Scriptural Mormonism: Steve Walton on Acts 2:38

Friday, February 14, 2025

Steve Walton on Acts 2:38

The preposition εις has been asserted to be causal, meaning “because of,” but more probably expresses purpose. Thus, εις here suggests that it is what precedes that leads to a person receiving the forgiveness of sins. So is it repentance alone that leads to forgiveness (on the basis of concord between the plural verb μετανοησατε and the plural ημων, “your,” qualifying των αμαρτιων, “of sins”) or both baptism and repentance? Significantly, the singular εκαστος, “each one,” is used as the antecedent of a noun with the genitive υμων in 3:26, also in the context of turning from evil, which suggests that repentance and baptism together lead to forgiveness: baptism both expresses repentance and assures of forgiveness. It is also noteworthy that when baptism and/or repentance are mentioned with forgiveness or salvation in the NT, the sequence is always that forgiveness/salvation follows whichever of baptism and repentance is mentioned. Although repentance can be mentioned with forgiveness but without baptism (Luke 24:47; Acts 5:30; cf. Acts 3:19), the present verse forgiveness appears to be presenting a “norm” that will be replaced in other stories in Acts . . . (Steve Walton, Acts 1-9:42 [Word Biblical Commentary 37A; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2024], 206)