Water baptism has always been interrelated with the preaching of repentance and entering into the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist began this message, Jesus continued it, and then commissioned His disciples to perpetuate it. Why must we submit to water baptism to obey the Gospel?

* Water baptism is part of the new birth.

Jesus first explained the necessity of this supernatural change to a Jewish teacher named Nicodemus.

". . . Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

* Water baptism was always a command-never an option.

We learn in the Book of Acts that no one was considered a Christian without water baptism. It was a central part of the plan of salvation: repentance, faith, water baptism, and baptism of the Holy Spirit. On the Day of Pentecost, the multitude felt convicted for crucifying their King. When they questioned how to correct their mistake, Peter assured them there was something they could do: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).

Even when the usual order was reversed, water baptism was still required. At Cornelius' home, the Holy Spirit came upon this group of Gentile converts while listening to the preaching of God's Word. Peter insisted that since God had allowed them into the New Covenant, their initiation must be completed with water baptism. Peter asked, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. . . " (Acts 10:47-48).

By design, God reversed the order of baptisms at Cornelius' home. Had He not shown the prejudiced Jews that Gentiles were also being accepted into the Covenant, they would have never offered the privilege of water baptism. As Peter later exclaimed in defense to the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem, "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?" (Acts 11:17).

In the city of Ephesus, Paul recognized something incomplete about the experience of a group of disciples. He questioned whether they had received the Holy Ghost since they had believed. They had been converted through John the Baptist's preaching and were totally ignorant of such an experience. Paul then emphatically declared, "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:4-5). After requiring them to be baptized in water, immediately they were ready to receive the Holy Ghost as well!

* Water baptism is a memorial of the burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Each time a new believer is added to the Church, he acts out the atonement of Christ: Repentance is like Christ's death; we die out to sin and firmly decide to abandon the old life and return to our Father's fellowship. Water baptism indicates our desire to bury the old life, as Christ was buried in the tomb. As we come up out of the water after being completely immersed, we are acting out the resurrection of Christ as He came forth from the grave. This step corresponds to the Holy Spirit baptism of walking in newness of life. His Spirit gives us power over the old sinful nature. Paul explained, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:  that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

The ordinance of the Lord's Supper also illustrates a very important lesson. Jesus instructed, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (I Corinthians 11:26). The Lord's Supper is a memorial of His death on the cross, while water baptism commemorates the burial and resurrection of Jesus. These two memorials together remind us of the beautiful Gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and our identification with Him.

* Through water baptism we "put on" Christ.

Paul explained to the Galatians how we are baptized into Christ Himself when we go into the waters of baptism: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galations 3:27).

In baptism, a spiritual union and communion with Christ begins. As we "put on" Christ, we are clothed by Him. No longer are we Jew, Greek, bond, free, male, nor female. But we are all one in Him. And since we belong to Christ, we are also Abraham's seed and spiritual heirs of everything that was promised to him! (Galatians 3:28-29).

* Water baptism marks us as one of God's chosen people.

Since water baptism is the initiating rite of the New Covenant, we have entered into the membership of a whole new spiritual nation. This Kingdom consists of a royal order of kings and priests who have been separated unto God. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praised of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy" (I Peter 2:9-10).

Tradition Has Its Own Water Baptism

Because men have been so absorbed in ancestral views concerning water baptism, the Holy Spirit has been restrained from revealing more truth. So entrenched are they in traditional doctrines, the great majority have rejected God's commandments, making "the word of God of none effect" with inherited traditions through the centuries (Mark 7:5-13).

The Bible text forming the Trinity foundation is also its baptismal formula. To correctly baptize believers is impossible because of the strong link between their Godhead theory and water baptism. Should converts be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the entire structure of the Trinitarian doctrine would topple. For then it would be apparent that the "Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" is Jesus! To support the doctrine of three Persons in the Godhead, Trinitarians teach water baptism with this Scripture: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).

Before declaring a single verse of Scripture to be the exclusive command of Jesus on any subject, we must establish that all His commands in all four Gospels must be obeyed. To find the meaning of Matthew 28:19, we must also analyze the Great Commission of our Lord recorded in Mark, Luke and John. This same meaning is that practiced in the Book of Acts and taught in the Epistles.

An Incomplete Command

All four Gospels and the Book of Acts record the Great Commission. Our Lord discussed it with His disciples for forty days (Acts 1:3).

The first mention recorded in Mark 16:14-18 and John 20: 19-23 occurred in Jerusalem on the eve of Jesus' resurrection while the disciples were eating.

Second, this command was recorded in Matthew 28:16-20 on a mountain in Galilee. 

The third time occurred just before Christ's Ascension from the Mount of Olives in Luke 24:45-51 and Acts 1:6-9. When Matthew recorded the Great Commission, he instructed that they were to "teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28: 19).

Mark mentioned that they were to "preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16), and then proceeded to list the signs that would follow (verses 17-18). Luke wrote, " . . . that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47).

John described it like this: " . . . he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (John 20:22-23). The Book of Acts, written by Luke, stated, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Words of the Apostles

Remember that Jesus wrote none of the New Testament books. We must depend entirely upon the word of His apostles to disclose His teaching. Jesus stated that we should believe on Him through the word of the apostles (John 17:20). Would these men have dared baptize wrong and refuse to execute Jesus' command? Had they baptized wrong, Christ's personal instruction to them after the resurrection was wasted and He failed to open their understanding of the Scriptures. Had they failed in obeying His command about the plan of salvation, could we safely trust any of their other teachings about Christian living?

Historical Evidence

All encyclopedias and church history books declare that during the lives of the apostles, no wording other than the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ was ever used in baptism. No genuine first century book records a single instance where any other words were ever used during the first hundred years of the early Church. It is generally acknowledged that the Book of Matthew was written approximately A.D. 62. Were the half-million converts who were baptized in Jesus' Name between the Day of Pentecost and the time of Matthew's writing all baptized wrong? Most of these believers were converted through Peter's and Paul's preaching. Did Matthew teach something different than these two great apostles? "Lord Jesus Christ" Says it All

To fulfill Christ's words, we must find a Scriptural incident that translates His theory into practice. Jesus said, "They shall take up serpents . . . " (Mark 16:18).

Reasonable people will look for a Scriptural example to find the meaning to this verse. The answer is found in Acts 28:3-6 when Paul was shipwrecked and threw a poisonous viper into the fire that had attacked him. Taking up serpents is a part of the Great Commission the same as Matthew 28:19. So, logically, if we find an illustration about one, why shouldn't we follow the same rule to prove the rest of the Commission?

A superficial glance at the Acts of the Apostles reveals the Name of Jesus was used in baptism only three times. But a more thorough examination reveals nine instances.

1.) Acts 2:37-41 Peter and other 3,000 Jewish Jerusalem disciples believers (Pentecost)

2.) Acts 8:12, 16 Philip All believers Samaria

3.) Acts 9:18; also Ananias Saul of Tarsus Damascus Acts 22:16 and (a disciple) Romans 6:3

4.) Acts 10:48 Peter Cornelius and Caesarea household

5.) Romans 6:3-5 ? All believers Rome

6.) I Corinthians Paul All believers Corinth 1:12-13; 6:9-11

7.) Galatians 3:27 Paul All believers Galatia

8.) Acts 19:5 Paul Twelve disciples Ephesus

9.) Colossians 2:12 Paul All believers Colosse

Peter's Message Was Correct! How consistent was Apostle Peter's message on the Day of Pentecost with Jesus' Great Commission? Supported by the other apostles, including Matthew (Acts 2:14, 37), he said:

* "Repent, and . . .

* Be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and . . .

* Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost For the promise is unto you . . . " (Acts 2:38-39).

And what did Jesus say? That they should preach:

* "Repentance, and . . .

* Remission of sins in his name . . . and . . .

* Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you . . . " (Luke 24:47-49).

Were Luke and Peter in harmony with Matthew? Yes, perfect harmony! Matthew's account was but a broad, general statement that excluded details of several important points mentioned by the other Gospel writers. He did not intend that we should repeat the words of the Commission-but carry out the orders!

What did Matthew omit that was included by the other Gospel authors?

* Repentance. Matthew was mute about repentance. But Luke recorded: ". . . repentance . . . should be preached in his name" (Luke 24:47).

* Faith. Matthew did not mention the need for faith. Mark said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Faith in God must follow repentance.

* Remission of sins. No word was said by Matthew about our sins being remitted. Yet John said, "Who soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them . . ." (John 20:23). Luke also reminds us that: ". . . remission of sins should be preached in his name" (Luke 24:47).

* Receiving the Holy Ghost Matthew did not record that receiving the Holy Ghost follows baptism. But Luke did! "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). ". . . Ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you . ." (Acts 1:8).

* Signs following.

 Matthew did not detail the signs that would follow those who had believed and were baptized. Mark adds: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues . . ." (Mark 16:17-18).

* The Name.

Matthew did not reveal what is the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. We know the Name of the Son, but what is the Name of the Father and the Holy Ghost? Luke clarifies: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name (Jesus) among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47).

The mistaken idea is that Father, Son and Holy Ghost are the "names" of God. But the Bible does not use them as proper names. Zechariah 14:9 says there is "One Lord, and his name one." The Bible makes it clear that the Name to be used in water baptism is one and the same - Jesus! Since water baptism is for remission of sins, it should be administered in His Name-the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

A very significant fact was mentioned by Matthew. We must teach all nations that all power (meaning authority, in the Greek) has been given unto Him in Heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). All who accept the teaching of Christ's "authority" are to be baptized into a Name-one Name-and that Name is to be the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. What Matthew was depicting was not contradictory to the other three writers. In reality, he has declared a beautiful truth that is an essential part of the Gospel message.

The Name of the Father is JESUS! "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me. . ." (John 17:6).

The Name of the Son is JESUS! "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

The Name of the Holy Ghost is JESUS! "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26).

The Name Above All Others

Some feel that far too much emphasis is placed on the Name of Jesus. What would be so wrong about substituting the phrase "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"-if they both mean the same thing? Again, the Scriptures settle the dispute.

* The power of Jesus' Name. A name expresses authority. The disciples were authorized to continue Christ's work on earth "in His Name." They were His agents or ambassadors having the power of attorney. The Name of Jesus is powerful enough to communicate salvation:

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

This verse harmonizes with the angel's message given to Joseph concerning the Christ-Child: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

The Apostle Paul heartily endorsed the power invested in "the Name": "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11; also Ephesians 1:21-23).

* The Name in birth and marriage. As the Son of God, Jesus "hath by inheritance a more excellent name" (Hebrews 1:4). What Name did Jesus inherit? His Father's Name! Every child receives that identification mark. A person's name indicates whose blood flows in his veins and provides him with the family benefits of his earthly father.

When we are "born again" and "made nigh by the Blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13), shouldn't we share the Name of our heavenly Father also?

Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ identifies us with our spiritual Father. While individually we are His children, collectively we are the Bride of Christ. ". . . For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (II Corinthians 11:2). Every bride is glad to take her husband's name-which is also the name of her husband's father! Jesus' Name is not used merely to distinguish Christian baptism from the baptism of John, but to initiate believers into a submissive relationship to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives.

* Everything must be done in His Name. Paul instructed in Colossians to do everything in His Name. We are to heal the sick, cast out demons, preach, and baptize in that Name. All extension of His work must be performed in His own Name. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:17).

* The Name of God. Abram received a new name when his covenant with God was cut. An "h" was taken from the Tetragrammaton (the unpronounceable set of consonants representing the Name of God). Thus, Abram became Abraham as God mingled His own Name with that of the patriarch. This wonderful privilege is enacted again as we make the New Covenant with God in water baptism. At the instant we are immersed in His Name, we take the Name of Jesus upon us and bear identification as a member of God's Family.

When the fulness of time arrived for God to reveal Himself-not to one nation, but to a dying world-He proclaimed His one Supreme Name by the use of the wonderful Name of Jesus, which means "Jehovah the Savior."

When we baptize using the phrase, "Lord Jesus Christ", we are using the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

When we say "Lord," we are saying, "Jehovah." When we say, "Jesus," the Son is named, or Jehovah the Savior. When we say, "Christ," we are referring to the Messiah or Anointed One. The Holy Spirit is the "anointing of God's Spirit" upon mankind. Jesus was anointed with the Spirit of the Lord (Luke 4:18).

"Lord Jesus Christ" actually means: Jehovah-Jehovah the Savior-Messiah (or Anointed One).

Have you become a partner with Jesus Christ? A place is reserved in the Church for all who wish to enter the household of faith through baptism into the wonderful Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

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