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.
When I was on a trip in the Philippines in 2000, a pastor asked me if I thought water baptism could ever save a man and take away sin? I usually would say that I thought the Church of Christ was scriptural but not dispensational when it came to this verse. This time for some reason I did not respond that way, instead I thought about it and thought in my mind “if water could take away sins then why did Christ have to die?” Well we know that without the shedding of blood there is NO remission of sins. Then we also know that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, but only through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can person’s sins be washed away. I answered for the first time “NO!!” Peter is telling those that want to be saved that they need to repent, have a change of mind about what they were doing in worshipping other gods and idols and instead worship God and when they did this that was their faith. Then they needed to be baptized to in the name of Christ for the remission of sins, this is not an individual sin, but the sins of the nation, see Acts 3:19-21. The water baptism did not take away any sins but it did identify them with the little flock as part of the believing remnant. After this, the individual received the gift of the Holy Ghost. So no, I do not believe today or in any day past, present or future will water baptism ever take away sins, because if so, then why did Christ have to die?
Rejoicing in Grace,
Keith
2 Cor 5:14-15
