One Greek word has shaped how millions understand salvation. That word is eis. It appears over 1,700 times in the New Testament and almost always points forward—into, unto, or toward. But in Acts 2:38, some argue it means “because of.” That shift changes everything. If eis is causal, baptism follows forgiveness. If it retains its normal meaning, baptism leads to forgiveness. The difference is massive, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s an inconvenient truth for those who believe baptism has nothing to do with salvation, yet the text speaks with stubborn clarity.
This interpretive challenge highlights a crucial methodological point about biblical interpretation. As Aaron Gallagher notes, “One must be careful not to impose the meanings of the English preposition for onto the Greek preposition eis. Bill Mounce even states that in his opinion there is no reason ever to do an English word study anymore. Mounce says ‘There is no approximation between English and Greek words, therefore in studying the English word we are at best making an approximation of the Greek word.’”1 This principle guides our examination of eis – we must understand it through Greek usage patterns, not English assumptions.
Debunked attempts to redefine eis
In part one of this series, we defined eis and showed that it always expresses forward motion or purpose. In part two, we examined how A.T. Robertson and Julius Mantey, driven by denominational creeds, tried to redefine eis to support salvation before baptism. Their arguments have been completely refuted by leading scholars like Ralph Marcus, Edward Hobbs, Dan Wallace, J.C. Davis, and Everett Ferguson.2 3 4 5 6 Still, proponents claim that a few verses support the causal theory. In this final article about eis, we’ll examine the two most common, Matthew 3:11 and 12:41, and see whether they really support the claim.
Matthew 3:11: “I baptize you with water for repentance…”
Some argue that eis in Matthew 3:11 means “because of.” They claim people were baptized because they had already repented. But Mark 1:4 shows us why this interpretation fails.
Mark 1:4 Reveals the Direction
Mark 1:4 says John preached “a baptism of repentance for (eis) the forgiveness of sins.” The word “for” translates eis—the same Greek word found in Matthew 3:11. Here’s the key question: Does eis mean “because of” in Mark 1:4? Did John baptize people because they had already received forgiveness? That makes no sense. John called sinners to immersion precisely because they lacked forgiveness. His baptism aimed at obtaining forgiveness, not celebrating forgiveness already received.
Mark 1:4 proves that eis points forward to a goal. John’s baptism moved people toward forgiveness they didn’t yet possess.
As an aside, the phrase “baptism of repentance” is grammatically ambiguous. Dan Wallace notes that Koine Greek genitives can be tricky to interpret precisely. He suggests staying non-committal: “baptism that is somehow related to repentance.”7 Ferguson captures this uncertainty more succinctly, calling it simply “a repentance baptism.”8
Applying This to Matthew 3:11
Now we can understand Matthew 3:11. Matthew says John baptized “with water for (eis) repentance.” If eis points forward in Mark 1:4, it points forward in Matthew 3:11 too. The same word carries the same meaning in both passages.
Matthew 3:11 means John baptized people toward repentance, not because they had already repented. In John’s ministry, baptism was the first step in turning to God. It marked the beginning of repentance, not its completion.
Textual confirmation
This makes perfect sense in John’s ministry. John called crowds of unrepentant people to the Jordan River. He didn’t baptize them because they had already changed. He baptized them to initiate a process of change.
The parallel between Mark 1:4 and Matthew 3:11 is striking:
- Mark: baptism for (eis) forgiveness (pointing toward what they lacked)
- Matthew: baptism for (eis) repentance (pointing toward what they needed to do)
Both passages show eis moving people toward something they didn’t yet possess.
A Key Distinction
This pattern in John’s ministry differs from later Christian baptism. In Christian practice, repentance comes immediately before baptism. But John’s situation was different. He was calling entire communities to begin the process of turning to God. For them, baptism launched repentance rather than following it.
John’s baptism was a doorway, not a destination. It launched the process of turning to God. Stepping into the Jordan wasn’t a celebration of repentance. It marked their first step toward turning to God. That’s what eis almost always means—movement toward a goal.
Matthew 12:41: “they repented at the preaching of Jonah”
Proponents of the causal interpretation point to Matthew 12:41 as their strongest evidence that eis can mean “because of.” In this verse, Jesus says the Ninevites “repented at (eis) the preaching of Jonah.” Since the Ninevites clearly repented because of Jonah’s preaching, advocates argue this proves eis can have a causal meaning. If eis means “because of” in Matthew 12:41, they contend, then it can mean “because of” in Acts 2:38. This argument deserves careful examination.
Throughout this short series about eis, I’ve been saying eis usually points forward. Matthew 12:41 shows why it doesn’t always point forward. This instance of eis falls under BDAG’s tenth definition with the heading “other uses of eis.” BDAG glosses it as “at, in the face of.”9
The Ninevites clearly repented because of Jonah’s preaching
The narrative makes clear that the Ninevites repented because of Jonah’s preaching. No one disputes this fact. The book of Jonah tells us that God’s prophet proclaimed judgment on the city. The Ninevites heard his message and turned from their wickedness in response. The causal relationship between Jonah’s preaching and their repentance is undeniable.
However, we don’t learn this causal relationship from the preposition eis itself. The broader biblical narrative teaches us the cause-and-effect connection, not the grammar of Matthew 12:41! When Jesus says the Ninevites “repented eis the preaching of Jonah,” he uses eis to describe their response when confronted with Jonah’s message. The preposition captures the moment of encounter, not the reason for their action.
For example, if I say, “We wept at the news of her passing,” I describe when we wept, not why. That’s a subtle but important distinction. The preposition “at” identifies the response, not its cause. That’s how eis works in Matthew 12:41. The Ninevites repented when Jonah preached, but not because eis means “because of.”
Repentance when faced with Jonah’s preaching
BDAG’s definition “at, in the face of” perfectly fits this context. The Ninevites repented when they came face-to-face with Jonah’s proclamation. They repented upon hearing his message of judgment.
Let’s test this. When we substitute a word’s definition for the word itself, the sentence should maintain its sense and meaning. Let’s apply this test to Matthew 12:41 using “in the face of” and other synonymous phrases.
- they repented
atin the face of the preaching of Jonah - they repented
atwhen faced with the preaching of Jonah - they repented
atupon hearing the preaching of Jonah - they repented
atwhen confronted with the preaching of Jonah
This conveys their immediate response to encountering the preaching, not a causal relationship. Think of it as describing what happened when they met Jonah’s message head-on. The preposition conveys the immediacy of their repentance. The Ninevites didn’t deliberate for weeks after hearing Jonah’s message. They repented right when they encountered his proclamation. This immediacy fits the biblical narrative perfectly. The book of Jonah describes swift, comprehensive repentance throughout the entire city.
This distinction matters greatly for understanding Acts 2:38. If eis carried inherent causal meaning in Matthew 12:41, we would expect it everywhere. But major lexicons reject this causal interpretation precisely because eis doesn’t function that way. The preposition describes orientation, direction, and response, not causation. In this context, the narrative provides the causal connections while eis simply indicates how people responded when confronted with the message.
The Weight of Evidence
The evidence is overwhelming. In over 1,700 New Testament uses, eis almost always points forward. Careful analysis of Robertson and Mantey’s claims, along with the supposed exceptions in Matthew 3:11 and 12:41, leads to one clear conclusion: eis keeps its normal, forward-pointing meaning in Acts 2:38.
The attempts to make eis causal have failed at every level. Linguistically, major lexicons reject the causal interpretation. Grammatically, context determines causation, not the preposition itself. Historically, the early church understood Peter’s command exactly as it reads: repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins, not because of forgiveness already received.10
When Peter stood before that Pentecost crowd and commanded them to “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” he used language that pointed unmistakably forward. The crowds had asked, “What shall we do?” Peter’s answer was clear: move toward forgiveness through repentance and baptism.
An inconvenient truth that conflicts with tradition
The battle over this one Greek word reveals something deeper than linguistic precision. It highlights the challenge of setting aside deeply held traditions when they conflict with biblical evidence. The scholarly refutation of causal eis has been thorough—dismantled decades ago by leading scholars—yet some continue to hold this interpretation. This suggests the difficulty that arises when denominational understanding conflicts with exegetical findings. When we allow eis to carry its natural meaning, Peter’s message becomes simple: forgiveness awaits those who will respond to God’s call through repentance and baptism.
The word eis has been pointing the way forward for two millennia. Perhaps it’s time we stopped trying to make it point backward.
References
- Aaron Gallagher, The Case for the Causal Use of Eis in Acts 2:38, Gospel Broadcasting Network, 9-10, quoting Bill Mounce, Bible Word Study Made Easy, Bible Gateway, 11:38, 29:06.
- Marcus, Ralph. “The Elusive Causal ‘Eis,’” Journal of Biblical Literature, 71, no. 1 (March, 1952).
- https://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/2000-03/36019.html.
- Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan, 1996. 370.
- Davis, J C. “Another Look at the Relationship Between Baptism and Forgiveness of Sins in Acts 2:38.” Restoration Quarterly 24, no. 2 (1981): 88.
- Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2009. 168.
- Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan, 1996. 80.
- Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2009. 92.
- BDAG, s.v. “εἰς,” 288.
- Ferguson, Everett. Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2009. 94.