RESOLVED: The Bible Teaches That Baptism Must Be Administered in the Name of Jesus.

The first thing that I ask is that the King James Version (or KJV) be the only version permitted, so as to not confuse the audience about the wording each version offers. Now with that in mind, I will begin. First of all, this debate encompasses the much larger issue of whether or not the Trinity exists, which I will try to prove that it does. However, I do not feel as though three rounds are enough to prove this, but I will try my best. "I will set out to show that Christian baptism was administered in the name of Jesus Christ and not the titles Father, Son or Spirit. " I would like for my opponent to elaborate on the term "was. " How far back are you willing to go? Genesis? Now my opponent is trying to prove that baptisms must be administered ONLY in the name of Jesus and not in the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. If this were the case, why did Jesus himself state in Matthew 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. " This clearly states that Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose full triune name is Lord Jesus Christ. I will elaborate on this name shortly. My opponent uses various verses from Acts to prove his claim, but he does not take the verses in the full context of each chapter. By detailing each of my opponent's verses mentioned in view of the full context, I will prove that all of them mention the Trinity, with its triune name being Lord Jesus Christ. 1. Acts 2:38 KJV: "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. " Verse 36, two verses earlier, reveals the full name: Acts 2:36 KJV: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hat made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. " 2. Acts 8:16 KJV: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ) Verse 12, four verses earlier, reveals the full name in the context of the chapter: Acts 8:12 KJV: "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. 3. Acts 10:48 KJV: "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. " Verse 36, 12 verses earlier, reveals the full name yet again: Acts 10:36 KJV: "The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)" 4. Acts 19:5 KJV: "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. " Verse 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. " Again, all three parts, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, namely Lord Jesus Christ, are in the context of each of the verses my opponent mentioned. Now, my opponent may disagree with the triune name, so I will prove each name in the scriptures: 1. Father is named Lord Isaiah 42:8 KJV: "I am the LORD: that is my name:" Jeremiah 33:2 KJV: "the LORD is his name;" 2. Son is named Jesus Matthew 1:21 KJV: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus" 3. Christ is the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost), the anointing Acts 10:38 KJV: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power:" (This is also proof for the Trinity, is it not? ) 1 John 2:27 KJV: "But the anointing which ye have received of him [Holy Spirit] abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. " The first triune name occurs in Acts 2:36 and occurs again in Colossians 2:6: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:" Now, if my opponent would like for me to prove that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not all named Jesus, I will gladly do so next round. I would like to mention to my opponent three verses as my opening argument, Genesis 1:26, Acts 2:34, and 1 John 5:7. Gen 1:26 KJV: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after out likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. " Anyone who has researched and studied the Bible knows that God is not speaking to angels, for they were not given the power to create. God is speaking to Jesus. How can this verse not relate to the Trinity? Acts 2:34 KJV: "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand," This was copied word for word from my KJV Bible. Why is Lord capitalized two different ways? If Jesus represents all three, why would Jesus tell himself to sit at his right hand? This does not make any sense. The LORD= God, the Father, my Lord=Jesus. 1 John 5:7 KJV: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. " Trinity=Tri-unity or 1*1*1=1 From my understanding of the Bible, the name of the Trinity (Matthew 28:19) and the name of Jesus (Acts 8:16) are complementary of one another, where neither is an exclusive formula for baptisms. They both offer the same effect. In conclusion, one should have the choice of using either as their baptism.