Q: In one of your (www.GotQuestions.org) answers, it was stated that "people have been baptized in the trinity since the beginning", but I see no indication of this, only that they were baptized in JESUS name. The word TRINITY is not mentioned in the Bible, so is Baptizing in JESUS NAME the same as BAPTIZING in the name of THE FATHER SON AND HOLY GHOST? Everyone that I can find in scripture was baptized in JESUS NAME.
A: Thank you for your question. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." Therefore, a verse like this might be the reason behind what was stated in the answer you reference in your question. While the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible, the Trinity is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Honestly, regardless of whether someone is baptized in the name of Jesus only or in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it really doesn't make much difference to God. However, let me suggest to you something that you may not have even heard before. Water baptism, regardless of how it is done or whose name(s) it is done in, is not necessary for a Christian to partake in. Often times water baptism is portrayed as one of two things. It is either necessary for salvation or it is the "first act of obedience" after one is saved. Neither are true. And it all starts with a misunderstanding of the Gospel and the history and purpose of water baptism.
John the Baptist said, "I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8)." The baptism John was engaged in was to identify the Messiah to the Nation of Israel. Secondly, you see he makes a distinction between water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can be summarized as sin, death, forgiveness and the restoration of life. When God created Adam the Bible records, "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7)." The "breath of life" mentioned is the very life of God, the Holy Spirit. Then God warned Adam that "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die (Genesis 2:17)." We know Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. However, the death He experienced was a spiritual death as God removed His life from Adam that was breathed into him. Adam didn't have any children before he sinned, therefore, all his children and, subsequently, all mankind are born without the life of God indwelling us. We are born spiritually dead to God in the image of Adam (Genesis 5:3).
God, in His love for us, wanted to restore His life to us that was lost in Adam. However, before He could do that, He had to deal with the sin that caused Him to remove His life. That is why Jesus Christ, the only man born with a life to give for our sins, had to die. That is why John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" Once Jesus Christ had died the debt of sin owed to God had been paid. Now God was able to offer His life back to man as a free gift. This life was made available to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the resurrected life of Jesus Christ, restored to us through faith in Him, that saves us. "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Romans 5:10)!" Therefore, the baptism that is important is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is a one time act that occurs at salvation. The life of God is restored to us and because of the death of Jesus Christ, that life is an eternal life and will never leave us again. This is what must be understood in order to put water baptism in its proper context.
Most of the first Christians were Jewish converts to the faith. The Jews had a practice of ritual cleansing, water baptism, that they practiced. They believed that Gentiles, who were thought to be unclean, had to first become Jews in order to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Thus, the practice of water baptism found its way into the practice of the early church. However, when Peter realized that Gentiles did not have to first become Jews to be saved he made an interesting proclamation in Acts 11. "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God (Acts 11: 15-17)?" Peter realized that it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the restoration of the life of God, that saves, not water baptism. Many Christians do not realize this truth and thus have elevated water baptism to the position it holds today.
Therefore, when you read a verse like Matthew 28:19, realize that Jesus is not commanding water baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is telling the disciples to go out and preach the Gospel, identifying people with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through faith in Him. Water baptism can be an incredible picture of salvation; the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, it is not necessary to partake in regardless of how it is done or the names invoked during the process. "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism ... (Ephesians 4:4-5)" There is clearly "one baptism" that is important to a Christian. It is either water baptism or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Remember, we have one Lord, Jesus Christ, one faith, in Jesus Christ, and one baptism, by Jesus Christ. Therefore, people have been baptized from the beginning in the Trinity. These are people who have recognized that we have one God, who has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and through faith in Jesus Christ have been restored to Him through receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Grace and Peace
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