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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: phopiend I would like to look at your question from three views: "If God will forgive our sins when we ask him" There is no doubt that God can and will forgive us our sins when we trust in Christ. In Eph 2:8 "For by grace are we saved through faith; that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works lest any should boast" This verse makes it clear that our forgiveness of sin is "by God's grace" "we are saved" "through faith" Believer's baptism is illustrated in Acts8 in which a enuch of Ethiopia was reading Isaiah 53. Philip the evangelist preached Jesus to him from that scripture. As they travelled along they came to a body of water the enuch said "See here is water: what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (v36) In V 37 Philip provides him and us with the qualification for believer's baptism: "If thou believest with all thine hear, thou mayest. And the enuch answered "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (V37) We find a principle here: this man had become a believer and was born again before he was baptised. In V. 38 we read "they went down both into the water, both Philip and the enuch; and he baptised him. What did this baptism do for this man. First of all it was his first step of obedience to Christ as a born again christian and in doing so he identified himself with the death, buriel and resurrection of Christ. What about communion? It is also a commandment of the Lord. In 1 Cor. 11 Paul is correcting a sinful attitude and actions of those who were keeping the Lord's supper unworthily. 1 Cor. 11:23-26 "For I have received of the Lord and that I deliever unto you"(this was message was from Christ himself) That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was being betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it and said "take eat; this is my body, which is broken (given) for you: this do in rememberance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, "this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it in rememberance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show (proclaim) the Lord's death until he come" (1 Cor. 11:23-26) The command is remember me. The Lord Jesus used simple emblems the bread and the cup. It was his desire that as those redeemed by his blood to remember him and in doing so proclaim his death till he come. This rememberance is a two way look of faith by the christian. We look backward to Calvary and remember his suffering for sin, to the empty tomb and remember his victory and the place he now occuppies. In this rememberance we look forward to the day when these emblems will be needed no longer, faith will give way to sight when Jesus comes. Forgiveness of sin is found in Christ alone. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Col.14 God Bless Robert |