Acts 3:16 = There’s power in the name of Jesus Act. 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
We, in the Pentecostal Holiness Church tend to shy away from Act. 2:38. You seldom hear our preachers preach it or even mention it in preaching. One of the reasons, we say, is that we don’t want to be thought of as, or be associated with, the Apostolic or Oneness or “Jesus Only” doctrine.
I’m here to declare unto you that Act. 2:38 says exactly the same thing as Matt. 28: 19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Even the Book of Luke declares in Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,…”
When we baptize in water, we use Matt. 28:19 because those words are in “RED LETTERS” and Jesus spoke them. Luke 24:47 was in RED LETTERS also, by the way. Why would what Matthew had to say be any more important or Scripturally inspired than what Luke had to say? I’m here to tell you that Jesus also spoke the words in Act. 2:38 by the Holy Ghost and caused them to be declared by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, for ALL scripture is given by the Holy Ghost, and inspired by Him. The Bible also teaches us that the Holy Ghost teaches or inspires ONLY what Jesus tells him to. (John 15:26) The Apostolic, on the other hand, baptize according to Act. 2:38 because they think we believe in three gods. But, the Bible says there is one God, and one mediator between God and man which is Christ Jesus.
What is the problem? The problem is, many of us don’t understand the meaning of the word NAME in these two scripture passages. In both passages of Scripture, NAME is used in the singular since. It is not used to denote three individuals but one person, and one authority; the person and authority of Jesus Christ; For there is no other name, given among men under Heaven, whereby we must be saved.
The Greek word for name in Matt. 28:19 and Acts 2:38 is exactly the same word. It is the Greek word, onoma, and according to Thayer’s Definition, the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc. Jesus Christ is ALL and in ALL. God has given him a name which is above EVERY name.
The Bible says in 1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the word (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Then over in the book of St. John 1, we read, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” You see, you can’t separate the working of God The Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Ghost any more than you can the togetherness of man’s spirit, soul and body. They are three which work as one and without any one of those, they cease to exist. Therefore, when you baptize, either Scripture is valid because they mean exactly the same thing. When you baptize in the name of The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost, you are baptizing in the name of Jesus! The Scripture tells us that whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col. 3:17)
The Trinity believing Church does not have to shy away from Acts 2:38 any more than the Apostolic Church has to shy away from Matt. 28:19. Now I know there are other differences in belief and Doctrine, but I am addressing this particular subject of NAME in these two passages of Holy Scripture.
I truly believe our Pentecostal churches of today spend more time debating or arguing over what name to baptize in than we do actually getting people saved. By the way, baptism, in itself, does not save anyone. Water baptism is a rite subsequent to repentance and/or a Born Again spiritual experience of regeneration. Therefore, what is spoken is not as important as the baptism itself.
We also need to correctly understand the proper order of authority of the Godhead. There is God The Father, Jesus Christ The Son, and The Holy Ghost; in that order. The Father is the Supreme head of the Godhead. The Father has given the Son, Jesus, all power and authority in Heaven and earth until the end time (Matt. 28:18) See also: 1 Pet.3:22. At such time as the end comes, Jesus will turn all authority back over to the Father, being subject to Him, and rule the Heavenly Kingdom (1 Cor. 15:24). The Holy Ghost is the third person in the Godhead chain of authority and was sent back to dwell within us with power when Jesus went to be with the Father in Heaven after his resurrection. The Holy Ghost is not higher than the Father, neither is He more important than The Son. Each has their proper place in the workings of the Godhead. There should never be more emphases put on the Holy Ghost or his spiritual baptism than on the Son, Jesus; for Jesus is the highest authority there is! The baptism of the Holy Ghost is important to believers today, but is never more important than salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son.
I truly believe that if we can properly understand the authority and working of the Godhead, we can properly understand the meaning of the word, NAME, in Acts 2:38 and Matt. 28:19; and yes, Luke 24:47 as well. Each of these Scriptures was Divinely inspired by the same Holy Ghost.
Don Woolett, Nov. 2016
More Scriptural References
1 Jn. 2:22-23 = If you deny the Son, you deny the Father also
Col. 1:15-19 = Who is Jesus?
John 14:10 = Jesus’ authority comes from the Father
Phil. 2:5-11 = A name above every name
Matt. 28:18 = Jesus has ALL power
1 Jn. 4:4 = He’s greater in us than who’s in the world