Jesus is literally everything.
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him 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:
1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
He was foreordained: Greek NT:4267; to know beforehand, i.e. foresee: The human being Jesus did not exist before He was born of a woman into this world. He was foreseen and planned by God, and was made manifest in these last times for us as Peter said.
Everything was made by Him and for Him. It's all about God becoming part of His own creation and dwelling with His chosen saints forever! That's what it means when it says, "by Him and for Him". All things were created with this in mind. God was planning to become part of His creation from the very beginning. It is literally all about Him!
1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
God Himself will dwell among His people in the new heavens and new earth, into eternity! The man, Jesus, is God in the flesh; It's how He became part of His own creation and He will dwell with us forever!
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
The Power of the Name of Jesus!
Luke 10:17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
The Name of Jesus is the power of God!
Matt 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
1 Cor 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God
Everlasting life is through His name!
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Paul speaks of the Power of God in several places in his letters, for example:
1 Cor 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power : 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
In his letter to Timothy, speaking of apostate peoples of the last days, speaks of those who deny the power of God and to turn away from them!
2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away
Both Paul and Peter exercise the Power of God through Jesus' Name:
Acts 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Acts 4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
Acts 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
It's His NAME that is power!
The Importance of Baptism
Baptism is important and necessary to Jesus, and important and necessary to the Apostles as you will see in the scriptures quoted below. So why do modern churches teach that it's not important or necessary? Does baptism save us? No, alone it does not, but it is one part of being obedient to the gospel and obedient to Jesus. It absolutely IS important! It's the act of following Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection, and the act of taking on His name as your savior, your God, your High Priest, and your King.
The below are all relevant scriptures to this truth and I pray you study them for yourself and decide what Jesus and the Apostles said and did regarding baptism, and what it means to you.
When Peter was asked, "What shall we do?" (to be saved), he said:
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.
Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized : and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
Note: They that gladly received his word were baptized...
Here, the people of Samaria were baptized after they believed:
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.
Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
God sent Philip to teach and baptize the Eunuch who was reading the prophecy in Isaiah about Jesus, and wanted to know who it was talking about:
Acts 8:32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized ? 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.
Peter was sent to the Gentiles to teach them about Jesus and baptize them in Jesus' name:
Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Note: He commanded them to be baptized... he didn't suggest it, he commanded it.
Ephesians who knew of Jesus but hadn't been baptized in Jesus' name, were re-baptized in Jesus' name:
Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, 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.
Paul was baptized:
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
We are baptized into Christ, to put on Christ:
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
We are buried with Him in baptism and we are risen with Him:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
We are baptized into Jesus' death, burial and resurrection through baptism in His name:
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his 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. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, 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.
Water baptism isn't the putting away of the filth of the flesh (taking a bath) but is obedience to God:
1 Peter 3:21 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:
Jesus instructed His disciples in baptism:
John 3:22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.
Jesus commanded us to be baptized:
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
All who believed in the New Testament were baptized:
Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
The Jailer and his family:
Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized , he and all his, straightway.
Lydia and all in her house, a woman who worshiped God:
Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized , and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
Note that baptism in the Name of Jesus is commanded and was obeyed by all who believed. It's the Name of Jesus that is the most important part of baptism! It's His Name that we take on, and the power thereof!
The discussion below came from careful study of the Bible concerning this doctrine.
First of all, I want you to understand that I did not come to the conclusions I do here because of any difference in translation or text of the scripture that may or may not be exactly what the original Greek said. I studied this out because I first learned the identity of Jesus Christ and came to understand the importance of baptism and why we are baptized . That knowledge is what prompted me to look at this scripture through a magnifying glass.
I always wondered about Matthew 28:19 because it was one of those places that didn't seem to fit with the picture painted in my mind's eye through knowledge of the rest of the Bible. So, as I like to do, I studied it out.
The rest of the Bible does not perfectly line up with this scripture, and we have to use the whole Bible to determine what is truth.
Even the verse before it does not line up well with it! Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore...
For example: Every record of baptism in the book of Acts shows that the Apostles obeyed His command by baptizing in the name of Jesus, or in the name of the Lord (Jesus).
Would the Apostles have disobeyed Him? God forbid! Think about this. There is NO WAY that the Apostles would have disobeyed Jesus.
As shown above, here's a few scripture references showing baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus: Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16, Acts 10:48, Acts 19:5, Acts 22:16, Rom 6:3, Gal 3:27, Col 2:12, 1 Pet 3:21
That's the first test.
The second is; did "they", the interpreters of the Bible back in the first few centuries, change it to agree with what they believed? Like 1 John 5:7, where it is common knowledge that words were inserted that were not in the original text, (Click here to see a screenshot of Strongs Greek/Hebrew dictionary) did they insert words to make the scripture agree with what they thought was true?
I invite you to read the following references on the subject:
These facts prove that the original Matthew 28:19 did not say, "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost", but in fact lines up with the rest of the scriptures very well with the words, "in My name".
Since we know that words were inserted in 1 John 5, it's a short step to understand that these words were also inserted as well.
AND, when we look at the parallel scriptures in Mark and Luke, we see that He said to do these things in His name in both scriptures concerning the final instructions:
Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
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.
-= !!! Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is for the remission of sins !!! =-
Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
When we combine all of this knowledge, it's obvious that Jesus said, "In My name" in Matthew 28.
A TON of additional information concerning this subject
So, why do people baptize in a triune formula? And why do they say it's not really important when we clearly see that it's very important, and that it needs to be done in the Name of Jesus?
The above documentation already debunks the "proof text" most use to teach that, but let's look at who the Holy Spirit is and see if there really is "three" separate persons in the Bible...
The titles, "father", "son", and "holy ghost" are not names, they are titles. It's the Name of Jesus we see that is used in the scriptures, and as we've seen, it's His Name that has all power and is the Name that we take on when we obey the gospel in baptism!
The Holy Spirit is the Father of Jesus
- Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
- Matt 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost
- In Acts, on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost was given, Peter tells the crowd that this was the prophesy from Joel, where God pours out His Spirit on all flesh.
- Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:
- Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
God is a Spirit
- Jesus said:
- John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The Holy Spirit is the Creator
- In Genesis we also see that the Spirit of God (the Holy Ghost) is the Creator, the Father.
- Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
The Holy Spirit is the Holy Ghost
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Holy Spirit is the same as Holy Ghost
– Same Greek word used - Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
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Greek "Spirit"
NT:4151 pneuma (pnyoo'-mah); from NT:4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit: - Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
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Greek "Ghost"
NT:4151 pneuma (pnyoo'-mah); from NT:4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit: - As you can see, it's the same exact Greek word used in both cases where it says "Spirit" and "Ghost".
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Is the same as the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
– Same meaning of the word used when the Creator, the Father, created all things in Genesis. -
Hebrew "Spirit"
OT:7307 ruwach (roo'-akh); from OT:7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus
- John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter ... I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
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If the Spirit of God dwell in you, the Spirit of Christ
is in you. The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Ghost.
– 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 Almighty God
- The Holy Ghost is the Father
- The Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Ghost is the Spirit given to us
- The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Jesus
- The Holy Ghost is the Creator in Genesis
- The Holy Ghost is the Almighty God
- God the Father = The Holy Ghost
- There's only ONE who is God
You can probably see where I'm going with this...
- The Holy Spirit being the Spirit which is God makes me wonder why the concept of a Trinity is taught as truth?
- There would have to be three separate persons as is taught about the Trinity, but God the Father is the Holy Ghost!
- There IS NO THREE
- The Father and the Holy Spirit are the same Spirit which is God.
And why do people limit God to a mere three aspects??? I mean, really! God is much more than that! The complexity of God is evident in His amazing, marvelous creation!
The Father, the Spirit which is God, is IN Jesus!
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Jesus is not just one part of the Godhead, Jesus IS the Godhead.
We have a measure of the spirit of God when the Holy Ghost lives within us; the difference is that the entirety of God is in Jesus Christ. That's what it means when it says ALL the fullness of the Godhead dwells within Jesus Christ .
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Who is Jesus?
1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; … 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Matt 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. … 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
A child will be born (Jesus) and he will be called “the mighty God”, “the everlasting Father”, “God with us”. God was manifest in the flesh (Jesus). The Word was God and became flesh (Jesus). Who lives and was dead? Jesus. Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Now there’s a powerful statement! Jesus is God! He that has seen Jesus, has seen the Father. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” They are one and the same.
There are also many places where context shows us the same thing, by referring to Jesus and God in the same context. IE:
Luke 8:39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
We’ve proven two things so far: There is only one God, and that Jesus is God. That means that Jesus is that one God!
He is the image of the invisible God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
So, why is it taught differently? Why do people baptize in a triune formula?
This began in the second century, and the Catholic church embraced it as a way to pacify the Henotheistic peoples of the Roman religions...
BRITANNICA ENCYCLOPEDIA 11TH edition, Vol 3, Pg 365-366 The baptismal formula was changed from the name of JESUS CHRIST to the words Father, Son, & Holy Ghost by the Catholic Church in the second century.
BRITANNICA ENCYCLOPEDIA Vol 3, Pg 82 Everywhere in the oldest sources it states that baptism took place in the name of Jesus Christ.
CANNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION Pg 53 The early church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until development of Trinity doctrine in the 2nd century.
What is the origin of the Catholic Church?
Why was it changed?
Remember that the Power of God is the Name of Jesus!
Satan does not want us to have that power, he does not want us to be saved, and he does not want us to be effective in the world...
I don't know about you, but I want Jesus' Name ALL OVER ME!
Does it matter if there's a little lie in my church? Is false doctrine important to Jesus?
Yes, it matters. Yes, it's very important to Jesus!
Read the letters Jesus sent to the churches that existed at the time John was on Patmos.
- He rebukes them soundly for having false doctrines! (Rev 2:14, 2:15, 2:24)
- And He makes it clear that He expects their works (and doctrines) to be perfect! (Rev 3:2)
Jesus berated the Pharisees for teaching the doctrines and traditions of men instead of God, and chastised them for not understanding prophecy!
- Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
- Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
- Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Paul taught that any perversion or alteration of the Gospel is evil.
- Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
We must have a love for His Truth and shy away from the doctrines and traditions of men.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Other pages on this site concerning this subject are:
Let Us? Why do we have the word "us" in the creation account?