Reference

Acts 22:16

Believer's Baptism Baptism Necessary for Salvation

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

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

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

And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Believer's Baptism

Semantic Discovery

80% relevance

This verse was identified through meaning similarity — its content is mathematically close to known verses in this theme, even without sharing the same vocabulary.

Baptism Necessary for Salvation

Keyword Match

90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Believer's Baptism

The strongest argument against Acts 22:16 "supporting" believer's baptism, in the sense of baptism being exclusively for those who have made a conscious decision *after* conversion, is that Ananias's instruction to Paul comes *after* Paul has already had a direct encounter with the risen Christ, confessed Jesus as Lord ("Who are you, Lord?"), and spent three days blind and fasting. This sequence suggests that Paul's conversion and belief had already occurred. Therefore, the baptism is not the *i

Baptism Necessary for Salvation

While the verse links baptism to the washing away of sins, the phrase "calling on the name of the Lord" is also present and could be interpreted as the primary act of faith that secures salvation, with baptism being an outward expression or consequence of that faith, rather than the sole or indispensable means of salvation itself. Other scriptures emphasize faith alone for salvation (e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10).

Believer's Baptism

Related Verses

Acts 10:48

“And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”

Acts 9:18

“And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.”

Acts 2:21

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Acts 8:16

“(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)”

Acts 19:5

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Thematic Connections

Believer's Baptism Baptism Necessary for Salvation

Private Study Note

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