Baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

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2021 10 10

  • The pastor and the plank; a true story
    • 1 Timothy 2:3-7 (NKJV) 3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4  who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5  For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7  for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle–I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying–a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
  • We human beings are separated from God by sin and we need a Savior—a way across the abyss of sin and back to God.
  • Though some people think there are many ways to God, in reality, there is only a single way.
  • Only one person in the universe is our Mediator and can stand between us and God and bring us together again—Jesus, who is both God and man.
  • Jesus’ sacrifice brought new life to all people.
  • His commandments are exact, His grace is final, His Faith is genuine. They do not vary as humans tend to do with the plank, no matter how well meaning.

Confession of Faith

Dear Heavenly Father, please give me a revelation of the power of the Gospel today. Enable me to understand what salvation truly is and how You’ve provided everything that I need as a free gift through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Please enlighten me to these truths from Your Word, which I will be taught today.

I declare that I will be free from guilt, condemnation, and a performance mentality. I declare that I abide in faith, abound in hope, I keep myself in the love of God. I will overcome all trials, I will persevere, and develop Christ-like character by His power.

From this day forward, may Your grace be the foundation of my daily relationship with You. Amen.

In the name

  • The Plan of God.
  • The reason to be baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
    • Not in the name of Jesus only
  • All the baptisms in the book of the Acts of the apostles are in His name, but into the names of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • “by the authority of the Lord” who authorized to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
  • In the name of the Lord. In acknowledgment of his authority.
  • Christ authorized to baptize in the name of all three members of the Godhead
  • Not in His name only, which ignores the Father and the Holy Spirit.
    • 1 John 5:7 (NKJV)  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
    • Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
  • How does this fit into the redemptive plan of God?

The Tower of Babel

  • After the Tower of Babel incident, God set watchers instead of directly being accessible.
    • The significance lies in the nature of the tower as being a Ziggurat—an ancient structure used for worship and communion with the divine realm.
    • In essence, the people wanted to bring God to them instead of them going to God.
    • They were treating Yahweh as if He could be put in their pockets. And he isn’t.
    • So God scatters and confuses them
    • But so much more happened than that.
      • Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (NKJV) 8  When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel. 9  For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.
      • Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (NLT2) 8  When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.
        9  “For the people of Israel belong to the LORD; Jacob is his special possession.
    • the other nations were not “godless” now.
    • They were divided up according to the number of the sons of God (or, heavenly assembly).

Proselyte

  • Religious convert, especially to Judaism. One of the primary terms used to designate a Gentile (non-Jewish) convert to Judaism.
    • Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV) 1  Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
  • The term prosēlytos appears in the Septuagint primarily as the Greek translation for the Hebrew גֶר (ger), meaning “sojourner” or “foreigner.”
    • Exodus 22:21 (NKJV)  “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
      • Commitment to the entire Torah
      • Immersion in water – Baptism is an initiatory rite that serves as a proclamation of God’s work in the life of the individual.
        • The word “baptism” comes from the Greek baptisma;
        • It refers to washing, dipping, or immersing something into water.
      • Sacrifices
      • Circumcision
  • By the time of the New Testament writings, a proselyte was specifically a gentile convert to Judaism.
    • Matthew 23:15 (NKJV)  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

John’s Baptism

  • Basically renewing a Judaic covenant with God
  • This was not a bad thing at that time
  • Even Jesus partook of that
    • Acts 10:34-38 (NKJV) 34  Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36  The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ–He is Lord of all– 37  that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
    • Acts 19:2-5 (NKJV) 2  he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3  And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4  Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
    • Matthew 3:13-17 (NKJV) 13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15  But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17  And suddenly a voice
      came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
    • Voice (Gen 3;10)

Jesus’ Baptism

  • The Whole of humanity was reconciled to God through Jesus
    • Those nations whom God had disinherited, God has now taken back under His control.
      • John 17:3 (NKJV)  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
    • By defeating the forces of evil and death, Christ made possible the redemption necessary to heal the fissure between God and man.
    • The ability for any man to choose to believe in God has been restored through Christ.
      • John 3:16-17 (NKJV) 16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
    • The Blessing of Abraham
    • The promised Holy Spirit through faith
      • Galatians 3:13-14 (NKJV) 13  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14  that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
    • The promised Holy Spirit through faith could not be offered by John
    • The promised Holy Spirit through faith could not be had by baptism in Jesus only.
    • This kind of unbiblical baptism ignores the Father and the Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus reconciles us to our Father in Heaven, who then gives us the Holy Spirit to overcome.

Conclusion

  • The essential name of Jesus in Christian baptism give the authority for the act
    • not the formula that was employed.
      • Acts 2:38 (NKJV)  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.
      • Acts 19:5 (NKJV)  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
    • In the name of the Lord. In acknowledgment of his authority.
    • All the baptisms of Acts are in his name, but into the names of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
    • Not in the name of Jesus only, but simply “by the authority of the Lord” who authorized to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mt. 28:19).
    • Christ authorized to baptize in the name of all three members of the Godhead (1Jn. 5:7) and not in His name only, which ignores the Father and the Holy Spirit.
      • Islam – Not the true God
      • Hinduism – Jesus, a god among other gods
      • Even some “Christians” – One mediator of the new covenant.
      • 1 Peter 3:21-22 (NKJV) 21  There is also an antitype which now saves us–baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22  who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
  • In the name of the Lord, in acknowledgment of his authority.
  • Professing to be wise they became fools – Romans 1:22
  • The reason to be baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”

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