Acts 22:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

NIV: And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

NASB: Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.’

CSB: And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

NLT: What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’

KJV: And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

NKJV: And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’

Paul is recounting the story of how he came to faith in Christ; this verse is a retelling of Acts 9:18. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and accepted Him as Lord with the help of a Jesus-follower named Ananias. Ananias called Paul to make his decision official by being baptized in Jesus' name.

The language of baptism in the Bible can be confusing to a modern reader; some passages seem to suggest that we cannot be saved without it. The truth requires a deeper dive into the culture. In the first century, Judaism had several sects, including Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots. To publicly show alignment, a new convert would be baptized into that sect. This is why people were baptized "Into John's [the Baptist] baptism" (Acts 19:3): to publicly align with his message of repentance of sins. In Judaism, baptism followed such a decision immediately. In the professional American football leagues, players selected in yearly drafts put on a hat from that team when they are selected. In a similar sense, baptism in that era was an external, overt sign that one had just then and there become a member of that group.

The Greek of this passage was translated by Charles C. Ryrie as: "Having arisen, be baptized; and wash away your sins, having called on the name of the Lord." "His name" means, of course, Jesus' name. Jesus' name is more than the sounds or letters we use to identify Him; it refers to His character, person, reputation, teaching, deeds, and everything about Him. To be baptized in His name means to accept everything about Him and agree to orient one's life around Him.

Some people struggle with the wording here compared to Jesus' words in the Great Commission when He says, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Believers should be baptized in the name of all three Persons of the Trinity; here, however, Paul is specifically talking about Jesus of Nazareth and how He led Paul to spread His offer of salvation to the Gentiles.

Acts 22:6–16 continues Paul's defense against accusations that he both breaks the Mosaic law and associates with Gentiles. He has described his early life training to be a Pharisee and persecuting the church (Acts 22:3–5). Now, he explains how he came to follow Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. His accusers show polite interest in his story until he arrives at the point in the narrative where Jesus tells him to give Gentiles the way of salvation. Paul's conversion experience is also recorded in Acts 9:1–19 and reiterated in Acts 26:12–18.

In Acts 22, a young Roman military officer realizes he cannot control Jews who do not wish to be controlled. He has just rescued Paul from a crowd that largely doesn't know why they want to kill Paul. In hopes of gathering information, the tribune allows Paul to speak to the crowd. The crowd listens only briefly, then explodes again. The tribune tries flogging but is foiled by Paul's Roman citizenship. Finally, the tribune schedules a meeting with the Sanhedrin. It does not go well (Acts 23:1–10).

Paul came to Jerusalem to tell the church of his ministry's success with Gentiles. The leaders are more worried about a rumor that Paul no longer respects the Jewish law. Paul agrees to perform a very Jewish ritual, but in the process is falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob assaults him, and the Roman tribune arrests him (Acts 21:17–36). The tribune tries to uncover the truth by letting Paul speak to the crowd, then almost flogging him (Acts 21:37—22). Next, he will bring Paul to the Sanhedrin, to no avail (Acts 23:1–10).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.