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NASB | Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, |
Bible Question: did the apostles understand/obey or contradict jesus' commission in matthew 28:19. every apostle baptized in the name of jesus Christ. they didn't baptize using the words father, son, and holy ghost as jesus stated. why is that? |
Bible Answer: dieselcowboy, Thanks for your question. It might be helpful to understand what Baptism was/is. Baptism was very common in the life of the Jew is this day. They were often baptized daily. Some rich had baptismals (called mikvot) in their homes so they could immerse every day. The idea of a baptism was to show a change of status originally found in Exodus/Leviticus. If a person became "unclean" they needed to become "clean" before entering the Temple. The last thing they did would be to go through a Mikvah, showing their change of status from unclean to clean. At the Temple when Peter preached after the Holy Spirit came, 3000 people were baptized. The only reason this could have happened was because there were multiple baptismals at the Temple. Back to your question: When it is said that they baptized someone into the name of Jesus, it was equivalent to saying they were baptized into everything that Jesus taught and represented. The person was entering into a covenant community of Jesus believers. Matt 28 does not say, or mean, that you need to recite the words "Father, Son, Holy Spirit" for a baptism to be effectual. The person going into the waters has denounced any previous idolatry (if needed) and accepts fully the covenant status he is entering. Then, that person is to be taught to "observe everything [Jesus has] commanded you." You may be right in that when the scriptures say, "baptized into the name of Jesus" the entire covenant and God Head were implied, but I am not willing to allegorize this as you have (allegory was a Greek construct used in their mythical writings.) There are no Scriptures, no historical evidence, and no legitimate early church writings that I am aware of that reflect your statement. dieselcowboy, Thanks for the question and let me know if you have more to substantiate your claim. I am eager to learn and, even if I disagree, to understand why you’re arriving at your conclusion. MJH |