ONE of the ten commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain"

To take his name in vain is simply to treat his name without reverence, to trifle with it, or to consider it as unimportant.

The Hebrew scribes so reverenced his name that they would only write it with a new pen that had never been used before, and after writing it they would break the pen so it could never be used to write anything else. The scribes would bathe themselves before writing it. In the Bible days there was a death penalty for taking his name in vain.

Consequently, we are careful to use his name as the Bible instructs us. We use it when, where, and how he instructs us, and we are careful not to omit or exclude his name when the Bible commands it to be invoked. We are careful to invoke his name when we pray, when we seek healing, in casting out devils, in asking for miracles, and when we baptize people.

Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus - - - -." We dare not presume the right to exclude or omit the name of the Lord Jesus. We dare not consider his name as unimportant.

Devils do not fear your prayer, unless it is in the name of Jesus. The powers and laws of nature do not alter their normal course, unless the name of Jesus is invoked. Access to God is denied, unless we call on the name of Jesus.

Acts 4:12, in referring to the name of Jesus Christ, says, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Philippians 2:9 says, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." Ephesians 1:21 says that the name of Jesus Christ is "above - - - - every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come."

In light of these scriptures you can understand why we are so careful to follow the explicit Bible instructions that command us to baptize in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter, in full accord with the other eleven apostles, preached on the birthday of the church that baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was for the remission of sins. The Christian church in the Bible never once baptized anyone in any other way. They never used God's mere titles in baptism without those titles being accompanied by the name, Jesus. They invariably baptized in the name of Jesus. They never once baptized anyone merely repeating the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They always invoked the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have offered to give ten thousand dollars to anyone that can show me one place in the Bible where anyone was baptized in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But I can show you a number of places where people were baptized in the name of Jesus.

Invariably, somebody will say, "What difference does it make?" The difference is between obedience and disobedience. The difference is between presumptuousness and reverence. The difference is between taking his name in vain through omitting it, or in humble submission to the command to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

See: Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5