Not at all, Jesus clearly ordered that people be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, This is not the same as the baptism given by John.
we read,
Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost...” Matthew 28
Jesus tells the disciples to go and “
Teach all nations”. This teaching does something, it baptizes them or immerses them into the name. This is telling, because the word “
baptizing” is what the
teaching does, it is an
action word that is the
result of their teaching all nations. To baptize here is the result of the teaching. and the baptizing is “i
n the Name”. To baptize or immerse into, a name, means to baptize into the character, authority, virtue attributes, power life of that name. Into a name is the baptism here. The name (singular) that they were to baptize them into is the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. These three are one God (1 John 5:7 KJV) and so to teach all nations of the truth of the gospel, the work and character of God, who has expressed himself and his work and truth through the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost, is how the world is immersed into, or baptized into the name.
This expression
“in the name”, is what the baptism is into. This is
not a formula for water baptism, or we would have seen this formula practiced in scripture.
The word “
teach “ all nations. Is not just teaching with human wisdom and eloquence. God doesn’t call men to teach in their own power and understanding. “
if any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God that god in all things might be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10 KJV). The teaching that is referred to is the anointed teaching in the Spirit and power of the Lord that quickens the heart and immerses the whole world with this knowledge of God. Jesus taught with authority (Matthew 7:29 KJV) and Jesus spoke in this power “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for
his word was with power. Jesus gave this ability to the believers and who would teach all nations. Interestingly though Peter and others misunderstood this first part about going to all nations Peter needed a divine revelation and angels involved and sheet coming down before he would go. If he misunderstood the scope of this he may also have misunderstood the scope of the baptism teaching in the name also.
Paul said he did not come to them with words of mans wisdom but in the demonstration of the spirit and power (1 Cor 2)). He said that when they received the word from them they received it not as the word of men but as the
word of God which effectually worketh in those that believe. When Peter was teaching and preaching the word to men, he had similar effect. We read that “
“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. “ Acts 10:44, and then the Holy Ghost was poured out to them that believed (Acts 10:45). Peters teaching or preaching to men, immersed them into the name of God ( the character, authority, divine influence, power life virtues revelation) of God
The apostles were baptized into Christ and the power to teach all nations. They were able by Gods grace to teach baptizing in the name, We see this in Acts
“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:32. The word they taught and preached was in the Spirit and pricked the hearts of those that heard it as Peter was teaching them of The Son Jesus Christ and his death for their sin baptizing them into the name Acts
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Jesus said that while he was with the disciples he taught and revealed the name of “
the Father” to them. Speaking of the Father, he said, “
I have manifested thy name unto the men which though gave me (John 17), and “
I have kept them in thy name . How do you keep someone in the name ( or character power life attributes virtue) of that name. This is by the power of the Spirit and through faith.
“We are kept by the power of God through faith” But they were particularly kept in the name or character, power, understanding and life of the Father. Jesus said he finished the work he was sent to do, he glorified the Father, John 17 verse.
The Father was revealed more fully through Jesus teaching. But now the Son has been more fully revealed also and the Holy Ghost more fully. So the teaching that will result in the baptizing (immersing) all nations into the name, is to reveal the full Godhead of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and his work. This is the work of the Spirit and Paul said God’s ministers are “
ministers of the spirit and not of the letter “ (verse 2 Cor and one more in there I think). This one God is revealed in three persons, this is called the trinity or Tri Unity. This trinity view did not begin with men, but was all through the bible and more fully revealed in the new Testament and commissioned by Jesus. This is the true God and his work and power will be known in all the earth.
When we say for example, that the
Father sent the
Son into the world and the Son (Jesus) died for our sins and was be burried and rose again from the dead, and that he will baptize us with the
Holy Ghost. This is just a sample of the type of teaching that all nations should be baptized into. This baptism teaching immerses them into the power life character and virtue of the Lord.
Paul said that the gospel of Christ was what they received when preached to them and how they got saved and keep saved
1 Cor. 15;1-4.. All through the New Testament we see the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost taught and revealed.
The word “
name” means “ character, authority” in Greek, 3686. The Lords character is expressed in many ways in the old Testament and the new. And this character is who he is and the attributes and virtue power life revelation of his glory etc. When God revealed aspects of his name they would come into a deeper relationship with Him. For example if he revealed himself as their deliverer or healer or provider or strength or as a mighty man of war etc. His name refers to many aspects of who he is. So to immerse all nations into the name is a profound and marvelous truth. This is done through the Power of the Spirit.
We read in scripture that
the name of the Lord is much more than a formula or spoken words over men in a water baptism. Scripture speaks of this in many places, for example we read :
” The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10 .
"The name of the Lord is as ointment poured forth.” “ and “
...I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me” John 17:11, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee” Psalms 9:10, “thy name is as ointment poured forth” Song of Solomon 1:3 . To run into the name of the Lord, and be kept in the name, is a far deeper revelation than a spoken formula in a ritual. The reader must ask, how are we kept in the name and how is the name of the Lord a strong tower that we run into?
We see this being baptized into the
name also referred to being baptized
in and into the name of Jesus Christ. To be baptized, (or immersed dipped as in a dye, covered whelmed) into a name, is to be in the character, authority, virtue, power, life, divine influence, and qualities of that name. To be baptized into the name Jesus Christ is to be in him and he in us and into the name of God our salvation. In fact believers are told that
whatever they do to do all in the name of the Lord jesus Christ. Does this doing all mean that they should go through their life and verbally quote a formula with everything they do? Does this mean that if a believer picks up some spilled groceries in a store they should say
“In the name of Jesus”, or when they pay at the counter they should say
“in the name of Jesus?” Or when they purchase some food at a restaurant they should say to the waiter
“in the name of jesus, or etc etc ? No this is not what it means.
To be in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be IN CHRIST, in his life as a new creation living from that new creation, this is the rule of our faith and practice. To live in the power life character and attributes of Christ is whatever we do in word or deed to come from Christ in us. Obviously whatever we do in word or deed has to do with what we DO and where the source of that doing comes from, which is God working in us to will and to do (Hebrews 13:20,21 KJV). It does not mean to verbally say with every word we speak “In the name of Jesus", imagine how that would sound if some took it literally. You meet a person and say “hello, in the name of Jesus, “MY”, in the name of Jesus, “Name” , in the name of Jesus, “Is” in the name of Jesus, “John”, in the name of Jesus”.
The character, word power ministry attributes of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost can be shown in many places as they are revealed in the New testament. But this would be an exhaustive study and the whole of the New testament speaks of the various work and operations of the three. Jesus spoke of these three yet one God in many places, when teaching ( or immersing the world into this name) . He spoke of the father many times and the Holy Ghost and his work. But in the new testament, the Holy Ghost has come and the fullness can we all receive, as Paul said “ of his fullness have we all received.
So this section of scripture is not speaking of a water baptism formula, as I see it from scripture and in truth. But the teaching is what baptizes them into the name or character power and life of the Father the Son and the holy Ghost. And so
“But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” Numbers 14:21, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Habakkuk 2:14. “And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72:19. And so Jesus says go teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the father the Son and the Holy Ghost ....
In the Book of Acts we read about some men who tried to use a formula, and said that they cast out devils in the name of Jesus whom Paul preached. The devil said they knew Jesus and Paul but they dd not know them. That is because they were not in the “name “ of jesus Christ, or in his power life attributes, Spirit authority new nature etc. It is not enough to just use a formula. Men must be in Christ to be baptized in the name.