Lesson 2715

(Lesson 2715)(05-31-19) Acts 2:37-42
    “ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

   Today’s quote contains one of the most misunderstood and mis-applied passages that is to be found in the New Testament.
    When the apostles were asked “men and brethren what shall we do”, we find that when applying the actual definition of the transliterated word “baptized, Peter said, “Repent, and be immersed every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
    We must always remember, when studying ANY scripture that includes the transliterated word “bapize”, or any of it’s grammatical variances, that the word “baptize” is a transliterated version of the Greek word ‘baptizo’ which simply means to immerse. It DOES NOT mean ‘to dip’. The confusion and misunderstanding of that text comes when some erroneously apply the word “baptized”. To baptize, or as it would be said using the Greek term, is to put one item or entity into another item of entity and leave it there expecting a total change in the characteristics of the item or entity that has been “baptized”.
The Greek word “bapto” does indeed mean ‘to dip’ but that’s not the term the Greeks used to explain what Peter instructed those people to do at the Pentecost celebration.
    To be baptized, as that term should be applied in today’s quote, is to be totally immersed, by faith, into the doctrine of Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Baptized as it is applied in today’s quote, has NOTHING to do with water dipping. ~