Matthew 28:19
Nearly every Christian has been taught the foundational beliefs of the trinity from the passage above. In this article we are going to examine God’s word to understand the great commission in greater detail. At the same time understanding the principle of two or three witnesses makes it is a good example to use. Two or three witnesses is the platform for the principle of establishing the truth of the matter. One witness is not enough to convict a person of a crime and this rule played a major role in the trial of Jesus Christ. Many witnesses came forth, but their testimony did not agree. Notice what happened when the High Priest said.
Everyone present heard Christ’s statement of coming seated at the right hand of God and the number of witnesses in agreement suddenly multiplied and established what Christ said. So why did they refused to believe what they heard?
On the other hand, the adage that something can be said once and still be true is very deceiving. If one witness is not enough to convict a person of a crime it is not enough to establish a doctrine either. When things are said only once and there may be facts contrary and the certainty of the truth disappears. Truth is defined as conforming to actuality or in other words an agreement of facts as to what has happened. Truth is a collection of undisputed facts, the preponderance of evidence that reveals the absolute truth. As Christians we must learn to sort the facts and develop the ability to find the truth to know the truth and approve it. Paul referred this process in Romans 12:1-2 as a spiritual sacrifice of renewing our minds.
Jesus said All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. This is a powerful statement, but it is also an authority that could only be given by God the father. Therefore Jesus had established his authority to command the disciples to go into the entire world as his witnesses. His command had four parts to it.
The first part was to go and make disciples of all nations. Before anyone can become a Disciple they must believe the gospel and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The second part deals with baptizing the disciples they made after they had preached the gospel. A committed Christian is baptized as a first step of faith.
The third part is to teach every disciple to obey everything Christ commanded his disciples to do. Every command of God demands obedience coming from love and a respect for God. God’s commands steer you away from the sin he hates and leads you into a holy way of living.
The fourth part is the encouragement that when you go in Christ’s name he would be with you.
Jesus entrusted his disciples with spreading the good news to the world. This command came with a brief operational standard instructing the disciples of Christ what their task was and how to do it. To derive additional background on the great commission see. Mark 16:15-19. Please note that a number of bibles have footnotes on Mark 16:9-20 saying, Verses 9-20 are found in many ancient Greek manuscripts, but not in the two oldest manuscripts. However, the information found in Mark 16:9-20 can be easy to verify with other portions of the New Testament.
The command of Matthew 28:19 was
Compare this to what Peter said after the outpouring of the Spirit
Matthew 28:19 gives a specific procedure for baptizing other than the procedure Peter advocated. The disciples went to and remained in the upper room waiting on God for ten days. Then a spectacular event took place on the morning of the tenth day changing the lives of the disciples forever, they were equipped with the Holy Spirit and the power of God. This event was so impressive that crowds from Jerusalem were drawn by the power of God to gather around the upper room. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter began to preach the gospel with convicting power. After hearing Peter’s sermon the crowd ask what shall we do?
This was the first baptism recorded in church history but the method was contrary to the instructions of Jesus Christ as given in the great commission. Still this method of baptizing in the name of Jesus continued throughout the forty-year ministry of the every disciple who heard the great commission. Below are other examples.
What’s strange is that no one chosen by God recorded a baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit certain within the Bible. Without a second witness, the method of baptism described by the great commission can be disputed. In addition the methods used by the disciples demonstrates a different perception of the command than we have today.
The third part of the great commission stated “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. The Bible has a vast amount of factual information within its pages but the information supporting and strengthening this command is missing. No one other than Matthew taught to baptize in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
For more biblical based information regarding the history of Baptism go to:
http://www.angelfire.com/la2/prophet1/historyofbaptism.html
Having the right information forces you to search God's word for its truth. The phrase baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit has the potential of being true. However, the practice and the teaching by the disciples in regards to baptism does not support to the great commission with an appropiate response. Why didn’t the disciples carry out the command baptize as we do today and why didn’t they teach how to baptize? How do we verify either baptism or the nature of God when the bible does not authenticate the great commission?
The subject matter of the great commission is about making disciples and growth of the kingdom. The bible tells us not to go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6.) Lets understand that God's word does not describe God in three persons. Instead, God describes himself as being united with Jesus Christ.
The belief in the trinity is a matter of choice but ultimately deriving your conclusion have to be based on the existing facts found in God's word. Eventually, the proof of the matter will become sacred to you. Knowing how to develop the truth from the facts available depends on the way you understand the principle of truth. A wise man takes time to listen to God and verify every fact to know the truth so he may make prudent decisions. Solomon said that his words were
Thinking the way the crowd does may be right when it comes to worldly things, but it is a deceptive concept when it comes to living in the spiritual world. The advice of God's word is that knowing the truth preserves the life of its possessor. Make the choice to observe the precautions the Bible speaks about and then take his word to heart.
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