Acts 2:38

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Acts 2:38?

ANSWER: First of all, everything said in that verse is applicable to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles. It is about the church and not simply for Israel alone. As well, you cannot translate the passage without knowing the Greek language. That is why I have taken more Greek courses than anyone you will ever know. I have almost 60 hours of graduate Greek. This is important to understanding the doctrinal issues in the NT.

If Peter had given that verse in English he would have received a grade of F. You must understand how Greek grammar works.

In the verse you have a mixture of singulars and plurals. We don't mix singulars and plurals in English grammar but it was accepted in Greek. Here's how the verse reads in the grammar of Greek:

• "All of you (plural) repent (Aorist T.) for the forgiveness of (all of your sins, plural) …
• and all of you (plural) shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then let each one of you (singular)
• be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ."

Repentance brings about forgiveness of sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Then after they have repented and received forgiveness, the individual is to be baptized in water as a sign of their being washed which is a sign of their salvation.

In this, all the plurals are kept together and the singular is kept separate as well.

The Jerusalem congregation is mentioned in Acts 5 and it is called a "church" (v. 11). And it is called again the Jerusalem church in 8:1-3. Some wrongly attempt to say that the church did not begin until chapter 9. When I showed these verses to one who held that false view, he dropped his mistaken idea.

The great scholar Nicoll points out that at that time Baptism was the sign of the admission into the visible church, whether Jew or Gentile.

The great grammarian A.T. Robertson agrees and writes:

"Change of number from plural to singular and of person from second to third. This change marks a break in the thought here that the English translation does not preserve. The first thing to do is make a radical and complete change of heart and life. Then let each one be baptized after this change has taken place, and the act of baptism be performed 'in the name of Jesus Christ.'"

Thanks for asking.
--Dr. Mal Couch (4/12)

Support Groups

Dr. Couch, what about 'support groups' for people who are sinners?

ANSWER: We certainly are not "supporting" people in their sin but we can have support groups for those who are seeking forgiveness and who are attempting to turn away from sins that are holding them in their sins! You quoted Matthew 18:15-17. Note that Christ calls those who are struggling "brothers" (v. 15). He says to reprove them "in private" not publicly to hurt them. If the brother listens "you have won your brother" and helped him in his struggle.

If he won't listen then take two or three brothers in order to convict him that "every fact (against him) may be confirmed" (v. 16b). Then if he refuses to change he is to be exposed before the church in order to bring about conviction (v. 17). I have rarely seen such stubbornness in sin though it can happen.

A support group should and can help but it should not be a crutch to keep the brother in his sin.

Thanks for asking.
--Dr. Mal Couch (2/12)

Baptism and the Washing Away of Sin

Dr. Couch, Acts 22:16 seems to say that water baptism “washes” away our sins. How do you answer?

ANSWER: To understand 22:16 you have to start with 3:19. 3:19 reads, speaking to the nation of Israel: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away (blotted out, ‘exaleipho’), …” Repent and return are both Second person Plurals, Aorist Imperatives. Or, “All of you repent and all of you return [back to God] [with the result that] your sins will be blotted out (wiped away).” “Wiped away” is an Aorist Passive Infinitive. Or, “Your sins will be acted upon, blotted away, by God”—“They are to be acted upon by the Lord. He will cause them to be gone!” This is based on their repentance and their returning to God! Of course the message they are to believe in is the fact that “Christ should suffer” [for you], and this “He has thus fulfilled” (v. 18).

This idea then is picked up and applied to Paul here in 22:16. Ananias tells Paul that “it was appointed for him to know God’s will, and to hear an utterance from His mouth. Because he was to be a witness for Him to all men of what he has seen and heard” (v. 15).

22:16 reads from the Greek: “Having gotten up, you are to be baptized yourself, and yourself have your sins washed away, and called yourself upon His name.” All of these verbs show parallel action going on at once. The Middle Voice is used continually, “yourself.” They are all Aorist Tenses. It is all happening at once. 3:19 certainly clarifies what is happening in 22:16. Baptism alone could not be saving Paul or any Israelite, and no other passage would give that idea.

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch

Positional Sins

Dr. Couch, what is this "forgiving men their transgressions" in Matthew 6:14 all about? Can we forgive men of their Positional sins so that they can go to heaven?

ANSWER: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) mainly has to do with how the Jews related to each other. It is not about them possessing authority to forgive men of their sins so that they can go to heaven. The Beatitudes (vv. 3-12) that begin chapter 5 start out dealing mainly with how people treat each other. Note the down-to-earth exhortations: "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law" (5:25). "You shall love your neighbor" (5:43). "Beware of PRACTICING your righteousness before men" (6:1). "When you give alms" (6:3). "When you pray" (6:6). Christ's discussion is about PRACTICING righteousness in the Walk!

Then 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions [in their Walk], your heavenly Father will also forgive you [in your Walk]. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions [in your walk]."

This has to do with sin between men in their relationships, not about forgiveness for receiving salvation. Compare Luke 17:3-4. Forgiving comes by repentance or confession. This restores fellowship or the relationship. This is similar to 1 John 1:9. In the walk confession and forgiveness restores our fellowship. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteousness to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" in our Christian walk. The walk is implied, and is clear, in the context: "IF WE SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SINNED (in the Christian walk), we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." This is not about our POSITION in Christ but about our WALK (EXPERIENCE) with Christ.

The same in Matthew 6:14. The passage is about the issue of fellowship with each other. By the way, note Luke 17:3-4 again. "If the brother SINS." And "If he SINS against you ..." Then IF HE REPENTS of that sin against you, you are to forgive him!

Anyone who thinks Matthew 6:14 is about getting to heaven they are confused over the salvation POSITION and the Christian living WALK in the spiritual life.

In his Matthew commentary, my old Greek teacher, Dr. Stanley Toussaint, well explained what is going on in the Sermon on the Mount: "Judicial forgiveness is not in view (Acts 10:43) but fellowship (1 John 1:5-9). It is impossible for one to be in fellowship with God as long as he harbors ill will in his heart."

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch (1/11)

Isaiah 59:21

Dr. Couch, what is going on in Isaiah 59:21? ANSWER:  The passage says that He will be making "a covenant" with the Jewish people, and that He will be putting His Spirit upon them. Too, all the children, from the first to an infinity of generations will be speaking God's words from their mouths, "from a specific point ("from now and forever") into the future.    Unger says that the "covenant" has to be the New covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. There are two outstanding promises in the New covenant: (1) permanent forgiveness of sins, and (2) the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The giving of the Spirit is mentioned here in Isaiah 59:21 and in Joel 2:28. Isaiah 59:21 reads in part:    "My words will not depart from your mouth nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring, … from now and forever." This seems to clearly promise that in the kingdom, the Jews will be perpetually saved and will be witnessing of the Lord for the entire one thousand years of that glorious time when the Messiah is ruling!     Unger writes: This is about "the promise of Israel's conversion and restoration to Kingdom blessing … divinely guaranteed and attested. The Lord is referring to the New Covenant in Christ's blood (1 Cor. 11:25), then made available to the nation Israel through faith (Jer. 31:31-34). It will involve putting His Spirit upon her and God's Word in her mouth, perpetually through the millennial age and on into the eternal state (Isa. 32:15; 1 Cor. 15:24). Israel's election to blessing is not only for the Kingdom age, but forever."    The New covenant is not fulfilled now by the church. It will be fulfilled by Israel when the kingdom begins. The church however now benefits from the New covenant but we do not fulfill it. We receive forgiveness of sins, and receive the Holy Spirit. But we do not receive the promised land. That is only for the Jews when the kingdom begins.    When Paul writes that "all Israel will be saved" in Romans 11:26, he could be referring to Isaiah 59:21 where the generations of Jews during the kingdom will have God's word in their mouths perpetually from individual to individual, child to child, forever.    Thanks for asking,    Dr. Mal Couch (12/10)

John 20:22-23

Dr. Couch, what is going on in John 20:22-23? Can you help? ANSWER:  The passage reads: Christ "breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.'"    This passage has two parts. (1) The breathing on them of the Holy Spirit. "Receive" is an Aorist Active Imperative (or command). It is the common Greek word "lambano." No time frame is given in the verse. I take it that it is speaking about the future, at Pentecost, when the Spirit will enter the believers as prophesied. However these men, the disciples, will indeed have a distinct ministry above and beyond what the average layman will have. The disciples are called to be the leaders of the church. What they do and say will have special implications.    There are many places in the Bible where something is said that sounds like it is going to take place right then, at that moment, but in reality, it has to do with something that will happen at some point in the future. I think that is the case here. We have no indication that right then, at that time, they got the Holy Spirit, though we know they did in Acts 2. Christ said to His disciples just before His ascension: "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (v. 5).    The word "received" ("lambano") along with the Holy Spirit, is used eight times in the NT. This would indicate that my view is correct.    Then there is the issue of (2) The forgiveness of sins by the disciples (v. 23). The verse ties into Matthew 16:16-20. Peter was given the authority to judge the sins of Israel in this Matthew passage. It is too extensive to deal with this issue here but to simply say, that in the John 20 passage the disciples had to a limited degree the ability to judge as well as Peter. When it says "the sins have been forgive" (v. 23) it is stated so with a Perfect Tense, which means that this forgiveness was already accomplished in the past by the Lord, but simply brought forward by the disciples. In the NAS it is translated correctly: "The sins HAVE BEEN (in the past) forgiven."    I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch (6-10)

Elders Praying for the Sick

Dr. Couch, should the elders be called in at all times to pray for the sick, as mentioned in James 5:13-16? ANSWER: Prayer for the sick can be offered by anyone and at all times. There is no restriction on praying. But this passage is very Jewish and has specifically a Jewish audience in mind. Nevertheless, it is a valid passage, though it is not required in order for one to get well. There are several things to note in the passage: First, the one who is sick calls for the elders. The anointing with oil is ceremonial. The oil itself does nothing. It is simply signifying that the sick person is to be especially attended to in his illness. The work "sick" is the Greek word "asthenia" which also carries the idea of "weakness." Any weakness can be presented to the Lord, not just sickness. It is the prayer of faith (v. 15) that restores this one. The "ceremony," if you will, of the elders coming and anointing, is not what raises up this person. It is possible that this entire section is about more than simply one being ill. James adds, "If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him" (v. 15b). So the gathering of the elders could be specifically be about sin that is also in the life of the one calling for such help. James then presents a larger principle in verse 16, and that is confession of sins that could be the cause of the failing of the believer. And, James makes prayer interactive. We are to be praying for one another, so that we may be healed (v. 16b). Then the apostle sets forth another principle, and that is, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (v. 16c). That the praying here is especially Jewish is found in James' illustration of the intercession of Elijah in verses 17-18. He "prayed earnestly" and God honored his requests. Verse 19 seems to be capping off James' argument, even about prayer. He writes" "If any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins." This is not about the loss of salvation for the believer but it is about a temporal judgment that may fall upon one who has been flirting with sin. The book of James is strong medicine, coming from the Jewish respect for the Law. There is no monkey business in this book. James hits many issues head-on throughout the chapters. Thanks for asking. Dr. Mal Couch (Feb., 10)

Do Believers Need To Confess Their Sins?

Dr. Couch, I head Bob George say on his radio program that believers' sins are already forgiven and we no longer need to confess our sins. This seems to fly in the face of 1 John 1:9. What do you say?

ANSWER: You observed carefully. The problem with this view is that it is not discerning the difference between POSITIONAL and EXPERIENTIAL truth. Positionally, in God's divine mind all of my sins have been forgiven and I'm a child of God forever. But in my Christian walk, in my experience in time, and in regard to my fellowship with Him, I need to confess my sins in order to restore fellowship.

This is exactly what happens in the relationship between parent and child. The child is forever a member of his birth family. The birth certificate is filed in the courthouse and is forever recorded and made permanent. But the daily relationship is another matter. The child may sin against his parents. What restores that fellowship? The verbal confession of doing wrong. "I'm sorry, Dad!"

Lack of confession does not mean loss of salvation but a loss of fellowship. John makes this clear in the introduction to his epistle. He says "We proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). He adds, "I am writing that your joy may be made complete" (v. 4). And, if we walk in darkness (and are sinning) and say we have fellowship with Him we are lying" (v. 6). Also, in the Christian walk, if we say we have no sin "we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (v. 8).

I have always wondered what George's agenda is on this subject. There is an agenda and a payoff in his mind. What is it?

Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch