Baptism “for the forgiveness of sins” is a statement Peter makes in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). The preposition “for” comes from the Greek word “eis” which is defined by Strong’s to mean, “to or into (indicating the point reached or entered, of place, time, fig. purpose, result).”
There are those who argue the Bible translations should translate the Greek preposition “because of” instead of “for”. Understanding baptism to be “because of the forgiveness of your sins” would force a consequential change to the purpose of baptism. It would shift the forgiveness of sins to be something that happened before baptism, relegating the act to a pure ceremonial display.
It [Gr “eis”] is used over 1,700 times in the New Testament and it shows movement toward a goal. It indicates purpose. (radicallychristian.com)
When reviewing the actual Greek definition of “eis” and its use throughout Scripture, arguing for its translation to be “because of” is a stretch (to say the least). But what if those counter-arguments were less clear? What if the translation of “eis” were a little more vague or inconsistent? How would Scripture interpret Scripture in this case?
How Scripture answers "Is baptism for the forgiveness of sins?"
Baptism is for, not because of, the forgiveness of sins1, and is consistent with the purpose of John’s baptism3 that prepared the way. Jesus’ blood fulfills the requirement10 and is the cleansing agent2,5,7,8,9 of sin. It is only through “death” (e.g. baptism) that an individual contacts His blood6,7. It’s just as Paul asked rhetorically, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”6 and why Peter directly linked baptism to what saves us4.
Answer built on scripture-blocks below
1
The passage called into question the translation of the Greek word “eis” into “for” instead of “because of”. The former makes forgiveness of sins a result of baptism; the latter makes baptism an afterthought of sins already forgiven.
2
Jesus uses the same preposition (“eis” translated “for”) and prepositional phrase (“for the forgiveness of sins”). In this case, it’s the pouring out of his blood that results in the forgivness of sins.
3
Part of John the Baptist’s preparation for the Christ included a baptism that was for the forgiveness of sins.
4
Baptism is a physical act, but isn’t for a physical purpose (“removal of dirt from the body”). Instead, it serves as an appeal to God that saves us.
5
Jesus’ blood being shed is what sets us free from our sins.
6
Only those that have died have “been set free from sin.” How do we die? Verse 3, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”
!! scripture-block context extra important here !!
7
Under the Old Law, people were “consecrated” by the sprinkling of blood from animals (Exodus 24), but Christ’s blood is now what cleanses us.
!! scripture-block context extra important here !!
The context for this passage continues well down into chapter 10 (and beyond), but for this question the conclusion of his point in this passage is noted in Hebrews 10:19-22– “our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water”.
8
The sanctification or setting apart of the “elect” (e.g. Christians) is for the purpose of obedience to Jesus and the sprinkling of His blood.
9
Jesus’ blood “cleanses us from all sin”.
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