Prior to the events in the book of Acts, most Jewish people believed that God was the God of Israel only, and that if the Gentiles wanted to worship the one true God, and enjoy the benefits and blessings of being the people of God, they needed to convert to Judaism and follow the Law of Moses. Even the disciples of Jesus believed that this was God’s plan for worldwide redemption.

The Hebrew Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus, however, reveal that God is the God of all people, and that all are welcome within their own nations and their own cultures to join the universal people of God. This idea is one of the primary truths that the book of Acts attempts to reveal. God is not the God of Israel only, but is the God of the entire world.

The book of Acts reveals that the Gospel invitation is for people of every tongue, tribe, and nation to fully participate in the Kingdom of God.

This theme is presented by Jesus to the disciples during the forty days after His resurrection and before He ascends to heaven. Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which would be different than the baptism of John (Acts 1:5). When they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, they would receive power to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the world (Acts 1:8).

The Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

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Baptism plays a crucial role in the story and plot development of the book of Acts. We will look at some of the critical passages in future posts, but first, we must make a few preliminary observations about the role of baptism in the book of Acts.

Baptisms in Acts

The difficulty with discussing baptism in the book of Acts is that the book refers to numerous different types of baptism. Take Acts 19:1-6 as an example. Within the span of six verses, three different types of baptism are mentioned, though in the passage, only two are called “baptism.” There is the baptism of John (19:3-4), the baptism into Jesus Christ (19:5), and the baptism of the Holy Spirit (19:2, 6). This third type is not specifically called “baptism” in Acts 19, but other passages do refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit as a baptism.

So as we look at the subject of baptism in Acts, we must recall that not all references to “baptism” refer to dunking somebody under water.

Decreasing Baptism

One other curious aspect about baptism in the book of Acts is that the number and frequency of baptisms decreases as the book progresses. This decreasing emphasis on baptism continues throughout the rest of the New Testament, until at one point, Paul specifically declares that he is glad that he baptized so few people because God didn’t send him to baptize, but to preach the Gospel (1 Cor 1:14-17). Paul elsewhere indicates that the real washing occurs with the water of the Word (Eph 5:26), and even Peter himself seems to disregard water baptism as having any real significance (cf. 1 Pet 3:21).

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Yesterday I suggested that Matthew 28:19-20 is not talking about water baptism at all, but is instead talking about being immersed into and fully identified with the teaching about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This is a shocking idea to some.

Baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

But let us assume then that the “traditional” reading is right, and that Jesus was teaching to the apostles  how new converts should be immersed under water as soon as possible, and that this baptism should be done in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

This is an easy assumption, since this is how most baptisms are performed today. When I was baptized as a teenager, my father (who is a pastor), before he plunged me under the water, said these words: “Jeremy, based on your confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Sploosh!

When I was a pastor, this is how I baptized everybody as well. It is a common formula and most of us are familiar with it.

How the Apostles Baptized

And yet, I think that if one of the apostles were present at such a baptism, they would tilt their head quizzically and say, “I know I’ve been dead for almost 2000 years, so please forgive my ignorance… But why are you baptizing someone in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit? The Son, Jesus, I understand. He died and rose for us, and baptism represents that. But why the Father and the Holy Spirit? Neither one died or rose. Why are you baptizing in their name also?”

We would stare back at them and say, “Weren’t you there when Jesus told you to do it this way? Isn’t this how you baptized also?”

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In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus instructs His apostles to go and make disciples, and then says this: “baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Since this is the statement that immediately follows the main command to “make disciples” people assume this means that the first step in making a disciple is getting them baptized.

But now that we have learned something about the meaning of the word “baptism,” is this really what Jesus is saying? Remember, whenever we see the word “baptism” in Scripture, we must not immediately think about dunking somebody under water, but must first remember what the word means, namely, “to be immersed, overcome, or fully identified with” something or somebody else. Then with this definition in mind, we must read the verse again.

In the case of Matthew 28:19-20, we end up with this:

Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them and fully identifying them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you…

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