BAPTISM FORMULAS

In relation to Matthew 28: 19,20

“Going, then, disciple all the nations, baptising the into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct YOU….” These are the express words of the risen Lord in the account of His ministry, but as one looks into the book of Acts, we find no account of baptism in which the Triune name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is employed. Yet the Apostles did baptise: the formula being in or into the name of the Lord or Jesus Christ. There are other places where the ACT of baptism is mentioned, directly or indirectly, the formula by implication is the same. These are : Acts 8:38. 9:18. (22:16 ) 16:15 ,33 and 18:8.

Yet on the other hand there stands the definite command in Matthew 28:19,20 as to discipling the nations into the Triune name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ‘difficulty’ is created by not observing and obeying the injunction of 2 Timothy 2: 15 as to “correctly partitioning the Word of truth”.

It arises by mixing up and confusing the secret economy of the Church or Ecclesia (Col 1:28) during the “times of the Gentiles” with the ordinances and observations of the “times of Messiah “ (Isaiah 33:6), with which the commands in Matthew 28:19,20 has clearly to do, as the discipling of the Nations, as nations, is expressly declared. It is the commission of the Jewish ministry at the end of this age. . There is nothing corresponding to this form of baptism in any of the passages mentioned before, all of which are connected with individuals or families. Inasmuch as the secret is the ‘mystery’ which was “kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25 Eph 3:9 Col 1:26 it follows logically that it must not be read into the gospels. The “discipling” work of Matthew 28:19,20 is national work; Its object to bring all nations into blessing with Israel. It has nothing to do with the present dispensation and the one baptism (Eph 4:5 ) of this secret economy.

This commission in Matthew takes up the proclamation of the kingdom of the heavens, left uncompleted in Matthew 10:5 -15, after the ecclesia has been caught up on high .(1 Thess 4: 13-18). Therefore, the baptism in or into the name of the Lord Jesus in Acts was a continuation of John’s baptism for a while, that is during the transitional period of Acts until the final rejection of Israel (Acts 28:25 -28) and the secret economy was revealed and fully proclaimed by and through Paul’s revelations (Eph 3;3 ). Then, the baptism of Ephesians 4:5 supervened and still maintains. The apostles must have known the meaning of this commission and its future reference when the Lord “opens up their understanding” Luke 24:25.

This explanation does no violence to the Word of God. It does not oppose, attack by word or argument (impugn) the intelligence of the disciples. It leaves each of the several scriptures unscathed and in its proper place and each as being absolute truth. What it really “touches” is the “traditions of men” and the teaching thereon.