BAPTISM IN
THE NAME OF JESUS
Every time
the Bible records the name or formula associated with an actual baptism in the
New Testament church, it describes the name Jesus.
All five
such accounts occur in the Book of Acts, the history book of the early church.
Let us
examine each one.
THE JEWS ON
THE DAY OF PENTECOST
On the
birthday of the new Testament church, the first Day of Pentecost after the
ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit baptized the waiting 120 disciples, just as
Jesus had promised. (See Acts 2).
When they
were filled with the Spirit, they began to speak miraculously in languages they
had never learned, as the Spirit gave the utterance, and this miracle attracted
a large multitude.
The apostle
Peter, with the support of the other eleven apostles, preached the gospel to
the thousands of curious onlookers (Acts 2:14)
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised
his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let
this be known to you, and heed my words.
The crowd
consisted of Jews from various nations who had gathered in Jerusalem to
celebrate the Feast of Pentecost.
Peter began
by explaining what had aroused their curiosity—the phenomenon of speaking in
tongues and identified it with the prophecy of Joel that God would pour out His
Spirit in the last days.
Peter
continued quoting from Joel until he reached the following statement: (Acts
2:21)
21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
From this
point he introduced the crowd to the Lord—Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
He preached
the simple gospel message, namely, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ (Acts 2:22-36: 1 Corinthians
15:1-4)
His message
culminated with the proclamation, “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have
crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Conviction
of sin gripped the hearts of the listeners, and they “said unto Peter and to
the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37).
They were
not asking how to receive an extra blessing, but how to obey the gospel Peter
had just preached. They wanted
to know how to be forgiven of their sins, including their rejection of the
Messiah. They wanted
to know how to accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah. In short, they wanted to know
how to be saved. Peter and
the other apostles told them how to respond to the gospel message: (Acts
2:38-39)
38 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. 39 For the promise is to you and to your
children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
About three
thousand people believed and obeyed these instructions and were baptized
accordingly (Acts 2:41) 41 Then
those who gladly[a] received his word were
baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
By
repentance people die to sin and self-will, thereby identifying with Christ’s
death.
By baptism
they are buried with Christ. And by receiving the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
the risen Lord, they identify with Christ’s resurrection.
(See Romans 6:1-7; 7:6; 8:2, 10-11)
It is
important to note that the apostles commanded “every one of you” to be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ and that the message applied to “as many as the
Lord our God shall call.”
Baptism in
Jesus’ name is an integral part of responding properly to the gospel message
and accepting Jesus as Lord.
Despite this
clear, unambiguous instruction and the universality of its application, some
people argue that it is directed only to Jews.
Since the
Jews already acknowledge the Father, they contend, the Jews merely need to add
a profession of faith in Jesus, but the rest of humanity should be baptized
into a trinity of divine persons.
The account
in Acts 8 refutes this theory, however.
THE SAMARITANS
In Acts 8,
Philip the evangelist brought the gospel to the -Samaritans, who were
descendants of intermarriages between Jews and Gentiles.
Although
they were not Jews, they also “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”
(Acts 8:16).
Some people
try to explain that even though the Samaritans were not Jews, their religion
was largely based upon Judaism and like the Jews they already acknowledged the
Father.
Thus, these
people claim, baptism in the name of Jesus alone was appropriate for them as
well but is not meant for everyone.
The next
account, however, dispels this supposition.
THE GENTILES
In Acts 10,
God let the apostle Peter to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
As he
preached to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and his household, the Holy Spirit
fell upon them, just as on the Day of Pentecost.
The Jewish
Christians who had accompanied Peter were astonished “because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 10:45).
From this
reaction, it is obvious that these people were Gentiles and were not previous
converts to Judaism (proselytes).
Gentile
proselytes were considered full Jews, and proselytes had been in the crown on
the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10)
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had
been poured out on the Gentiles also.”
But these people were
uncircumcised Gentiles, and consequently Peter later had to explain to the
church why he had broken Jewish tradition by visiting the home of unconverted
Gentiles and eating with them (Acts 11:1-4)
11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the
Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision
contended with him, 3 saying,
“You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the
beginning, saying:
Although these Gentiles
were neither Jews nor Samaritans, immediately after they received the Holy
Spirit, Peter “commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”
(Acts 10:48).
Of course, the name of the
Lord is Jesus (Philippians 2:11) 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.
In fact, the oldest Greek
manuscripts in existence today actually read “in the name of Jesus Christ”
here, as do most versions today.
Some try to explain that
Jesus Name baptism is only for Gentiles who already believe in the God of
Israel, but 1 Corinthians shows that it is also for the most pagan of Gentiles.
Corinth was a Greek city
notorious for idolatry and immorality. The church in Corinth was full of
divisions, with various groups claiming to be followers of Paul, Apollos,
Peter, or Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12).
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of
Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”
When Paul rebuked them for
their divisions, he asked, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or
were ye baptized in the name of Paul” 1 Corinthians 1:13).
The obvious answer to the
two latter questions is, “No, Jesus Christ was crucified for us. No, we were
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Since they were baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ, not Paul, they belonged to Christ, not Paul.
Paul’s point was this:
Since Jesus died for the whole church and the whole church was baptized in His
name, the whole church should unite in following Him.
If the Corinthians were
not baptized in Jesus’ name, Paul’s argument makes no sense.
A few chapters later, Paul
alluded to their Jesus Name baptism again, showing it was administered to
everyone, even those who had been the most pagan and immoral:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed,
but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God.”
In short,
the New Testament reveals that people in every conceivable class are to be
baptized in the name of Jesus—whether Jews, Samaritans (part Jews), or Gentiles
(non-Jews).
The disciples of john at
ephesus
Faced
with the undeniable evidence we have discussed; many people concede that
baptism in the name of Jesus is acceptable.
Some even
agree that it is the original method and that it is to be preferred. Yet many
of the same people say, “I have already been baptized another way so I don’t
see the need to be re-baptized. After all, it’s the intent of my heart that
counts.”
In Acts
19, Paul met some disciples at Ephesus who had been baptized according to the
teaching of John the Baptist.
John was
a prophet of God, and his baptism was ordained of God for his time (Luke
7:28-30).
28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he.”
29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors
justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for
themselves, not having been baptized by him.
John
baptized by immersion in water (Matthew 3:16); 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.
(John
3:23) 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim,
because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
And he required repentance
and confession of sins before he would administer baptism (Mark 1:4-5)
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and
preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 Then all the land of Judea, and those from
Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River,
confessing their sins.
(Luke
3:7-8) 7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to
be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to
come?
8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and
do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to
raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Nevertheless,
when Paul learned that these disciples at Ephesus had received only John’s
baptism, he explained to them that John’s ministry pointed to Jesus Christ, and
then he baptized them a second time.
This
time, “they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).
The only
difference between the two baptisms was their
new understanding of Jesus and the invocation of the name of Jesus upon
them.
Although
their prior baptism had been a positive step towards God, Paul did not tell
these men to be content with it.
Nor did
he say that their new knowledge and faith made a further step unnecessary.
Instead,
he considered the name of Jesus to be so important that, although their
previous baptism was done upon repentance and faith, by immersion in water, and
by a man of God, he re-baptized them in order for them to take on the name of
Jesus in baptism.
Likewise,
we do not attack, ridicule, or condemn anyone who has taken a step towards God
in baptism.
In a
world of unbelief, apathy, and even hatred of God, any attempt to please God
and fulfill His Word is commendable.
But once
a person understands the complete biblical message of the identity of Jesus
Christ and the importance of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, he should not
be content with what he has done in the past.
If he has
never been baptized in the name of Jesus, following the apostolic precedent he
should be re-baptized with the invocation of that name.
THE APOSTLE PAUL
Some
people try to sidestep the whole issue of the baptismal formula by saying that
“in the name of Jesus” dos not mean to invoke the name but merely to act upon
the power and authority of Jesus.
But the
way to act upon His power and authority is to invoke His name in faith in
obedience to His Word.
The
conversion of Saul of Tarsus (later the apostle Paul) provides a good example.
When Saul
came to Ananias as the Lord had directed him, Ananias instructed him, 16 “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on
the name of the Lord.’” (Acts 22:16).
Saul knew exactly what the
Lord’s name was, for he had recently asked, “Who are thou, Lord?” and the Lord
had replied, “I am Jesus” (Acts 9:5)
The command of Ananias
shows that the name of Jesus is to be called at water baptism. He Greek verb
translated “calling” here literally means “invoking”.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME IN BAPTISM
The Book of Acts
establishes that the apostles and the early church consistently baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ.
This pattern is the norm
for the church today.
It is our responsibility
to obey the commands and examples in the Book of Acts.
Obedience is the only
course open to us if we truly accept the Bible as our sole authority for faith
and practice and if we truly desire to make Jesus the Lord of all of our life,
including our thoughts, values, beliefs, and practices.
Baptism in the name of
Jesus Christ is not an arbitrary practice, however. Using the name of Jesus in
baptism is inextricably linked with the very purpose of baptism itself.
All the reasons for being baptized
in water are also reasons for invoking the name of Jesus at baptism.
As a minimum, all groups
in Christendom agree that the purpose of water baptism is to express faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
When
the listeners on the Day of Pentecost accepted Jesus as Lord and Messiah, they
were baptized (Acts 2:36-38, 41) 36 “Therefore
let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom
you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when
they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter
and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 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.
41 Then those who gladly[a] received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls
were added to them.
When
the Samaritans “believed Philip preaching… concerning the kingdom of God, and
the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized” (Acts 8:12).
When
the disciples of John at Ephesus heard that Jesus was the fulfillment of the
prophecy of John the Baptist, they were baptized (Acts 19:4-5).
When
the Corinthians “believed on the Lord,” they were baptized (Acts 18:8).
The
proper way to express faith in Jesus is to confess His name, and in each of the
cases just cited, the candidates expressed their faith in Jesus by being
baptized in the name of Jesus.
2)
Baptism is “for remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), or to “wash away …
sins” (Acts 22:16), and the name of Jesus is the only name given for
remission of sins (Acts 10:43).
Thus,
the proper way to seek remission of sins at baptism is to invoke the name of
Jesus in faith.
Acts
2:38 and Acts 22:16 not only connect remission of sins with water baptism, but
they specifically connect remission of sins with water baptism in the name of
Jesus.
3.
Baptism is part of our salvation (Mark 16:16) 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.
(1 Peter
3:21), and the name of Jesus is the only name given for salvation.
(Acts
4:12) 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,
(See Acts 2:21; Romans
10:9, 13).
Thus, the proper way to
integrate water baptism with the New Testament salvation experience is to
invoke the name of Jesus.
4. Baptism is a burial with Jesus Christ (Romans 6:4) 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life.
(Colossians 2:12) 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised
with Him through faith in the working of God,
who raised Him from the dead.
The Spirit of God did not
die for us; only Jesus the man died for us and was buried in the tomb.
To be buried with Jesus
Christ, we should be baptized in His name.
5. Baptism is part of our personal identification with
Jesus Christ. “So many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death” (Romans 6:3).
“For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).
If we seek to be
identified with Him, we should take on His name.
6. Baptism is part of the new birth by which we are
born into the spiritual family of God (John 3:5) 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
(Titus
3:5) 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit,
We can also view the
conversion experience, of which baptism is a part, as an adoption into the
spiritual family of God (Romans 8:15-16)
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage
again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,
“Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
A newly
born or adopted child always takes on the name of his new family. Since we seek
to enter into the church of Jesus Christ, which is called His body and His
bride, we should take on His name.
See
(Ephesians 5:23, 29-32)
7. Baptism
is part of our spiritual circumcision, or
initiation into the new covenant (Colossians 2:11-13)
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins[a] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also
were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised
Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having
forgiven you all trespasses,
Under the
old covenant a male child officially received his name at his physical
circumcision. (Luke 2:21)
21 And when eight days were completed for the
circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Water baptism is the time
when our new family name is invoked upon us at our spiritual circumcision.
In connection with the
last two points, we know that the identifying name of our new spiritual family
is Jesus, for at least two reasons.
First, it is the only name
in which we can receive salvation (John 14:6) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.
(Acts
4:12) 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Second, it is the supreme
name by which God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. (Philippians 2:9-11) “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.
Some people say that the
supreme name described in Philippians 2:9 is Lord. That is, God has given the
man Jesus the supreme title of Lord.
Although Jesus was openly
and miraculously declared to be Lord by the resurrection and ascension, this
declaration does not detract from the supremacy of Jesus as the personal name
of God incarnate.
The title of Lord serves
to magnify the name of Jesus and underscore its true meaning.
As an analogy, the highest
political office and title in the United States is that of president.
When Abraham Lincoln was
the president he had the highest title: nevertheless, his unique name—the name
that embodied his legal identity, power, and authority—was still Abraham
Lincoln.
He could not merely sign
documents as “Mr. President”; he had to sign them as “Abraham Lincoln” in order
for his signature to be effective.
Philippians 2:10
specifically states that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow.
Verses 10-11 do not merely say that everyone
will acknowledge the existence of a supreme Lord, for many unsaved people
already do that; the significance is that everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is the one Lord.
As Bauer´s lexicon
translates, “when the name of Jesus is mentioned” every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
And this event will
fulfill the proclamation of Jehovah, who said, (Isaiah 45:23)
“I have
sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My
mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall
bow,
Every tongue shall take an
oath.
At the
last judgment, every being will acknowledge Jesus as the one God incarnate.
Colossians
3:17 says, 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
This verse does not
require us to pronounce the name of Jesus orally before every activity, but it
deals with the attitude in which we conduct every activity.
All our words and actions
should be consistent with the invocation of Jesus as Lord.
When there is cause to
invoke God´s name formally, such as at water baptism, which is both word and
deed, this verse applies in a specific way, telling us to approach God in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
Just as we pray, lay hands
on the sick, and cast out demons in the name of Jesus, so we should baptize in
the name of Jesus.
CONCLUSION
Using the name of Jesus in
the baptismal formula expresses faith in
v The person
of Christ (who He really is);
v The work of
Christ (His death, burial, and resurrection for our salvation); and
v The power
and authority of Christ (His ability to save us by Himself).
In short,
baptism in the name of Jesus signifies that we trust in Jesus alone as our
Savior, and thus it expresses the essence of saving faith.
Since the
only one who can take away sins is Jesus—not us by our deeds, not the water,
and not the preacher—we call upon Him in faith, depending on Him to do the
work.
The Bible
teaches that everyone should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and it
reveals that every reason for baptism is specifically a reason for baptism in
the name of Jesus.
Thus
baptism in the name of Jesus demonstrates reverence for and obedience to the
Word of God over and above human tradition, convenience, or peer pressure.
In view
of the scriptural significance of the name of Jesus, why would anyone refuse to
be baptized in Jesus’ name?
Why would
anyone hesitate to take on the name of the One who died for us ad to identify
publicly with Him?
Why would
anyone reject the only saving name, the name that is above every name?
