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“Wash Away Your Sins”
Categories: Acts, Baptism, Baptist, Baptized, Bible, Brethren, Calling, Calling on the name of the Lord, Disobedience, Error, Faith, Faith alone, Faith only, Faithfulness, God's word, Gospel, Grace, Paul, Salvation, Saul, Sinner's prayer
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22.16, ESV)¹
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¹This tell us when Saul, later Paul the apostle, was saved from his sins, added to the body of Christ, and became a Christian.
However, those who hold to a faith only doctrine try to refute God’s word by saying that Saul was saved on the road to Damascus when Jesus appeared to Him. If that's the case, why did Luke record that Saul was told to be baptized to wash away his sins? What sins did he have to "wash away" if he was already saved? In fact, if he was saved on the road then he was saved in his sins, not from his sins. Further, Jesus expressly said there was something for him to do when he arrived in Damascus. Interestingly, he was told to be baptized to wash away his sins.
Some argue that since Ananias called Saul "brother Saul" (Acts 22.13) that this indicated that he was already saved. The apostles often called sinners "brothers" or "brethren" not because they were brethren in a spiritual sense, but because they were brothers or kinsmen according to the flesh (See Acts 2.29 [Peter called them brothers before they were saved (2.38, 41)]; Rom. 9.3, etc.). Further, remember, Luke records that Saul was to be baptized to wash away his sins. If he was saved when Ananias called him brother Saul, what sins did he have to wash away?
These are not the only arguments that we could examine that are used against Acts 22.16, but, simply put, no amount of pervasive-type arguments change the truth of Acts 22.16. Either Saul was to be baptized to wash away his sins and call on the name of the Lord, or he was not. Which is it reader?
Have you been baptized to wash away your sins? (See also Acts 2.38) We'd love to study with you! E-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.
