By grace alone, through faith alone, has been and remains the mantra of Bible-believers concerning the essence of salvation from the time (and even before) that Paul and Barnabas met in Jerusalem with the mother church to “hammer out” the sine qua none of salvation. The Jerusalem council determined that salvation is a matter of grace through faith plus nothing, and that making circumcision or any other external act or rite necessary for salvation is the equivalent of embracing “another gospel,” as Paul made so very clear in Galatians 1 and other places. But man has forever attempted to add his own mix into what the Bible clearly teaches; so there have been, since the days of the first-century Judaizers to the present hour, those who are bent on making one’s eternal life dependent upon some man-made add-on to saving grace through faith.
One of the most persistent aberrations from the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith plus nothing is the common false teaching that salvation hinges on the adherent’s baptism by water, or “baptismal regeneration.” This teaching is propagated largely by the Churches of Christ. The cornerstone New Testament verse in defense of this doctrinal deviation is, primarily but not solely, Acts 2:38. I want to deal with this misinterpretation in this post.
Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This was Peter’s response to the Jews’ question, following his Day of Pentecost gospel message, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
At first reading, it would appear that Peter said simply, “Repent, get baptized, and your sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This interpretation hinges on the Greek preposition eis, taken in this view to mean “in order to, or for the purpose of.” So, those who hold to this view interpret the verse thusly: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for (in order to, or for the purpose of) the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
To build a doctrine on one word is problematic in and of itself—especially in the case of eis, which has many nuances and can connote scores of meanings, depending on the context. A better interpretation of the preposition eis in Acts 2:38—positing that water is never set forth as an agent that washes away one’s sins, either in babies or adults—is “because of,” or “with a view to.”
A simple illustration will clarify: If I were to say, “I got a ticket for speeding,” one would no doubt understand that I meant, “I got a ticket because of speeding,” not “I got a ticket in order to speed,” or “for the purpose of speeding.” “I got a ticket for speeding” means one of two totally different concepts, depending on how you interpret the word “for.”
So, Peter says, in our terminology, “Repent, be baptized because of the washing away of your sins,” NOT, “Repent and be baptized in order to have your sins washed away.” The way you take Peter’s command is determined by whether you interpret the preposition eis to mean “in order to,” or “because of.” One knows that the New Testament epistles always argue against salvation by faith plus something else; thus, Acts 2:38 cannot mean, “Repent and be baptized in order for your sins to be washed away.” The Bible says that we are to study to shew ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. (II Tim. 2:15) One simply cannot rightly divide the Word of God and conclude that it teaches that baptism by immersion into water has anything to do with one’s salvation-by-grace experience. This teaching is just “another gospel,” which Paul rejects adamantly in Galatians 1.
There are a few other passages that false teachers cite to buttress their erroneous views concerning baptismal regeneration. Mark 16:16 is one, and Acts 22:16 is another. I may, in a future post, deal with those verses, and possibly I Pet. 3:20,21.
In conclusion, there is absolutely no reason for any sincere Bible student to believe that water baptism is an integral part of one’s getting saved. Paul’s reply to the Philippian jailor in Acts 16, when the jailor in desperation cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” is still the right answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Period. (Acts 16:31) But this should in no way diminish the importance of baptism following one’s conversion to Christ. It is still part of the commission that Christ gave to His apostles before He ascended back to Heaven from whence He will one day return.
But the baptism ordinance, a public testimony, follows after the first part of His orders: “While going therefore disciple ye all nations.” People are discipled first, i.e., brought to the acceptance of Christ as Savior. Then they are to be baptized. And, finally, they are to be taught everything that Christ taught His disciples. The order cannot be altered in the total process of evangelizing the world. (Matt. 28:18-20)
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8)
YOU and GOD 