The Great Commission and the Apostles’ Practice

The final Trinitarian argument we will address comes from the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19: “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.” Some interpret this as a command to use three separate names for baptism, proving a three-person godhead. However, a close look at the text and the practice of the apostles reveals a different truth.

  • The Singular “Name”: The most crucial point here is that Jesus says to baptize “in the name” (singular, Greek: onoma) not “in the names” (plural) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This singular “name” points to a singular authority and a singular God. It means the authority of all three titles resides in one name.

  • The Apostles’ Practice: The book of Acts, which documents the fulfillment of the Great Commission, provides the practical, apostolic interpretation of Jesus’s command. The apostles never baptized using the formula “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Instead, they consistently baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

    • Acts 2:38: Peter commands, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”

    • Acts 8:16: The Samaritans were “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

    • Acts 10:48: Peter commands the Gentiles to be “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

    • Acts 19:5: Paul re-baptizes disciples who were only baptized in John’s baptism, instructing them to be “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

  • What Did Jesus Mean? The apostles’ practice is the definitive answer to this question. The titles “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” are not proper names but titles or roles that reveal the nature of the one God. They describe God as our Creator and Source (the Father), God manifested in a human body (the Son), and God’s indwelling power and mind (the Holy Spirit). The one, all-encompassing name that holds the authority of all three of these roles is Jesus. He is the one God manifested for our salvation. To be baptized “in the name of Jesus” is to be baptized into the very authority and identity of the one true God who is our Father, our Savior, and our Spirit.

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