Jon Gary Williams
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Article 0160 - Distortion of Acts 2:38

Baptism - A Distortion of Acts 2:38

Jon Gary Williams
"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." (Acts 2:38)

Through the years various attempts have been made to distort the scripture's teaching about baptism, and Acts 2:38 is often targeted. In pursuit of the doctrine that baptism plays no part in the removal of sin, it is claimed that in this verse the phrase for the remission of sins identifies solely with repentance but not at all with baptism.
This erroneous reasoning claims that repent and remission of sins (both of which, in the Greek, are plural in number) must exclusively relate to one another, whereas the phrase be baptized (singular in the Greek) must not have any connection with remission of sins.

If this were accurate reasoning the verse would be saying, "Repent to have the remission of sins, and all of you be baptized." Such a distorted view of this passage exhibits a lack of understanding of the Greek New Testament or is an obvious effort to deceive.

Lexicographer Henry Thayer explains that "every one of you"  (hekastos, in the Greek) denotes every one of many, which is often the case when parts of speech are plural in number. This is precisely what occurs in Acts 2:38 - - both the singular and the plural speak to the same point, as do the phrases be baptized and repent. In Acts 2:38 the word and is a coordinating conjunction which, of necessity, unites repentance and baptism, showing that remission of sins applies equally to both commands.
An applicable comparison is found nearby in Acts 2:3 where we read of the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles. The verse reads, "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."

In this verse we find another instance wherein both the singular and the plural used - - the phrase there appeared to them is in the plural while the phrase it sat upon each of them is in the singular. This passage is obviously speaking of just one group (the apostles), yet they are referred to in both the singular and the plural.

Additional examination can include John 6:7 and Luke 4:40, each of which contain this same Greek sentence structure.