In Acts 8, the preposition is eis, which implies baptism into identification with Jesus. They were, however, “ baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Water baptism identified the Samaritans with Jesus and marked them as His followers.Īs an aside, being baptized “in the name of Jesus” does not mean the same thing in Acts 8:16 that it means in Acts 2:38. Samaritans had received the word of God, but they had not received the Holy Spirit. In fact, identification with Christ is exactly the point in Acts 8:16. He repudiates this idea, expressing horror “lest any should say that I had baptized in my name.” Clearly the significance of water baptism was to identify people with Christ, not with Paul.
In the same way, Paul asks whether the Corinthians were “ baptized in the name of Paul.” Again the construction is baptizein eis, and Paul is asking whether the Corinthians’ baptism identified them with him. By passing under the cloud and through the sea, the nation of Israel was identified with Moses. He then claims that they were “ baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” To be baptized into a person means metaphorically to be identified with that person. In context, Paul says that the Israelites were under the cloud and passed through the sea-a kind of symbolic immersion. One of the most intriguing is found in 1 Corinthians 10:2. The New Testament contains several examples of baptizein eis being used metaphorically.
Clearly this material use is not in view in Acts 2:38, where Peter commands people to be baptized, not into a substance, but into an abstraction (forgiveness). For example, Mark 1:9 states that Jesus was baptized “into the Jordan.” The idea is that he was immersed in the river. Obviously, the most basic use of baptizein eis is material: to be baptized into something is to be physically immersed in it. Neither interpretation, however, deals seriously with the construction baptize for or into ( baptizein eis) as it is used in the New Testament. Many Baptists have responded by insisting that the preposition for ( eis in Greek) is causal in use, meaning that people should be baptized because their sins have been forgiven. Both views may rightly be labeled as baptismal regeneration.Īmong those who affirm baptismal regeneration, one of the most popular proof texts is 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.” Catholics and Campbellites take this verse to mean that people must be baptized in order to have their sins forgiven. Roman Catholicism belongs to the former category the Stone-Campbell (the Churches of Christ and the Christian Churches) movement to the latter. Others believe that baptism, while not a sufficient condition of forgiveness, is nevertheless a necessary condition. This research will help Truett and other institutions of higher theological education to better understand spiritual formation, measure the effectiveness of our methods, and guide students as they are formed as disciples of Jesus Christ.Some professing Christians believe that baptism is a sufficient condition of the forgiveness of sins. The Truett Seminary community is committed to evaluating and growing our work together with other seminaries and theological schools around the country through the Spiritual Formation Assessment Project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation. We invite all students to develop habits that support personal and communal spiritual formation that may sustain them through the challenges and joys of ministry.
Spiritual formation is one of the pillars of George W. Along the spiritual journey, we become increasingly attentive to God's presence and activity in the world and seek to discern God's invitations to participate in God's redemptive purposes for all creation. The spiritual formation process is rooted in relationships we grow in union with God and cultivate life-giving friendships with others who provide encouragement and accountability. God invites all people to participate in a lifelong journey of spiritual formation, an ongoing process whereby human beings are transformed into the image of the Triune God and conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory and delight of God.
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