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NASB | Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
Subject: Conversion THEN baptism...verses?? |
Bible Note: You're welcome, unfortunately - and as you know - it's sometimes impossible to find "specific" scriptures that spell out every conceivable false Christian practice that developed after the Bible record was completed. Example: You won't find "Water baptism is not for infants". However, this is not an obstacle in understanding what the scripture says on the subject. For instance, most people don't need a scripture to tell them that dumping trash in their neighbor's lawn is wrong, the scriptural command to love thy neighbor (Matt. 22:34-40) covers that point quite well with minimal reasoning. Even the Apostle Paul used scripture to "reason" with his hearers as to their meaning: Act 17:2 And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, Act 17:3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and [saying,] "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." So, when the Bible says in Acts 2:38 (Amplified) "And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.", the reasoning (as you know) is how could an infant "repent". As the Amplied Bible parenthetically states about repentance, how could an infant 'change their view' and 'accept the will of God'? Of course, you could always turn the table and genuinely ask your friend, 'I'm curious what scripture is used to support infant baptism?" (BTW: If your friend responds to this, please post their scriptural support for infant baptism in your reply.) Hope this helps... |