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The Baptismal Formula: Difference between revisions
→What does the scriptural witness tell us?
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=The Question= | =The Question= | ||
We have received a number of questions that specifically relate to the baptismal | We have received a number of questions that specifically relate to the baptismal formula (the words said over the person being baptized). Here is an amalgam of some of the questions we have received: | ||
:''No one was ever baptized by the Apostles in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If it was permissible then surely there would be some record in scripture that baptism could or should be in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But this does not exist. | :''No one was ever baptized by the Apostles in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. If it was permissible then surely there would be some record in scripture that baptism could or should be in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But this does not exist. | ||
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=Answer= | =Answer= | ||
I do not believe that a person baptized in the | I do not believe that a person being baptized in a sincere attempt to follow the teachings of Jesus can be excluded from the body of Christ solely on following Matt 28:19 rather than the examples outlined in the book of Acts. What is important is not the exact words that are said. Rather, it is that it is clear that the person is making a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ through water baptism. It is important to understand that: | ||
#water baptism is not the means of salvation. The basis of condemnation is unbelief only. | #water baptism is not the means of salvation. The basis of condemnation is unbelief only. | ||
#Both the Acts 2:38 | #Baptism is "''the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone to heaven and is at the right-hand side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.''<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), 1 Peter 3:21–22.</ref> | ||
#Both the Acts 2:38 formula and the Matthew 28:19 formula are acceptable because they are both based in scripture. | |||
#While baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (or a similar variant) may be the preferred method of baptism for some, those espousing the Acts 2:38 formula cannnot exclude those baptized in accordance with Matthew 28:19. If someone comes to faith in Christ, publicly declares that faith, and is then baptized in the Matthew 28:19 formula as shown in example #2 above, there is no basis to excluded from the church on any reasonable grounds. ''"Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.''<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Sa 16:7.</ref> | #While baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (or a similar variant) may be the preferred method of baptism for some, those espousing the Acts 2:38 formula cannnot exclude those baptized in accordance with Matthew 28:19. If someone comes to faith in Christ, publicly declares that faith, and is then baptized in the Matthew 28:19 formula as shown in example #2 above, there is no basis to excluded from the church on any reasonable grounds. ''"Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.''<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Sa 16:7.</ref> | ||
We deal with this in more detail below. | We deal with this in more detail below. | ||
==The Scriptural Witness== | |||
Matthew 28:18-20 | |||
:''And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, '''baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit''', teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Mt 28:18–20.</ref> | |||
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.<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ac 2:38.</ref> | |||
Acts 8:14-16 | |||
:''Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been '''baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.'''<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ac 8:14–16.</ref> | |||
Acts 10:48 | |||
:''And he ordered them to be '''baptized in the name of Jesus Christ'''. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ac 10:48.</ref> | |||
Acts 19:5 | |||
:''On hearing this, they were '''baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus'''.<ref>The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ac 19:5.</ref> | |||
Romans 6:3 | |||
:''Or do you not know that all of us who have been '''baptized into Christ Jesus''' have been baptized into His death?<ref>New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ro 6:3.</ref> | |||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
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===Example #1=== | ===Example #1=== | ||
I attended a baptismal service in Hawaii a number of years ago and was asked to assist in the baptism of several new converts. I was astounded by the baptismal | I attended a baptismal service in Hawaii a number of years ago and was asked to assist in the baptism of several new converts. I was astounded by the baptismal formula that this pastor used. As the individual was immersed in water (in the ocean) the pastor said these words: | ||
:''I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I baptize you in the name of Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach. | :''I now baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I baptize you in the name of Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach. | ||
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If one leaves the message and does not re-examine all of their "message tainted" beliefs, it is likely they will be at odds with some of the beliefs that the church has always held. | If one leaves the message and does not re-examine all of their "message tainted" beliefs, it is likely they will be at odds with some of the beliefs that the church has always held. | ||
According to oneness teaching, the only valid baptism is in “Jesus’ name” and not “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Trinitarian baptism is seen as a Roman Catholic error that was forced on the church in the | According to oneness teaching, the only valid baptism is in “Jesus’ name” and not “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Trinitarian baptism is seen as a Roman Catholic error that was forced on the church in the Nicaean Creed in A.D. 325. Therefore, anyone who received Trinitarian baptism was not fully Christian.<ref>Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, 1901–2001 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001), 141.</ref> | ||
Please go to [[Did William Branham Teach Oneness?|our article on Oneness theology for detailed information on specific doctrinal issues]]. | Please go to [[Did William Branham Teach Oneness?|our article on Oneness theology for detailed information on specific doctrinal issues]]. | ||
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Our view is that you can't. | Our view is that you can't. | ||
= | ==What does the scriptural witness tell us?== | ||
What is clear from the scriptural references is that there was no "magic formula" for water baptism. There are no exact words that are required to be spoken. As opposed to what William Branham taught, there is certainly no requirement that when a person is baptized, the words must be spoken over them... "I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." | |||
There are a couple of additional points of interest. | |||
When Jesus stated “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...”, it is not “in the names of” but “in the name of.” The Greek is very clearly singular. There is only one name referenced. “The name” is used of Jesus and God in many places in the NT. This is the name of the one God, much as it says in Phil 2.9: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” | |||
The second is that the text uses “eis” (usually “into”) rather than “en” (usually “in”). This fits with the point that there are no magic words. It is not as if a specific formula for baptism is in mind. That would have required “en”. While “eis” can have the meaning of “en”, it has more the flavor of an almost directional movement into fellowship with the entity referred by “the name.” | |||
I think there is good textual reason for the conclusion that Matt 28:19 is not an alternative to the baptismal statements elsewhere in Acts but rather is entirely consistent with them. Baptism is “into” the fellowship of “the name.” | |||
: | |||
Finally, it is not very likely that Matt 28:19 contains the exact words of Jesus, of course, because he normally spoke in Aramaic not Greek, but we can assume that the translation was made as it is for good reason. | |||
It is also interesting to note that only in the book of Acts are there actual references to the baptismal formula. We can't really know what any of the other apostles said when they baptized converts | It is also interesting to note that only in the book of Acts are there actual references to the baptismal formula. We can't really know what any of the other apostles said when they baptized converts. What did Matthew say? We don't know. | ||
==When did the baptismal formula change?== | ==When did the baptismal formula change?== | ||
When was the first person baptized in the Trinitarian baptismal formula? | When was the first person baptized in the Trinitarian baptismal formula? We don't know. But it was certainly hundreds of years earlier than the date proposed by William Branham. Could it have been that some were baptizing in the Trinitarian formula during the time of the disciples? That is definitely possible. Again, we just don't know and it is impossible to arrive at any definitive conclusion. | ||
==Why did the baptismal formula change?== | |||
==Why did the baptismal | |||
If the primary formula for baptism changed, it was likely that it had to do with counteracting false teaching on the Godhead. | If the primary formula for baptism changed, it was likely that it had to do with counteracting false teaching on the Godhead. | ||
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"The Lord himself told his disciples that '''they should baptize all peoples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit''' . . . for indeed, '''legitimate baptism is had only in the name of the Trinity'''" (Commentary on Romans 5:8 - A.D. 248). | "The Lord himself told his disciples that '''they should baptize all peoples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit''' . . . for indeed, '''legitimate baptism is had only in the name of the Trinity'''" (Commentary on Romans 5:8 - A.D. 248). | ||
=Some baptismal formulas that would not be acceptable= | ===Reference to Polycarp=== | ||
It is true that Polycarp did get embroiled in the dispute over the date which Easter should be celebrated (see our article on the [[Controversy over the Date of Easter]]). | |||
However, this is strange given Paul's admonition in Colossians 2:16: | |||
:''Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.<ref>The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Col 2:16.</ref> | |||
==Some baptismal formulas that would not be acceptable== | |||
It is clear that someone baptized in the name of William Branham (yes, it happens) would not have undergone Christian baptism. | It is clear that someone baptized in the name of William Branham (yes, it happens) would not have undergone Christian baptism. | ||
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:''Given that you believe that God sent William Branham, the last prophet to the last age, I now baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." | :''Given that you believe that God sent William Branham, the last prophet to the last age, I now baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." | ||
If is clear that such baptism is not based on faith in Jesus Christ but rather in faith in William Branham as a prophet. | If is clear that such baptism is not based on faith in Jesus Christ but rather in faith in William Branham as a prophet. This is not what baptism is for. | ||
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[[Category: Unfinished articles]] | [[Category: Unfinished articles]] | ||