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NASB | Acts 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 13:38 "So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you; |
Bible Question: If God will forgive our sins when we ask him, why did he also institute baptism, communion (and any other sacriment that you can think of) for the forgivness of sins. What is the biblical support for this? |
Bible Answer: In short, there are different views on what the sacraments/ordinances of the church are, and what they "do." Protestants like myself hold that baptism and the Lord's supper are the only two ordinances instituted by Christ for the church (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 22:19). Most Protestants also hold that, while they are important, they do not, in and of themselves, save anyone or forgive sins. Beyond that, there is a difference of opinion on what the sacraments represent. Some hold them as mere "symbols" or "pictures" of what God does in the believer's life. Others, like myself, hold that they are "means of grace," signs and seals of God's redemptive and sanctifying work in the Christian. The Holy Spirit works in and through the right use of the sacraments to strengthen the believer's faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. As far as biblical supprt, one can look at the stress placed on baptism as an initiatory rite in the New Testament, while at the same time asserting that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. Also, in 1 Corinthians 10-11, we see that in the bread and wine, we are partakers of Christ (I believe in a spiritual sense rather than a literal one), and that the abuse of the sacrament results in judgment. Therefore, while I hold that the sacraments do not make us righteous before God, I have a real hard time with the view that many contemporary Protestants have that baptism and communion are more or less "optional." --Joe! |