Acts 2:38, Repent and be baptized

Some people believe a person has to be baptized to be saved - a belief sometimes called, Baptismal Regeneration.  When asked where in the Bible is that doctrine found, they often cite 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.

The correct interpretation of this verse hinges on the word, “for.”  When Peter says we must be baptized “for the remission of sins,” some people understand that to mean, “be baptized in order to obtain forgiveness of your sins.”  Is that the correct way to understand this verse?

Like many other words in English, the word “for” has multiple meanings.  It can mean “in order to obtain,” which is how some people apply it to this verse.  An example of this would be to say, “He went to the store for milk.”  However, the word, “for” can also mean, “because of.”  For example, we might say, “He was punished for his sins.”  

The word that is being translated as for is the Greek word eis (εἰς, Strong’s Word 1519), which Strong’s defines as: to or into (indicating the point reached or entered, of place, time, purpose, result).  It has been translated in various texts as “into, in, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among.”  So, even in the original Greek, the word can mean either “purpose” (as in, he went to the store for milk) or “result” (as in, he was punished for his sins).

A relevant use of the word eis can be found in Matthew 12:41:

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at (εἰς) the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

In this context, the word eis can only be understood the people had repented because of the preaching of Jonah.  It would be absurd to believe the people repented in order to obtain the preaching of Jonah!  In this passage, then, there could only be one correct way to understand the word eis.  

If we understand that eis can also mean because of, then in Acts 2:38, Peter could be saying, “Repent, and then be baptized because of the forgiveness of your sins.”  In other words, repentance comes first; afterwards, we are baptized in the name of Jesus because He has forgiven our sins.

Having said all of this, I’m not saying that eis in Acts 2:38 can only mean, because of.  What I am saying is that it doesn't necessarily mean in order to obtain.  When I began learning Greek, a rule I was taught is that if the original language is vague, then our translation should be vague.  The temptation is always there to try to interpret as we translate but we must always resist.  The goal is to say in English the same thing the passage says in the Greek. If it’s vague, then the Holy Spirit intended it to be vague as He inspired the hands of the original authors.

I believe the word for is possibly the best word to use when translating this verse.  It has a semantic range of meanings that convey a similar range of meanings as the word eis.  Therefore, we can debate the ambiguity in the same way Christians before us have done.  

It would be wrong to insist this single verse can only have one meaning or the other.  It would also be wrong to hang our doctrine on a single verse - especially on a verse so open to interpretation.  How we are saved is the most fundamental tenet of Christianity and we need to be sure our understanding of it is correct. When considering the correct interpretation of Acts 2:38 - or any  verse - we must view it in the context of all of Scripture.