FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

By Jared Hagan

What must you do to be saved? Some people will say that you don’t have to do anything
(or they might suggest that you only need to say the “sinner’s prayer”). Others look at
passages such as Acts 2:38 and say that you must be baptized (among other things such
as believe, repent and confess Jesus to be the Son of God). But who is right?

When the people were convinced that they had killed the Son of God, they asked what
they needed to do (Acts 2:36-37). Peter responded that they needed to “repent and each
one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts
2:38). However, what does Peter mean when he says “for the forgiveness of sins”? In
English, the word “for” can mean “because of” or “for the purpose of” and those are two
very different ideas. If we are baptized because we have been forgiven then baptism does
not save us but it is something that we do because we have already been saved. If, on the
other hand, we are baptized so that we will be forgiven then baptism is an essential part
of salvation. So which is the correct interpretation of Acts 2:38?

We could consider the Greek word that is used in this passage to help us get an idea. The
particular Greek word used here does not refer to “because of” but “intent” or “so that”.
Had Peter intended to convey the idea that we should be baptized because we are already
forgiven then he would have used a different Greek word than the one used. The exact
same Greek words are used in Matthew 26:28 in which Jesus states that His blood is
“poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”. Is Jesus saying that He was going to
shed His blood on the cross because everyone had already been forgiven? That is a
preposterous idea. The meaning is clear. Jesus was going to die on the cross so that we
could be forgiven. In the same way, we must conclude that we are baptized so that we
can be forgiven.

We could also consider the context. Acts 2:14-36 contains the sermon that Peter
delivered to these people. Did this sermon convince the people that they were already
saved or did he convince them that they were lost? In other words, when the people
respond to the sermon in Acts 2:37, are they asking “what must we do since we are
already saved” or were they asking “what can we do since we are lost?” Read Peter’s
sermon and you will see that it is not one in which he tells the people that they were
already saved. Instead, he accuses them of rejecting Jesus by having Him nailed to a
cross (Acts 2:23) and crucified (Acts 2:36). It was at these final words, “this Jesus whom
you crucified” that the people asked, “what shall we do?” On what basis would the
people think that they were already saved since they were the ones who had crucified
Jesus?

Furthermore, if Peter was telling the people that they were already saved, then why would
his message be summed up “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40)?

One must also consider that Peter also told the people they needed to repent. Were they
supposed to repent because they had already been forgiven? Jesus said, “Unless you
repent, you will likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3,5). This makes it clear that repentance is
necessary for salvation rather than a response to already being saved. Paul later declares
that all men need to repent because the Day of Judgment is coming (Acts 17:30-31). Was
he also saying that we should repent because we have already been saved from the
judgment of God?

One last thing I suggest that you consider. Acts 2 does not record the sinner’s prayer
(which you will not find anywhere else in the Bible either). We are not told that the
people, after having said a prayer to God, asked Peter what they needed to do. The
people were not rejoicing at their newfound salvation, but had been pierced to the heart
(or wounded in conscience) when they asked what they needed to do. And when they did
ask Peter, he did not reply, “You need to say the sinners prayer.” Why is it that people
believe that these men were already saved before they asked what they needed to do?
And why is it that so many people today give a different answer than Peter to the
question, “What shall we do?”

It is easy to argue that “for the forgiveness of sins” means because we are already
forgiven. However, that argument will not stand up to scrutiny. The vast majority of
people may be convinced that baptism is not necessary, but you must determine for
yourself what Peter actually said. What must we do? “Repent, and each of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38).