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NASB | Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent [change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah] and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. |
Subject: Jesus' name baptism? |
Bible Note: Greetings Andrew! The only problem with your explanation my friend is that it is pure speculation. We don't know if they were taught to baptize in any name at all prior to Matt. 28:19. However, we are clearly told in Mt. 28:19 that they were to baptize in the name of all three! The narrative data of Acts can be interpreted several possible ways. 1) The phrase "in the name of Jesus" could be a shortened form of the longer phrase, with the longer phrase being assumed in light of Mt. 28:19. 2) The phrase "in the name of Jesus" may not have been used in the actual baptism at all, but could have referred to being baptized by the authority of Jesus. 3) The disciples may have felt that Mt. 28:19 was not meant to be a strict formula and the phrase "in the name of Jesus" was sufficent. Any of these options is possible! This is why Reformer Joe said in one of his posts that the accounts of Acts are simply not clear, while Mt. 28:19 is very clear. It is the only verse in the entire Bible which deals with how baptism should be done. The rest are descriptions, thus may not include every detail. However, it is pointless to speculate about what Jesus may or may not have taught them prior to Mt. 28:19, since there is no Biblical record of that teaching. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |