THE MEANING OF "FOR"? by steve finnell

Is the meaning of the preposition "for" difficult to understand? No, it is not. The preposition "for" is always forward looking. The purpose, action, and results of "for" always follow, they never look back.

Example: Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (NKJV)

They were told to repent and be baptized "for" the remission of sins and they would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

"For" does not mean repent because your sins have already been forgiven. Remission of sins follows repentance.

"For" does not mean be baptized because your sins have already been forgiven. Remission of sins follows baptism

"For" does not mean you have already received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit follows repentance and baptism "for" the remission of sins.

If you take an aspirin "for" a headache it does not mean that you take an aspirin because your headache has already been cured. A cured headache follows taking the aspirin "for" a headache.

If  you are punished "for" a crime you committed, you are not punished before you committed the crime. Punished "for" follows the committed crime.

If you have heart surgery "for" a defective heart, your heart is not repaired before you have surgery. The heart repair follows surgery "for" a defective heart.

The meaning of "for" in Acts 2:38 is not a mystery. It means in order to receive remission of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit you must repent and be immersed in water.

It takes a professional deceiver and a willing student to believe that "for" in Acts 2:38 actually means "because of".