Study #19: Acts 2:38: The true meaning of “eis” and water baptism

I want to take a closer look at Acts 2:38 before I move on in our study of Acts Chapter 1, because it is one of the most misunderstood and abused passages of Scripture in all the Bible.

One of the biggest problems with this passage is that the vast majority of Bible versions translate it with a deadly error. The source of their error is the big, liberal denominations who paid for the publication of those Bible versions.

Even the King James Version, which was the best Bible version of the Reformation era, and is still an excellent translation overall, translated this passage with an error, because of the Anglican church teachings on infant baptism: that the water of baptism washes away original sin, similar to the Roman Catholic religion that it came out of; which is called Baptismal Regeneration. In other words, according to this teaching, if you are dunked or sprinkled with water by a preacher/pastor/priest, you will go to Heaven, which is a deadly error that will send you to Hell instead.

The big liberal mainline denominations like the Church of Christ, Methodist, Presbyterian, and liberal Baptists also teach the same error. These liberal denominations supplied the translators for the multitude of modern Bible versions that also translate this passage with the same error. Almost no modern Bible versions translate passages like Acts 2:38 correctly. The error of Baptismal Regeneration is a powerful theological error and a wicked sin that permeates all churches except Fundamental, Bible-believing churches, usually Baptist.

I will not go over the previous study material on Acts 2:38 again; but if you missed it, please review the previous studies in Acts for a variety of information about the many false teachings related to it.

I want to focus on the meaning of the Greek word “eis” in this text, but do not worry! I will not get deep into Greek, because it isn’t necessary to understand all of the details. I will break it down for you into simple pieces.

1) Acts 2:38 (King James Version): “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR [or, “eis”] the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

2) Acts 2:38 (Kingdom Study Bible) “Then Peter said to them, “Repent; and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ AS A SIGN OF [or, “eis”] the forgiveness of sins.”

“εις αφεσιν αμαρτιων” (εις can be translated as “unto”, “into”, “with reference to” or “as a sign of”); (αφεσιν αμαρτιων = forgiveness of sins). So the key word we are studying here is “εις” or “eis”. A.T. Robertson, one of the best and well-known Greek Grammarians, said this about “eis”.

“But in Mt. 28:19 and Romans. 6:3f., the notion of sphere is the true one. The same thing may be true of Ac. 2:38, where only the context and the tenor of N. T. teaching can determine whether ‘into,” ‘unto’ or merely “in” or “on” (“upon’) is the right translation, a task for the interpreter, not for the grammarian.” A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, by A.T. Robertson, 592.

It’s important to note what Mr. Robertson said, and let me paraphrase him to make it clear.

The Greek word “eis” can be translated literally in a number of different ways in the Biblical Koine Greek: into, unto, in, or on/upon. (“With reference to” is another possible literal translation.) The way to correctly translate this word depends on the CONTEXT, not on the word itself. So Robertson said that this was “a task for the interpreter, not the grammarian”.

Many Greek words require knowing the context it is used in, to determine what it’s meaning is, such as “kai”: which can be translated as “and”, “but”, “or”, etc, depending on the Greek words it is used with. “Eis” is similar.

As Robertson said, this is a task for the interpreter, not the Greek grammarian. So let’s see how each of the possible translations of “eis” in Acts 2:38 will actually work to teach us correct and true doctrine that is in harmony with the rest of Scripture:

1) “For”. This is the word that is most commonly used in English Bible versions. I did a sample of several of the most well known versions of this text to see.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/

The following Bible versions use “for”: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the remission of sins” (King James Version, NIV, English Standard Version, NASB and many others.

The worst offender that I noticed was the Phillips NT:

“Peter told them, “You must repent and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, so that you may have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

What is wrong with “For” in Acts 2:38? It teaches the false doctrine of “Baptismal Regeneration”, which means that the water of baptism washes away your sins, literally.

This is a doctrine which is taught by the big liberal Denominations: Episcopal/Anglican church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, liberal Baptists, which includes many Pentecostal groups, Charismatic groups, and so on.

Fundamental Bible-Believing Christians reject Baptismal Regeneration, because it contradicts Scripture in many places, which I have discussed in previous studies. Water cannot wash away sin, because only the Blood of Jesus Christ can do that. If water could wash away our sins, then why did Jesus die on the cross in the first place? Satan wants you to believe in Baptismal Regeneration, because you will certainly go to Hell if you trust in water rather than the Blood of Jesus that He shed on the cross for our sins.

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and in which you stand. By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain: for I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“For there is no difference, because all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the passing over of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, so that God might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.” Romans 3:22b - 26

2) “Unto”: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ UNTO the forgiveness of sins”. (American Standard Version)

What in the world does that mean? Yes, it is a “literal” translation of “eis”, but it makes no sense. One hallmark of a correct translation is that it makes sense. If it doesn’t, then you know that the translation is incorrect.

3) “Into”: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ INTO the forgiveness of sins”.

Hmmm, “into the forgiveness of sins” is also suspect, since it smacks of sins being forgiven because you were dunked in water. The Bible doesn’t teach Baptismal Regeneration.

4) “With reference to”: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ WITH REFERENCE TO the forgiveness of sins”.

Now we are getting to a better translation, but it still lacks clarity. Baptism is certainly an act which “has reference to” or “refers” to the forgiveness of sins.

However, what exactly does that mean? A theologian who has formal training in the original languages has the tools to be able to study out this subject and come to a good understanding, but the vast majority of Christian people have no Biblical training. So, this is why they need a good, solid Bible version that will take the original language and convert that to a literal (if possible) translation in their own language; or, a translation that is less than literal, but brings out the correct theology and understanding to the reader.

“With reference to” leaves most Christians very high and dry. They don’t have the theological training to use this translation.

5) “As a sign of”: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ AS A SIGN OF the forgiveness of sins”. (The Kingdom Study Bible, by JHS Publishing Ministries).

In this translation of “as a sign of”, I believe that we have the best translation possible: a translation that accurately conveys the true meaning of baptism, because water baptism is a sign that you have repented of your sins, and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior; and your sins were forgiven when you did that. Being baptized in deep water in front of other Believers in Jesus is an act or a sign that proclaims to the world that your sins have been forgiven in Jesus Christ by faith: it is a sign to other Believers and to the world at large.

Let’s summarize:

1) Most Bible versions do not correctly translate Acts 2:38, because they incorrectly translate “eis” as “for”, which teaches Baptismal Regeneration, a false doctrine.

2) Does this mean that you cannot use these other Bible versions? In my opinion, most modern Bible versions are poor in translation quality and riddled with doctrinal errors. The King James Version is one of the few that is still usable, because errors such as in Acts 2:38 are few and far between. The main problem with the KJV is the out of date nature of “thee”, “thou” and so on. The few translation errors in the KJV can be easily found by diligent students of Scripture, and noted when the errors are brought up during studies.

3) Why not use the Kingdom Study Bible instead of these other versions with the translation errors? The KBV is my Bible version, which incorporates the Golden Ratio design arrangement that no other Bible version has. Unfortunately, the KBV is still a work in progress, and is not in print yet. However, you can view the KBV on my website (arrangement and text) at this link:

https://https://www.phibible.org/

I hope to be able to publish the KBV before the end of 2020, but I’m not sure yet.

The Gospel is the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day. If you repent of your sins and believe on Jesus Christ, asking Him to come into your heart to save you, because He paid for all of your sins on the cross of Calvary, then you will be saved and go to Heaven when you die!

On the other hand, if you were baptized as a baby, and you believe that your sins were washed away by the water and the faith of your parents or the priest, then you will certainly go to Hell when you die, UNLESS you realize that this belief was wrong, and turn to Jesus Christ as your ONLY hope of Eternal Life. Repent of your sins, and ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord. Then, Heaven will become your home, as it is mine, and the rest of your life will be spent in expectation of the glory of God instead of the wrath of God.

I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ right now! Here is a prayer that you can use to repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior:

“Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against YOU. I am no good, and you are righteous! I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, were buried, and rose again from the dead on the third day. I want you to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Please come into my heart right now. Forgive me for all my sins, and save my soul. In the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!”

If you have turned from your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and only Savior from sin, please message me through Facebook and let me know that you have done that, so that I can pray for you and rejoice with you in what God has done in your life. Amen.