Jesus’ final
designation to His followers states:
Therefore, go and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit (NLT)
Go, then, to all peoples everywhere
and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. (GNT)
Teach these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.” (NLT)
And teach them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
(GNT)
GO, BAPTIZE,
TEACH, MAKE...YOU ARE AUTHORIZED (AS I AM WITH YOU).
Baptizing into the Name
Baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit….I baptize you in Jesus name…I baptize you in Christ name
Is this a formula? And if it is a formula, what if these
exact words are not used?
According to Richard Hollerman of TrueDiscipleship, “This
traditional “triadic” formula is found in the second century church manual of
discipline known as the Didache (ca. AD 120-150). The unknown writer of this
work directs those who would baptize a convert: “Concerning baptism, baptize in
this way. After you have spoken all these things, ‘baptize in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ in running water” (7:1). Justin
Martyr, writing in the mid-second century, also describes baptism as practiced
in his day: “For at that time they obtain for themselves the washing in water
in the name of God the Master of all and Father, and of our Savior Jesus
Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.” It might be noted that Justin did not consider
the exact wording of Matthew 28:19 essential as long as all three (God, Jesus,
the Holy Spirit) were recognized. Later in the same century, about AD 190,
Irenaeus writes that “we have received baptism for remission of sins in the
name of God the Father, and in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who
became incarnate and died and was raised, and in the Holy Spirit of God.”
Tertullian, a few years later, writes substantially the same: “The ‘paths are
made straight’ by the washing away of sins, which faith obtains, sealed in the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Check as well, the practice among historic denominations –
“The Episcopal Church would hold the same view: “As a sacrament Baptism is not
valid unless it is administered ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost,’ as commanded by the Lord himself in Matthew 28:19.” The “Confession
of Faith” of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church states: “The outward element to
be used in this sacrament is water, wherewith the party is to be baptized in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, by an ordained
minister of the gospel.”The Baptist Faith and Message of the Southern Baptist
Convention states: “Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Finally, the
“Statement of Faith” of the Pentecostal Church of God states that their members
believe in “water baptism by immersion for believers only, which is a direct
commandment of our Lord, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.”(Hollerman, 2020).
Regardless
of the practice, one must seek to be biblically accurate on the issue. Consider
the original text and the context:
“Baptizontes autous eis to onoma
tou patros kai tou huiou kai tou hagiou pneumatos.”
Translation (Greek
text): “Immersing them into the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
In New
Testament days, “the phrase eis (to) onoma tinos is frequent in the papyrii
with reference to payments made ‘to the account of any one’…(Hollerman).
As part of the
transaction, the person concerned is “the possession of and comes under the
protection of the one whose name he bears; he is under the control of the
effective power of the name and the One who bears the name, i.e., he is
dedicated to them” (Hollerman). Cottrell (1989) states, “a person’s name was
considered to be intrinsically related to the person himself, representing his
qualities, his character and his nature”(p. 16). Baptism therefore signifies
union with God (taking on His name); one becomes an acquired property (1 Cor.
6:19-20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19); sealed with Christ, marked as His property (Eph. 1:13;
Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12).
Note – “the
baptized disciple is united with, enters into a relationship with, becomes the
possession of, and becomes a disciple of the person who is referred to as the
object of the preposition” (Hollerman).
Regarding the
word “name” (of) – Greek word onoma, it refers to:
1. Reputation:
“And King Herod heard of it, for His Name had become well known” (Mark 6:14).
“I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead”
(Rev. 3:1). “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult
you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22).
“A good name is to be more desired than great riches” (Prov. 22:1a). “A good
name is better than a good ointment” (Eccles. 7:1a). 2. Authority:
“By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” (Acts 4:7). “Your sins
have been forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John 2:12b). “You were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor.
6:11). “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another
comes in his own name, you will receive him” (John 5:43). “In the name of our
Lord Jesus, when you are assembled. . .” (1 Cor. 5:4a). 3. Character:
“And James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave
the name Boanerges, which means ‘Sons of Thunder’)” (Mark 3:17). 4. Rank
or category: “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall
receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of
a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever in the name
of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to
drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:41-42). 5.
Person or Personality: “A gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons
[names] was there together” (Acts 1:15b). You have a few people [names] in
Sardis who have not soiled their garments” (Rev. 3:4a; cf. v. 5; 11:13). 6.
Titles or Descriptions: “And His name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6b; Isaiah
7:14). [Hollerman].
The Practice of
Baptism
Given the weight
of the above documentation, it is difficult to argue using the “formula” of
Mat. 28:19. The argument is that recorded acts of baptism are merely “descriptive”
(as in visual model; baptism in action; cf. Acts 8:15, 10:47, 19:5; Col. 2:12),
not “prescriptive” (explicit language as in Mat. 28:19). Are we saying
therefore, that to be orthodox one has to follow the prescriptive language of
Mat. 28:19?
The move to
the prescriptive language of Mat. 28:19 began around second and third
centuries.
Oneness Theological
Position
o
Water
Baptism is foundational (essential to salvation) to the life of the church as
modeled by Jesus (Mat. 3:16-17; Acts 2:38)
o
Baptism
was prefigured in the Old Testament (1 Pet. 3:20-1; 1 Cor. 10:1-5)
o
Baptism
signifies union with Christ (Eph. 4:5; Gal. 3:28; Rom. 6:4)
o
Baptism
is part of Christian initiation. It is obedience to God’s Word and Faith in
Jesus
o
The
name of Jesus must be invoked at baptism – identifying with the atoning work of
Christ, His saving power, and the authority given (Mat. 28:19-20). Theologians
Luther and Zwingli affirm the historic use of “Jesus name” at baptisms
o
Matthew
28:19 does not reflect a Trinity – it correctly reflects a “threeness” that is
a manifestation of the Godhead (Col. 2:9)
o
Matthew
28:19 was not originally understood to be prescriptive. It was not until the
second and third centuries that there was a departure from the normative
practice of invoking “Jesus name, in the name of Christ” at baptisms.
o
Rebaptism
is acceptable based on precedent (Acts 19:5)
Trinitarian
Theological Position
o
Matthew
28:19 is prescriptive
o
The
formula was used in the Didache (became the standard practice of the church)
o
Matthew
3:16-17 describes the “threeness” and serves as the reasoning for Jesus’ prescriptive
command in Matthew 28:19 – an interaction between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Baptism signifies entry into a union (Father declared love for Son; Holy Spirit
descended upon Son as witness of Father’s love)
o
Use
of “Jesus name” is not discounted in the biblical accounts of baptism. Rather, “Jesus
name” invoked brings a Christological focus to the occasion (Rom. 6:1-5)
o
There
is no conflict between the two formulas. “God does not bind us to precise formulas,
nor is God limited by them in the divine freedom to bless us in our acts of
faith by God’s grace.”[2]
[1]
Jack Cottrell, Baptism, College Publishing (1989), 15.
[2] Oneness
Trinitarian Pentecostal Final Report 2002-7. Retrieved from https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=b4624c4f-ff83-46ec-af2a-3f81714d4362%40pdc-v-sessmgr04
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Written by Kevin A, Hall
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