Baptized
in the name of
Jesus
Gail Hope, RN
What does Baptism represent?
Why is it important to be baptized in the Name of Jesus?
Rom 6:3 Know ye
not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his (Jesus Christ’s) death?
4 Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like
as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.
[Full]
5 For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his (Jesus Christ) death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with him (Jesus Christ),
that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which
are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with him in glory.
[Full]
1 Peter 3:20 ...in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing,
wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,)
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Why is baptism compared to circumcision?
Col 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ.
9 For in him (Jesus Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
1Cor 11:3 God is the head of Christ.
John 3:35 God the Father has given all things to His Son.
Rom 8:32 He will also freely give us all things.
Eph 3:19 So that we also can be filled with all the fullness of God.
1Cor 2:16 We have the mind, the spirit of Christ as our fullness.
Matt 11:27 But the Son has all power and authority of the Father given by inheritance to him.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are
circumcised with the circumcision made without hands,
in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
*
12 Buried with him (Jesus Christ)
in baptism, wherein ye are risen with him (Jesus Christ)
through the faith of the operation of God, (The Father) who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh,
hath he (The
Father) quickened together with him
(Jesus Christ),
having forgiven you all trespasses;
Baptism is death to the old man, the old life.
Circumcision is a separation and death to the flesh.
Deut 30:6 And the
Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,
to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Why is it important for us to be covered with blood?
Who was it that shed His blood on our behalf? In light of what Jesus does for us,
the following examination of what the blood actually accomplishes is enlightening.
Functions of Blood
As a nurse the thought of being covered with someone else’s blood is not a
pleasant thought,
but this is what Jesus requires of us in order to be saved.
What are the functions of the blood?
How does this fit into the plan of
salvation?
1. It brings oxygen to all the cells
Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Job 12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Acts 17:25 he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
2. It gives protection via the white cells
Ps 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Ps 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Ps 34:7
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about
them that fear him, and delivereth them.
[Full]
Ps 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort:
thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation?
3. It brings nutrition to all the cells.
John 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Matt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matt 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
John 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from
heaven.
4. It cleanses and eliminates waste.
Ps 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Ps 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
[Full]
Rev 7:14 These are they which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he (Jesus) hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Col 1:20 �And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself;
by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Heb 10:19
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us,
[Full]
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1 Peter 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for
you,
*21 Who by him (Christ Jesus) do believe in God (The Father), that raised him (Christ Jesus) up from the dead,
and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 John 5:6.
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth
(John 14:6...
I am the way, the truth, and the life...
i.e., the spirit of truth is the Spirit of Christ)
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
spirit, and water, and the blood: and these
three agree in one.
The three are the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9 if
you have not the spirit of Christ, you are none of His), the watery grave of Baptism
and covered with the blood of Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.
Col 1:13
Who (The Father)
hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him (Jesus Christ)
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him,
and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The Father certainly could have created all things by Himself, but HE chose to
share it with HIS only begotten Son who brought Him joy and pleasure. EGW says
in Patriarchs and Prophets, pp 34,
The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had
an
associate a co-worker
who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created
beings.
And on page 36 says:
“The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their
presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings.
The Son of God shared the Father's throne,
and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both”
Why, if God is Triune, does she mention only two?
John 1:3
All things were made by him (Jesus
Christ); and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Heb 1:2
God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he (The Father) hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom (Jesus Christ) also
he (The
Father) made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his (The Father’s) glory,
and the express image of his
(Father’s) person, and upholding all things by the word
of his (the Father's) power, when he (Jesus Christ) had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty (His Father) on high...
10 And, Thou, Lord (Jesus Christ), in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.
Ps 77:13 Thy way O God, is in the sanctuary.
Baptism is not about the Father, it is about the accomplishments of Jesus alone. HE
took on human flesh, HE walked this earth with all temptations man would ever face
without sin. He was baptized in water, by John the Baptist at the beginning of
HIS ministry, (as was required by every Levite who ministered in the Sanctuary)
and no one else. He died, was buried and arose. Baptism is symbolic of
Jesus. This is why we are to be Baptized into HIS NAME.
It is important to understand the dependence Jesus has upon HIS Father. When He came
to earth HE set aside all of HIS Godly powers in order to teach man that
through the power of HIS Father, all things are possible, even
overcoming sin. What He could do through HIS Father, we can do as well. HE
proved this through HIS ministry on earth which is in Sanctuary terms the outer court.
Walk as HE walked,
follow HIS example. HE showed us what to do and how to do it. Then HE went
into the inner court where HE became our Sacrifice on the Altar of Sacrifice.
Here we come to HIM just as we are, as filthy rags. HE loves us too much to leave us in that condition,
so HE washes us in the
Laver, baptizing us in HIS precious name.
Remember the story of the man in Matt 12:43,44, where he swept his house clean of the
evil spirit but neglected to fill it with God’s Spirit and the demon returned
with more evil spirits than before. So God’s sanctuary plan
is to bring us into the Holy Place where we are
to eat the Word from the two equal stacks of Shew bread on the Table that sits on the North side and
has two crowns, The Father and the Son sit on their throne on the side of the
north. We are to eat the word of God and digest it.
However, we must also remember that there are three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place.
If we focus only on one, ie.,
the menorrah, the lamps, the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, then we may misunderstand its message.
This is why there are so many different denominations and different interpretations of the Bible.
We must also incorporate the
Altar of Incense which is located next to the Vail that separates the Holy from the Most Holy Place.
Christ is our intercessor and our Mediator (1 Tim 2:5 our only mediator) and our Advocate who
hears our prayers and guides us through the scriptures teaching us all truth through HIS Holy Spirit.
If we neglect to read and study, trusting prayer alone being ignorant of the Word, we will easily be misled as well and this is why we must have Jesus guides us through the scriptures. Never read the Word without prayer. There is however another important piece of furniture in the holy place and it is the Menorah or Lamp. As we study and are in close contact with our God through HIS precious Son, and we don’t share it with others, we are not following in the walk of Christ for this was HIS soul reason for coming to this earth and paying the penalty for our sins, and that is sharing the gospel in order to reach each one of us. The next compartment is the Most Holy Place where Judgement is in process, we are to be judged by the law that lies in the Ark of the Covenant. Once HE is finished HE will come to gather HIS children and take us home.
It was Jesus who left heaven, laid aside HIS Godly power, and came to teach us the Way.
Jesus is our example. We are to walk as HE walked.
Jesus sacrificed HIS life for us; HE is the one who paid the price for our sins!
It was Jesus who rose from the dead and we Hope one day to rise and meet HIM in the clouds of glory.
Baptism is the ritual that summarizes what Jesus did for us.
Therefore, it is understandable why the scriptures tell us to baptize in the name of Jesus.
HIS Father suffered and sacrificed as much as did Jesus, maybe even more so,
for HE had to observe without helping HIM accomplish their goal to save us.
Nevertheless, it was Jesus alone who accomplished our Salvation.
It was Jesus who was born in the flesh and walked this earth, not the Father.
It was Jesus who paid the penalty for sin, dying on the cross
of Calvary. Rightfully so, we should be baptized in the name of Jesus.
Every New Testament Baptism
Every baptism conducted in the New Testament was performed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 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. [Full]
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women...
*16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water,
both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Acts 19:4 Then
said Paul,...saying unto the people, that they should believe
on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
*Rom 6:3. Not only were you baptized into Jesus Christ,
1 Cor 6:11
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God.
Drinking of One Spirit
1 Cor 12:13
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Paul is here referring back to chapter 10 where he says:
1 Cor 10:1-4
All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
And were all baptized unto Moses, in the cloud and in the sea;
And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
And did all drink the same spiritual drink:
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ!
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The water than they drank, was the Spirit that flowed from the Rock which was Christ.
They were baptized into Christ and drank of His Spirit.
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. [Full]
10 If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin;
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
There are three spirits referenced here: the spirit of man, the Spirit of
God (the Father) and the Spirit of Christ. Man was made in the image
of God (Gen 1:26,27) Jesus was made in the image of His Father (Heb 1:3; 1Cor 15:45).
There is only one text that disagrees with baptizing in the name of Jesus.
Sadly, this is the most used verse of all when baptizing.�
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:
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.
There is a companion or complementary text to this text found in Mark 16:15,
but it does not include baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Leaving out these words as shown below, let's continue the comparison. Some bible scholars believe that these words were added by a scribe because they were not included in older manuscripts.
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
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.
The line drawn through these words is to show what was, or may have been added.
Without the underlined words it harmonizes perfectly with Mark 16:15.
All power is given given Him in earth and heaven:
Go ye therefore and teach all nations,
baptizing them, and teaching them.
Lo, He is with you, even to the end.
[Full]
One Text: Only One Witness
Matthew 28:19 is the only text that states we are to be baptized into the Name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost. There are six references, already mentioned,
that state we are to be baptized in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ.
Based on the weight of evidence, it appears that one should be baptized in the Name of Jesus.
Ellen White quoted Matthew 28:19 many times. But she also explained what these words meant to her.
Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the Father (John 14:9). Therefore, the
Father has a body and a spirit because Jesus was his very image and has a body
and Spirit. Man who was made in Their image also has a body and a spirit.
Mark says that we are to go and teach all nations and he that believes
and is baptized shall be saved." First we share the gospel to all and then by choice those
who believe shall be saved.
Matthew says go to all nations, teach all (virtually identical to Mark) and
baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...
and then teaching them to observe all things. It leaves out those who believe and accept Jesus as their Savior.
Sadly this is practiced in the church today, many are
baptized and continue in their worldly ways because they don’t know or
understand what the bible teaches. Sometimes it is all about numbers.
This contradicts Mark. Mark says we are to go to all nations and [teach the gospel,
i.e., teach or preach] and THEN baptize those who believe. Matthew says
go and baptize, but leaves out if they believe... Big difference.
Some authorities
believe that the words that have a line drawn through were added by
a scribe to support the Catholic belief in the Trinity. If these words were
not included the two verses harmonize perfectly. Matt 28 simply would have
omitted baptizing them which is inferred would be done as a result of their
belief.
The historical riddle is not solved by Matthew 28:19, since, according to a wide scholarly consensus,
it is not an authentic saying of Jesus, not even an elaboration of a Jesus-saying on baptism.
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. 1, 1992, page 585
There is a good possibility that in its original form, as witnessed by the ante-Nicene Eusebian form,
the text read "make disciples in my name" (see Conybeare). This shorter reading preserves the symmetrical
rhythm of the passage, whereas the triadic formula fits awkwardly into the structure as one might expect
if it were an interpolation. Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 33B, Matthew 14-28;
Donald A. Hagner, 1975, pp 887-888
Critical scholarship, on the whole, rejects the traditional attribution of the tripartite baptismal
formula to Jesus and regards it as of later origin. Undoubtedly then the baptismal formula originally
consisted of one part and it gradually developed into its tripartite form.
The Philosophy of the Church Fathers, Vol. 1, Harry Austryn Wolfson, 1964, p. 143
Matthew 28:19 There is, however, grave doubt whether they may be the ipsissima verba [actual words] of Jesus.
The evidence suggests that baptism in early Christianity was administered, not in the threefold name,
but in the name of Jesus Christ or in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible 1962, Vol. 1, p. 351
A whole group of exegetes and critics have recognized that the opening declaration of Matt. 28:18 demands
a Christological statement to follow it: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me"
leads us to expect as a consequence, "Go and make disciples unto Me among all the nations,
baptising them in My name, teaching them to observe all things I commanded you."
In fact, the first and third clauses have that significance: it looks as thought the second clause has
been modified from a Christological to a Trinitarian formula in the interests of the liturgical tradition.
G.R. Beasley-Murray, Baptism in the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962, p. 83
It cannot be directly proved that Jesus instituted baptism, for Matthew 28:19 is not a saying of the Lord...
Baptism in the Apostolic age was in the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 1:13; Acts 19:5).
We cannot make out when the formula in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit emerged."
Adolph Harnack, History of Dogma, Vol. 1, 1958, p. 79
The New Testament knows only baptism in the name of Jesus which still
occurs even in the second and third centuries. The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia
of Religious Knowledge, 1957 edition, Vol. I, p. 435
Catholics acknowledge that baptism in Jesus’ name was changed by the Catholic church.
Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 2, page 377
“Jesus, however, cannot have given his disciples this Trinitarian order of baptism
after his resurrection; for the New Testament knows only baptism in the name of Jesus
(Acts ii, 38; viii, 16; xix, 5; Gal. iii, 27; Rom. vi, 3; I Cor. i, 13-15), which still occurs even in the
second and third centuries, while the Trinitarian formula occurs only in Matt. xxviii, 19 and then only
again Didache vii, 1 and Justin, Apol., i, 61. It is unthinkable that the Apostolic Church thus
disobeyed the express command of the Lord, which it otherwise considered the highest authority.
Occurrences like those of Acts xix, 1-7 ought to have shown that the prescribed formula of baptism
could not have been shortened to ‘the name of the Lord Jesus,’ if the character of baptism
was to be retained as commanded. Judging from I Cor. i, 14-17, Paul did not know Matt. xxviii, 19;
otherwise he could not have written that Christ had sent him not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.”
Encyclopedia Britannica 1914 edition, Vol. 1 Article: Baptism
Review & Herald, Oct 26, 1897 par. 9
Two Personals and a sent.
Three in Heaven and Three in Earth
There is another verse that is often believed to support the
Trinitarian belief. Some Bibles versions, however, have the inserted words italicized with an explanation
in the margin stating, “these words were not found in the original text but were added.”
Even the SDA Bible Commentary Vol 7 p. 675, confirms this.
1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth,
the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
Now compare the text without the added words:
1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth,
the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
The added words don’t flow with the surrounding verses. It actually makes more sense the way it reads and flows when the “added words” are left out. Let’s continue by noting the context of this chapter,�and how these words relate to Jesus and His Father or to an additional separate individual.
1 John 5:1
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
and every one that loveth him that begat (the Father) loveth him also that is begotten of him (the Son).
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he (Jesus)
that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by
water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
Let’s look at this carefully. The three that the following verse (verse7) refers to is the spirit, the water,
and the blood. We know that Jesus is truth, for He, Himself said so in John 14:6. The Spirit of Truth does not
belong to another separate individual, but belongs to whomever is Truth, and Jesus said HE is truth.
Jesus comes to us through His own Spirit. We are baptized symbolically in water and we are covered
by the blood of Jesus.
Three bear record and three bear witness. So far, the preceeding verses are speaking about the
relationship God has with HIS Son. These three items are what is necessary for baptism: the Spirit of Truth
(which is the Spirit of Jesus), the water, and the blood. Verses 7 & 8 flow naturally by
saying that these three bear record and witness of Jesus.
The inserted words, “In heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost” have not
been included thus far in the conversation or text and are totally out of place. Even
the SDA Commentary confirms this was not included in the original manuscripts.
Continuing with the following verses, notice the focus on God and His Son.
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater:
for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Here we see “on the name of the Son of God” twice. Matt 28:19 and John 5:7 are the only texts that disagree with the rest of Scripture. Once again, the weight of evidence, supports the truth that we should be baptized in the name of Jesus.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him (Jesus) that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and
he (Jesus) shall give him life
for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself,
and that wicked one toucheth him not.
19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him
(the Father) that is true,
and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and
eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Who is Him that is true?
John 17:3 the one true God, the Father
1Thes 1:9 the living and true God (who has a Son, verse 10)
1Cor 8:6 We are in Him that is true
John ends his first epistle by recapitulating with the theme at its beginning.
"the true God" is the Father which "the Word was with in the beginning," "eternal life" is
"that eternal life which was with the Father" in the beginning, 1John 1:2.
Who is Truth? To whom does the Spirit of
Truth and the Spirit of Life belong?
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness.
The above verses state that we cannot be saved without the Spirit of Christ.
We know that both God the father and HIS Son have a Spirit, and their Spirit is Holy.
Man was made in their image, Gen 1:26,27. The omnipresence of Christ and God the Father is
spiritual not physical. They communicate with us through Their Holy Spirit or
Holy Ghost.� Jesus himself says that HE is truth and Life, it is logical that
the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Life are HIS Spirit, since if we do not
have the spirit of Christ, as Romans 8:9 states, we are none of HIS. This whole
chapter supports Jesus’ ministry and His relationship with His Father. The
only Trinitarian statement is the addition of “the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost:
and these three are one.” Nothing else in 1John chapter 5 indicates a Trinity,
except these additional words.
Read All the Bible For Yourself
It is important to search the scriptures read the chapter as a whole. In fact,
the entire epistle of 1John is entirely focused on the Father and His Son, God and the Word,
that eternal life which was with the Father (verse 2), becasue our fellowship is with the Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ (verse 3).
Taking one or two verses, which are both questionable, and setting doctrine on them when the weight
of evidence doesn’t support the conclusion, is dangerous; it is merely accepting man’s interpretation.
We must search out all scripture for ourselves, asking for the Holy Spirit of Christ to guide and direct us
as we study the Word of God and to direct us into all truth. Don’t follow any man,
don’t follow me!
Acts 17:11 ...they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Prov 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man,
and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
2 Thess 2:10-11 because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie:
We are each responsible to search these things out with an open mind.
Much of the time we are so ingrained with something that we
approach the scripture with a preconceived opinion and we miss what God is
teaching us in His Word. My advice is not to trust anyone but Jesus. My whole
intent is to open to you something that you should investigate for yourself,
check all references, earnestly ask God to unveil the truth concerning this
important subject. And if you find what I have put together to be wrong then
please share with me, I am a truth seeker.
I doubted these things at one time when it was presented to me, and I am still searching for more evidence.�
I was born Catholic and if I didn’t have a curious mind and didn’t heed to God’s Holy Spirit,
I would still be going to church on Sunday. The Fundamental Beliefs were made up by men,
the first that mentioned the Trinity was in 1931. Ellen White died in 1915.
�That was about 16 years after her death when no original pioneers were alive.
The Fundamentals became even more detailed in the 1980’s.
But these are merely the “traditions of men,” not God.
The Bible contains our creed and discipline. It thoroughly furnishes the man of God
unto all good works. What it has not revealed relative to church organization
and management, the duties of officers and ministers, and kindred subjects,
should not be strictly defined and drawn out into minute specifications for the
sake of uniformity, but rather be left to individual judgment under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. Had it been best to have a book of directions of this
sort, the Spirit would doubtless have gone further, and left one on record with
the stamp of inspiration upon it. Man cannot safely supplement this matter with
his weak judgment. All attempts to do it in the past have proved lamentable
failures. A variation of circumstances requires variation in action. God
requires us to study important principles which he reveals in his word, but the
minutiae in carrying them out he leaves to individual judgment, promising
heavenly wisdom in times of need. His ministers are constantly placed where
they must feel their helplessness, and their need of seeking God for light,
rather than to go to any church manual for specific directions, placed therein
by other uninspired men. Minute, specific directions tend to weakness, rather
than empower. They lead to dependence rather than self-reliance. Better make some
mistakes and learn profitable lessons thereby, than to have our way all marked
out for us by others, and the judgment have but a small field in which to
reason and consider.
While brethren who have favored a manual have ever contended that such a work
was not to be anything like a creed or a discipline, or to have
authority to settle disputed points, but was only to be considered as a book
containing hints for the help of those of little experience, yet it must be
evident that such a work, issued under the auspices of the General
Conference, would at once carry with it much weight of authority,
and would be consulted by most of our younger ministers. It would gradually shape
and mold the whole body; and those who did not follow it would be considered
out of harmony with established principles of church order. And, really, is
this not the object of the manual? And what would be the use of one if
not to accomplish such a result? But would this result, on the whole, be a
benefit? Would our ministers be broader, more original, more self-reliant men?
Could they be better depended on in great emergencies? Would their spiritual
experiences likely be deeper and their judgment more reliable? We think the
tendency all the other way. G.I. Butler RH nov 27,1883
In the commission to His disciples, Christ not
only outlined their work, but gave them their message. Teach the people, He
said, “to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you.” The disciples were to teach what Christ had taught. That
which He had spoken, not only in person, but through all the prophets
and teachers of the Old Testament, is here included. Human teaching is shut out.
There is no place for tradition, for man's theories
and conclusions, or for church legislation. No laws ordained
by ecclesiastical authority are included in the commission. None of these are Christ's servants to teach.
“The law and the prophets,” with the record of His own words and deeds, are the
treasure committed to the disciples to be given to the world. Christ's name is
their watchword, their badge of distinction, their bond of union, the authority
for their course of action, and the source of their success. Nothing that does not bear His superscription is to
be recognized in His kingdom. Desire of Ages 826.1
“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the
Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the
basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of
science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and
discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority
not one nor all of these should be regarded as
evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before
accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain 'Thus saith the
Lord' in its support.” Great Controversy 595.1
Thank you for allowing me to share this study with you.
Any correction is appreciated.