Hi Homer, you wrote:We are all biased to some extent. Take for example the great effort to give eis
a causative meaning in Acts 2:38, "because of repentance". The NIV Theological Dictionary, in the appendix, describes the great effort to prove eis can have a causative meaning, an effort that has been a failure. I would not think the people who have attempted this are dishonest, they are convinced that eis must have the meaning "because of" in this place because of other considerations.
Thank you for pointing out that particular example. This is the very FIRST time, I have ever heard of anyone trying to give "εις" a causative meaning. I looked at commentaries of Acts 2:38 and NONE of them suggested such a thing. In my own reading of Greek, I have frequently noticed that what follows the word is a result, or purpose. I checked with Lou and Nida's "Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains," and found that they give the following meanings or uses of the preposition together with NT examples:
to (extension)
into (extension)
on (location)
inside (location)
among (location)
in order to (purpose)
so that (result)
by (means)
The only way in which I would differ in the matter of Acts 2:38 is to say that a true baptism that accompanies repentance (change of heart and mind and submission to the Lordship of Christ) results in the FORSAKING of sin. The word "αφεσις" often means "departure" or "being set free from." The verbal form of the word is used of Jesus "leaving" the crowds to go up into the mountain to pray. I don't say that it NEVER means "forgiveness." But Jesus forgave sins while He walked this earth. It didn't require his death in order to do so. Nor does it require baptism. Of course, if we repent and are baptized, and begin to be freed from sin, forgiveness will naturally follow.
Second century writers understood the time of baptism as that of the regeneration of the person.
Looking up "εις" in my Online Bible Program, I was surprised to find that it did try to justify the idea of the preposition having a causative meaning in Acts 2:38, by using this example:
If you saw a poster saying "Jesse James wanted for robbery," "for" could mean Jesse is wanted so he can commit a robbery, or is wanted because he has committed a robbery. The latter sense is the correct one. So too in this passage, the word "for" signifies an action in the past. Otherwise, it would violate the entire tenor of the NT teaching on salvation by grace and not by works.