Subject: Unforgivable sin |
Bible Note: I too had a route during the blizzard of 78 and no, you had company. I was able to make my delivery while suffering from pneumonia. My dad had to drive me around because I would be out of breath after only taking a few steps. As to your response, I am not an English or Greek scholar, but I have some difficulty with your explanation of the syntax of the passage. Acts 2:38 literally reads: "And Peter to them, 'Repent (plural verb) and let each of you be baptized (singular verb) in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your (plural pronoun) sins and you will receive (plural verb) the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" 'Repent (plural verb): This is a plural verb because it should apply to the crowd to whom Peter addresses the statement. and: a conjunction which joins the commands "repent" and "be baptized" meaning both are necessary. let each of you be baptized (singular verb): This is a singular verb because it modifies the phrase "each of you", 'each' and 'you' being singular. The practical application here would be individual responsibility to "repent and be baptized". The crowd could possibly repent as a group but could not be baptized as a group. This would occur on an individual basis. in the name of Jesus Christ : The authority by which baptism is performed (Mt 28.19). for forgiveness of your (plural pronoun) sins : This applies to the crowd for they all were under sin (those who may have already been baptized into John's baptism would need to be again into Christ, Acts 19.1-5). and you will receive (plural verb) the gift of the Holy Spirit: this is plural because it was directed toward the crowd and the promise was to all mankind (Acts 2.17). It would be interesting to sit down with a reputable English and Greek scholar to dicusss this further. |