An essay on the remission of sins / by A. Campbell.

  • Alexander Campbell
Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the remission of sins / by A. Campbell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    gone or is introduced into a house, into a ship, into a state* into a kingdom; so no person is in Christ but he who has been introduced into Christ, The Scripture style is most religiously accurate. We have the words “in Christ” and the words “into Christ” often repeated in the Christian Scriptures; hut in no one place can the one phrase be sub¬ stituted for the other. Hence, in all places when any per¬ son is said to be in Christ, it refers not to his conversion* regeneration, or putting on Christ, but to a state of rest or privilege subsequent to conversion, regeneration, or putting on Christ. But the phrase “into Christ” is always con¬ nected with conversion, regeneration, immersion, or putting on Christ. Before we are justified in Christ, live in Christ, or fall asleep in Christ, we must come, be introduced, or immersed into Christ. Into belongs only to verbs implying motion towards; and in to verbs implying rest, or motion in. He eats, sleeps, sits in the house. He walks into the field; he rides into the city. “Into Christ’’ is a phrase only applicable to conversion, immersion, or regeneration; or what is called putting on Christ, translation into his king¬ dom, or submission to his government.* Presuming on the intelligence of our readers, so far as to suppose them assured that this is no mere verbal criticism, * I am not desirous of diminishing the difference of meaning between immersing a person in the name of the Father, and into the name of the Father. They are quite different ideas. But it will be asked, is this a correct translation? To which I answer, most undoubtedly it is. For the preposition eis is that used in this place, and not en. By what inadvertency the King’s translators gave it in instead of into in this passage, and elsewhere gave it into when speaking of the same ordinance, I presume not to say. But they have been followed by most modern translators, and with them they translate it into in other places where it occurs, in relation to this institution: For example—1 Cor. xii. 13': For by one spirit we are all immersed into one body. Rom. vi. 3: Dont you know that so many of you as w'ere immersed into Christ, were immex-sed into his death ? Gal. iii. 27: As many of you as have been immersed into Christ, have put on Christ. Now, for the same reason, they ought to have rendei’ed the following passages the same way. Acts viii. 16 : Only they were immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus, xix. 3. Into what name were you then immersed? When they heard this, they were immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus. 1 Cor. i. 13: Were you immersed into the name of Paul? Lest any should say, I had immersed into my own name. 1 Cor. x. 1. Our fathers were all immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Now, in all these places it is eis, and en is clearly marked in the last quotation. They were immersed into Moses—not into the cloud, and into the sea, but in the cloud, and in the sea. To be immersed into Moses is one thing, and in the sea is another. To be immersed into the name of the Father, and in the name of the Father are just as distinct. “ In the name is equivalent to, by the authority of. In the name of the King or common¬ wealth, is by the authority of the King or commonwealth. Now the question is, Did the Savioufimean that the disciples were to be immersed by the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? If by the authority of the F ather, for what purpose were they immersed ? The authority by which any action is done is one thing, and the object for which it is done is another. None who can disci'iminate can think that it is one and the same thing to be immersed in the name of the Lord, and to be immersed into the name of the Lord Jesus. The former denotes the authority by which the action is performed—the latter the object for which it is performed. Per- sous are said to enter into mati’imony, to enter into an alliance, to go into debt, to B
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