Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:3 Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? |
Subject: Do you have to be baptized to be saved? |
Bible Note: Does Acts 2:38 teach that a person must be baptized in order to be saved? No. Admittedly, this is not an easy verse to interpret. But a basic principle of Bible interpretation is that difficult passages are to be interpreted in light of the easy, clear verses. One should never build a theology on difficult passages. Now, the great majority of passages dealing with salvation in the New Testament affirm that salvation is by faith alone. A good example is John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (NIV) In view of such clear passages, how is Acts 2:38 to be interpreted? A single word in the verse gives us the answer. The verse reads, "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (emphasis added). Students of the Greek language have often pointed out that the Greek word "for" (eis) is a preposition that can indicate causality ("in order to attain") or a result ("because of"). An example of using "for" in a resultant sense is the sentence, "I'm taking an aspirin FOR my headache." Obviously this means I'm taking an aspirin AS A RESULT OF my headache. I'm not taking an aspirin IN ORDER TO ATTAIN a headache. An example of using "for" in a causal sense is the sentence, "I'm going to the office FOR my paycheck." Obviously this means I'm going to the office IN ORDER TO ATTAIN my paycheck. Now, in Acts 2:38 the word "for" is used in a resultant sense. The verse might be paraphrased, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ BECAUSE OF (or AS A RESULT OF) the remission of sins." The verse is not saying, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ IN ORDER TO ATTAIN the remission of sins." Hence, this verse, properly interpreted, indicates that water baptism FOLLOWS the salvation experience. Blessings to you, Nolan |