mention just a few as follows:" He then lists 11 things which to him are "unacceptable to true Christianity." Number 8 of these "unacceptable things is "
Acts 2:38 changed to read, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins;'" The word "forgiveness" is in bold type in his article.
Since the RSV, other translations of the Bible use the word "forgiveness" in
Acts 2:38. The Greek word that is translated "remission" in
Acts 2:38 in the KJV is some times translated "forgiveness" in that same version. In a previous post on this forum, the Greek word that is variously translated as "forgiveness" or "remission" was given and every place it occurs in the New Testament was quoted. I could probably find that information if anyone wants it.
So, after all of the above wordiness, what I'm trying to say is that, in my opinion, remission and forgiveness are the same thing since they are alternate translations of the same Greek word.
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