Does Eis in Acts 2:38 Mean “For Forgiveness” or “Because of Forgiveness”?

Question

Brother Edward, during a Bible discussion someone told me that Acts 2:38 has been widely misunderstood, and I was not sure how to respond. Peter says, “each of you be baptized . . . for the forgiveness of your sins,” but I was told that the Greek word translated “for,” eis, really means “because of.” According to that interpretation, Peter was saying, “Be baptized because your sins have already been forgiven,” which would make baptism only an outward sign afterward. Is that really what eis means in this verse? Does Peter tell people to be baptized to receive forgiveness, or because they have already been forgiven?

Short answer: No. In Acts 2:38, the Greek preposition eis points forward to forgiveness as the intended result; it does not look backward to forgiveness already received. The clearest biblical parallel is Matthew 26:28, where Jesus uses the same expression—eis aphesin hamartiōn, for forgiveness of sins—when speaking of His blood. Christ did not shed His blood because sins had already been forgiven, but so that forgiveness could be granted. The proposed causal meaning is not established by the linguistic evidence. More importantly, the New Testament’s teaching about baptism rests on many passages, not on a single preposition.

This question deserves a careful answer. Most people who make this argument are trying to protect salvation by grace and to avoid turning baptism into a work by which someone earns heaven. That concern is understandable. Baptism does not purchase salvation or place God in anyone’s debt. But a sincere concern does not make a grammatical claim true, and in this case the proposed meaning of eis is not supported by the evidence.

Before examining Acts 2:38, we should understand the word itself. Eis is a very common Greek preposition. The standard Greek lexicon lists uses involving movement into something, direction toward a goal, purpose, result, and relationship; the context determines the precise sense.¹ We should neither give eis one rigid English equivalent nor assume that every possible meaning of the English word “for” can be transferred back into Greek.

The “Because of” Argument and Where It Came From

The causal reading usually begins with a doctrinal conclusion already in place: forgiveness must be fully received at the moment of belief, before baptism. Acts 2:38 then becomes difficult because Peter connects forgiveness with repentance and baptism. To preserve the prior conclusion, eis is made to look backward: “Be baptized because you have already been forgiven.” The question, however, is not whether that reading protects a theological system. The question is whether the Greek actually supports it.

The claim has received academic attention. In 1951, J. R. Mantey proposed a causal use of eis and applied it to several New Testament passages.² Ralph Marcus answered that Mantey’s extrabiblical examples did not turn a theoretical possibility into a probable meaning. Mantey replied, and Marcus responded once more.³ Their exchange is important because it shows that the causal use was debated rather than established. Daniel B. Wallace, summarizing the discussion, likewise concludes that a causal reading of Acts 2:38 is difficult to defend from the linguistic evidence alone.⁴

The Clearest Biblical Parallel: Matthew 26:28

The best place to test the proposed meaning is another passage that uses the same expression. In Matthew 26:28, Jesus takes the cup and says that His blood is poured out “for forgiveness of sins.” The central construction, eis aphesin hamartiōn, corresponds to the one in Acts 2:38, although Acts includes the article before “sins.”⁵

Now apply the proposed translation consistently. If eis means “because of” in this construction, Matthew 26:28 would say that Christ’s blood was poured out because sins had already been forgiven. That cannot be the meaning. His blood was poured out with a view to forgiveness—so that forgiveness could be made available. A parallel does not automatically force every word to carry precisely the same nuance in every context, but this exact parallel places a heavy burden of proof on the causal reading of Acts 2:38. That burden has not been met.

The Same Construction in Other Forward-Looking Passages

Matthew 26:28 is not an isolated example. The same preposition—and in some places the same phrase—appears elsewhere with a forward-looking sense, including passages where advocates of the causal reading in Acts 2:38 would never translate it “because of.”

The identical expression eis aphesin hamartiōn describes John’s baptism as “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). The NASB 1995 translates it “for,” not “because of.” John also says, “I baptize you with water for repentance” (Matthew 3:11). Here again, eis points toward repentance; it does not explain baptism as something performed because repentance had already taken place.

Romans 10:10 makes the point especially clear: “with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Greek uses eis in both clauses, and the NASB 1995 brings out the movement toward the stated results. Paul does not say that one believes because righteousness is already possessed or confesses because salvation has already been received. The believing and confessing lead toward the results named in the verse.

The inconsistency is difficult to miss. If eis is read prospectively in Matthew 26:28, Mark 1:4, Matthew 3:11, and Romans 10:10, but suddenly becomes “because of” in Acts 2:38, grammar is no longer controlling the interpretation. An exception is being made precisely where the ordinary sense conflicts with a prior doctrinal conclusion.

The Causal Reading Also Creates a Problem for Repentance

Another problem is often overlooked. Scholars debate the exact syntactical relationship among the plural command “repent,” the singular expression “each of you be baptized,” and the phrase “for the forgiveness of your sins.” We should not pretend that every grammatical detail is beyond dispute. What is clear is that Peter presents repentance and baptism together as the hearers’ response to the gospel.⁶

The causal interpretation must either detach “for forgiveness” from baptism or make the entire phrase look backward. Yet Peter never tells the crowd that they have already been forgiven. They are “pierced to the heart” and ask what they must do. Peter tells them to repent and be baptized, and Luke reports that those who received his word were baptized (Acts 2:37–41). The forward-looking reading follows the natural movement of the account without inventing a special meaning for eis.⁷

“What About Matthew 12:41, Where Nineveh Repented Eis Jonah’s Preaching?”

Matthew 12:41 is the passage most often cited in support of a causal meaning, so it deserves careful treatment. In Greek, Jesus says that the people of Nineveh repented eis Jonah’s preaching. The NASB 1995 translates the phrase, “they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” Some argue that this amounts to “because of the preaching.”

But the expression is readily understood as “at,” “in response to,” or “with reference to” Jonah’s preaching. Their repentance was directed toward the message they heard. Even if one granted a causal nuance in this passage, it would remain an isolated and disputed example. It cannot overturn the normal force of eis in Acts 2:38, especially in light of the exact parallel in Matthew 26:28. Sound interpretation allows the clear passages to govern the doubtful, not the reverse.

Key Biblical Texts

Strongest Objection: “But Eis Can Sometimes Mean ‘Because of’”

The strongest form of the objection admits that eis normally points forward but argues that it can occasionally carry a causal sense. Acts 2:38, we are told, should therefore be given the benefit of the doubt.

That objection fails for two reasons. First, the causal use itself is not firmly established; that is precisely what the Mantey–Marcus exchange failed to demonstrate. A disputed possibility cannot determine the meaning of a passage. Second, context—not a list of theoretically possible definitions—decides how a word functions. Acts 2 presents guilty hearers asking what they must do, followed by Peter’s command to repent and be baptized for forgiveness. The forward-looking sense accounts for the language and the flow of the narrative naturally.⁸

“Does Everything Depend on One Greek Word?”

No. We should not place more weight on eis than the text requires. Even if Acts 2:38 were absent, the New Testament’s teaching would remain. Saul, who already believed in Christ, was told, “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). Paul describes baptism as participation in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4). Peter states that “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21), while carefully denying that the saving act is merely the removal of dirt from the body. The case does not hang on one preposition; it rests on the united testimony of the New Testament.

Pastoral Application

Someone may repeat the “because of” argument sincerely because it was taught by a trusted preacher or found in a study Bible. That does not make the argument dishonest, but neither does it make the argument sound. You do not need formal training in Greek to see the central problem. Place Matthew 26:28 beside Acts 2:38 and compare the same expression in both passages.

Our tone still matters. The purpose is not to impress someone with Greek or to win a verbal contest. It is to help a person see what God has said about forgiveness. Show the passages plainly, explain the connection patiently, and allow the text to carry the weight.

Conclusion

In Acts 2:38, eis does not mean “because of forgiveness already received.” It points forward to forgiveness as the intended result. Matthew 26:28 confirms the same direction: Christ’s blood was poured out for forgiveness, not because forgiveness had already taken place. The causal interpretation is a disputed proposal that cannot be applied consistently to the relevant passages. And the issue does not depend on one Greek word. Across the New Testament, baptism is joined to entering Christ, sharing in His death and resurrection, washing away sins, and receiving salvation. No appeal to an exceptional meaning of eis can erase that testimony.

Biblical Sources for Review

• Acts 2:38
• Matthew 26:28
• Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3
• Matthew 3:11
• Matthew 12:41
• Romans 10:10
• Acts 22:16
• Romans 6:3–4
• 1 Peter 3:21

Works Cited

• Aland, Barbara, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012. ISBN 9783438051400. https://www.die-bibel.de/en/publications-nestle-aland-na28.
• Bauer, Walter, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Revised and edited by Frederick William Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. ISBN 9780226039336. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/G/bo3622223.html.
• Mantey, J. R. “The Causal Use of Eis in the New Testament.” Journal of Biblical Literature 70, no. 1 (1951): 45–48. https://doi.org/10.2307/3262042.
• Mantey, J. R. “On Causal Eis Again.” Journal of Biblical Literature 70, no. 4 (1951): 309–11. https://doi.org/10.2307/3261594.
• Marcus, Ralph. “On Causal EIS.” Journal of Biblical Literature 70, no. 2 (1951): 129–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/3261824.
• Marcus, Ralph. “The Elusive Causal EIS.” Journal of Biblical Literature 71, no. 1 (1952): 43–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/3261847.
• Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009. ISBN 9780802837318. https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802837318/the-acts-of-the-apostles/.
• Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996. ISBN 9780310218951. https://zondervanacademic.com/products/greek-grammar-beyond-the-basics.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org