DAY 54
CHALLENGE
“Christians shouldn’t baptize using the Trinitarian formula. The Bible speaks of baptizing in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38, 8:12, 16, 10:48, 19:5).”
DEFENSE
These verses refer to the type of baptism, not the words used in the rite.
Jesus indicated the words to be used in baptism, saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
Referring to Christian baptism by these words would be very clunky, so there was a need for a shorter way to refer to it.
In part, this was because there were multiple baptisms in the New Testament period. Chief among these were ceremonial washings performed by non-Christian Jews (Lev. 14:8, 15:5–27, 16:4, 24–28, 17:15–16, 22:6; Num. 19:7–8, 19; Deut. 23:11), the baptism of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13–14, 21:25; Acts 1:22, 10:37, etc.), and the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16; John 4:1–2; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3–4, etc.). In addition, there were baptisms practiced by heretical sects and even pagans.
Consequently, there needed to be a way to refer to the Christian rite in just a few words. Since it was associated with Jesus, Luke refers to it as baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38, 8:12, 10:48) and “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16, 19:5).
But the Trinitarian formula was used in these cases, as shown when Paul baptizes some men in Ephesus. They had been evangelized by Apollos, who initially knew only John’s baptism (Acts 18:24–25). After Apollos departed (19:1), Paul met them and asked an important question: “‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said, ‘No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They said, ‘Into John’s baptism’” (19:2–3).
The fact that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit immediately caused Paul to question what baptism they had received. If it were Christian baptism, it would have used the Trinitarian formula and thus referred to the Holy Spirit. The only way they could have failed to hear of the Holy Spirit was if they had not received Christian baptism—and this proved true: They had received John’s. Paul then gave them Christian baptism.