BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Baptism in the name of Jesus: The name of Jesus Christ in the great commission

Baptism in the name of Jesus in the great commission

Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

And he said to them: These are the words that I spoke to you, while I was still with you: that it was necessary that all that is written about me in the law of Moses, in the prophets and in the psalms should be fulfilled. Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures; and he said to them: Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day; and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things (Luke 24:44-48).

The great commission, as recounted by the evangelists Mark and Luke, revolves around the figure and name of Jesus. Similarly, if we read the great commission as expounded by the evangelist Matthew, we see that the entire exposition revolves around the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 28:17 says that the disciples worshiped Jesus. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says that he has all power in heaven and on earth, power that according to the apostle Paul, is linked to the name of Jesus, which is the name above all names (Philippians 2: 9-11). .

Matthew 28:19 refers to baptism in the name of Jesus

In Matthew 28:20, Jesus commands us to keep all his teachings and promises to be with his people every day until the end of the world. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to make disciples and baptize them in one name (not many names), that is, baptism in the name of Jesus.

Since the same Scripture commands us to do all things of obedience to faith in the name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17), that the name of Jesus is the name that is above all names (Philippians 2:9-11) , that Jesus is the only name in which we can be saved (Acts 4:11-12), that the parallel passages of the great commission revolve around the figure and the name of Jesus (Mark 16:14-17, Luke 24:44-48), and that the great commission as expounded by Matthew revolves around the Lord Jesus, we conclude that the only name referred to in Matthew 28:19 is Jesus.

And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and on earth. Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:17-20).

The great commission and baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

The great commission tells us that Jesus sent to baptize in ONE NAME, the NAME OF JESUS. Next, we will analyze that Father is not a name, but a role of God, in the same way that my name is not a father, but a role that I play by having children. The same could be done for the other titles of Son and Holy Spirit.

The revelation of the Name of the Father in baptism in the name of Jesus

the name of the father

The One God is called the Father, because he is the Origin and Creator of all things (Isaiah 64:8, Revelation 4:11), because he is the Sustainer and Caretaker of his people (1 Chronicles 29:10, Isaiah 63: 16, James 1:17), and because he has adopted born-again believers as his sons (Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 1:5; 12:9). So, Father is not a name, but a role that makes sense when we understand all these functions of God mentioned above.

Since Father is not a name, then what is the name of the Father? An answer that can immediately come to mind is JEHOVAH. Perhaps that name comes to mind, given the thousands of times it appears in our Spanish versions of the Bible; However, this name “Jehovah” is a Latinization that was made from the tetragrammaton (YHWH).

The correct pronunciation of the name of God revealed in the Old Testament and represented by these four Hebrew syllables is still disputed. Many say that it should be something like YAVÉ, others YVÉ, and others YVY, but that is a separate topic.

YHWH means “I AM THAT I AM” Where does this name come from? Let’s see the biblical texts where God began to present himself with that name.

God still spoke to Moses, and said to him: I am the LORD. And I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as Almighty God, but in my name JEHOVAH I did not make myself known to them (Exodus 6:2-3).

Notice that it is MOSES when he first introduces himself as YHWH. Never before had this name been presented to the chosen lineage. How does this name appear before Exodus? Well, very easy! MOSES WROTE THE GENESIS after having had the encounter with YHWH.

But, how was the episode in which he made himself known as YHWH to Moses?

“Moses feeding the sheep of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, led the sheep through the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush; and He looked, and saw that the bush was burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Then Moses said: I will go now and see this great vision, why does the bush not burn. Seeing Jehovah that He was about to see, God called him out of the midst of the bush, and said: Moses, Moses! And He answered: Here I am. And he said: Do not come near; remove your shoes from your feet, because the place where you are is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God. Then said Jehovah: I have well seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their exactors; for I have known their anguish, and have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land to a good and broad land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the places of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the from the Perizzite, from the Heveo and from the Jebuseo.

The cry, then, of the children of Israel has come before me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, therefore, now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

Then Moses answered God: Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He answered: Go, for I will be with you; and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

Moses said to God: Behold, I come to the children of Israel, and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you. If they ask me: What is his name? What will I answer? And God answered Moses: I AM THAT I AM. And he said: Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you.

Furthermore, God said to Moses: Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; with Him I will be remembered forever” (Exodus 3:1-15).

If one is careful to read this text, Moses asked to know the name of the God he was going to represent, and God tells him: “I AM WHO I AM”. With this name he should be remembered forever, but we know that the maximum fulfillment of all God’s revelation was given in Jesus.

In Jesus, the divine name took on a new splendor for the period of Grace, since Jesus means YHWH Savior, or Jehovah has become our salvation. Jesus, in Hebrew is Yeshuwah, and the Hebrew word for salvation is virtually identical.

For further understanding, note how YHWH is embedded in the Hebrew name Yeshuwah. Similarly, all the sacrifices of the Law, the burning of incense and keeping the Shabbat, are forever remembered in Jesus.

Now we do not practice these rites ceremonially, but in Christ Jesus we observe them, because when we accept Him we have resorted to the virtue of His redemptive sacrifice, when we pray to Him we raise the incense pleasing to God, and when we remain in the life that Christ gave us. He offers us to enjoy his rest, of which the seventh day was only a shadow.

God promised to reveal his name

Baptism in the name of Jesus: God revealed his name

Although God revealed his name to Moses, he promised to reveal his name with greater splendor during the period of Grace, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the following about the coming of the promised Messiah.

Therefore my people (SAYS THE LORD) will know my name for this cause on that day; for I myself who speak, behold, I will be present. How beautiful are on the mountains the feet of the one who brings joyful news, the one who publishes peace, the one who brings good news, the one who publishes health, the one who says to Zion: Your God reigns! Voice of your watchmen: they will raise their voice, together they will retire; for eye to eye they will see how the Lord returns to bring Zion. Sing praises, rejoice together, the solitudes of Jerusalem: because the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. Jehovah has bared the arm of his holiness before the eyes of all nations; and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:6-10 KJV)