Many Christians misunderstand Peter’s instruction in Acts 2:38 by assuming that water baptism forgives sins, thus making it a requirement for salvation. Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
At face value, Peter’s words seem to support the notion that water baptism provides forgiveness. However, such an interpretation contradicts numerous passages that speak exclusively of faith or belief. For example, Jesus said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Paul penned in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Paul also stated in Philippians 3:8-9, “So that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” Lastly, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Therefore, given that the above passages (and numerous others) cite belief or faith in Jesus as the exclusive means by which sinners receive eternal life, escape God’s judgment, stand justified before Him, and are righteous in God’s sight, and considering that God cannot contradict Himself, the correct interpretation of Acts 2:38 is ascertained by its surrounding context and flow, the correct understanding and application of the Greek word (“eis”) translated as “for,” the biblical purpose for baptizing Jews, and Peter’s additional statements in Scripture about forgiveness and salvation.
The first fact that brings clarity and understanding to Peter’s instruction in Acts 2:38, and negates the idea that water baptism forgives sin, is its surrounding context and the natural flow of Acts 2. A simplified explanation of the day’s events that unfolded is as follows:
Peter and the other apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with other tongues on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
Many Jews who witnessed this miracle mocked them, assuming they were drunk. These were the same men who crucified Jesus for believing He was a blasphemer deserving of death (Acts 2:13).
Peter quoted from Joel 2:28-31 in response to the Jews’ ridicule, explaining what they were witnessing (Acts 2:17-20).
Peter concluded Joel’s quote by declaring that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
Peter then proclaimed to the mocking Jews that Jesus was the LORD, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, and provided abundant evidence from Scripture to support this fact (Acts 2:22-36).
The Jews were cut to the heart and convicted by the Holy Spirit for betraying and murdering the LORD after hearing Peter’s testimony about Him and asked what they should do in response to their wickedness (Acts 2:37).
Peter told the Jews to repent, which meant they needed to change their minds about Jesus: they needed to stop believing He was a blaspheming heretic, and embrace the fact that He was the LORD and promised Messiah of the Old Testament who would redeem them from their sins (Acts 2:38a).
Peter then told the Jews that they needed to be water-baptized, which was to be in response to their repentance and the forgiveness it would provide (Acts 2:38b-39).
Peter continued to expound on Jesus, testifying to the Jews that He was the LORD, and repeatedly urged them to repent of their sins so they could be forgiven and redeemed (Acts 2:40).
Approximately 3,000 Jews were saved by believing Peter’s message, calling on the name of the Lord, and they were then baptized (Acts 2:41).
The second fact that brings clarity and understanding to Acts 2:38 and negates the idea that water baptism forgives sin is the Greek word “eis,” translated “for” in “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
The Greek word “eis” does not exclusively mean “to obtain or receive” something (as in the Jews obtaining or receiving forgiveness and the indwelling Holy Spirit through water baptism). Instead, it can be used to convey that something is “the result of” or “because of” something else (as in the Jews were to be water-baptized in response to the forgiveness and the indwelling Holy Spirit they would receive through repentance and belief in Jesus).
This usage of “eis” appears in other Bible passages to convey that something is the result of or because of something else. For example, Jesus told His disciples in Luke 9:5, “And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for (“eis”) a testimony against them.” Jesus’ instruction was not for His disciples to obtain a testimony by shaking the dust off their feet, but to do so in response to people’s rejection of their message.
Another biblical example of the Greek word “eis” meaning something is because of or the result of something else is Acts 7:21. Stephen said of Moses, “And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for (“eis”) her own son.” Stephen did not convey that Pharaoh’s daughter nourished Moses to obtain him as a son nor that she cared for Moses on behalf of another son. Rather, Stephen conveyed that Pharaoh’s daughter had nourished and cared for Moses as her own, having rescued him from the water’s edge.
A third biblical example of the Greek word “eis” meaning something is because of or the result of something else is Matthew 3:11. John the Baptist said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for (“eis”) repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals.” John did not communicate to his audience that water baptism induces repentance or that they would receive repentance through water baptism, but that he would baptize them in response to (or because of) their repentance.
One final example that demonstrates how the Greek word “eis” conveys that something is because of or the result of something else is 1 Peter 2:13-14. Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for (“eis”) the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” Peter was not conveying that God established kings and governors to suffer the punishment of (or for) evildoers, but that He ordained them to punish evil deeds.
Consequently, when considering the context, content, and natural flow of Acts 2, and considering that the Greek word “eis” is used elsewhere in Scripture to convey that something is the result of (or because of) something else, it becomes clearer that Peter was not teaching water baptism for obtaining forgiveness.
The third fact that brings clarity and understanding to Acts 2:38 and negates the idea that water baptism forgives sin is the biblical purpose for baptizing Jews into Christ. Culturally speaking, many Jews in Israel did not view themselves as sinners separated from God but rendered themselves righteous because of their heritage. As such, many viewed water baptism as an act for Gentile sinners to convert to Judaism.
However, when a Jew was baptized into Christ, it was a bold, public declaration of their acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, a demonstration of their repentance and cleansing from sin through faith in Him, and an identification as a Christ follower, having died to sin and raised to life in Him. Consequently, baptism was never practiced or presented as a means of obtaining God’s forgiveness and redemption, but was done in response to receiving it through repentance and belief (which are two sides of the same coin).
As such, when Peter testified to the Jews about Jesus in Acts 2 and repeatedly declared Him to be the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, approximately 3,000 Jews believed his message and were baptized immediately afterward for the reasons described above. Scripture never attributed their forgiveness or salvation to water baptism or to faith plus water baptism, but to their faith alone in Jesus as the Messiah (see Acts 2:21, 2:40-41, and 2:44).
The fourth fact that brings clarity and understanding to Acts 2:38 and negates the idea that water baptism forgives sin is Peter’s other statements in Scripture on forgiveness and salvation, none of which mentioned or included water baptism. For example, Peter stated in 1 Peter 1:3-5 that believers’ salvation is protected by God’s power through their faith in Him, not through water baptism or any other external act. He wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Peter also identified faith as the exclusive means of obtaining salvation in 1 Peter 1:8-9 when he wrote, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
Additionally, Peter conveyed that repentance and belief in Jesus would result in forgiveness, telling the men of Israel in Acts 3:19, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Approximately 5,000 men were saved that day after hearing and believing his message (see Acts 4:4).
Lastly, Peter confirmed that faith in Jesus cleanses hearts of sin when he recounted the events at Cornelius’ house (recorded in Acts 10). He told Paul, Barnabas, the other apostles, and the Jerusalem elders in Acts 15:7-9, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”
Consequently, when considering the context, content, and natural flow of Acts 2, the Greek word “eis” that was used to convey that something is the result of (or because of) something else elsewhere in Scripture, the biblical significance of Jews being baptized into Christ, and Peter’s numerous statements about faith, forgiveness, and salvation obtained through faith (coupled with the Bible’s consistent message on salvation by grace through faith and not works), it is clear that Peter did not teach water baptism for forgiveness in Acts 2:38. Instead, he instructed the Jews to repent of their sins and trust Jesus as their Messiah, and then be water baptized, having received forgiveness, salvation, and the Holy Spirit through faith. [Note: If water baptism forgives sin rather than faith alone in Jesus Christ, Paul’s statements in Romans and 1 Corinthians would be deceptive and absurd. He penned in Romans 1:16 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” He also stated in 1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”]
