The following fact remains true: When there is no divine revelation, then there is also no biblical orientation, which leads to discussions and interpretations. That is the case with all biblical subjects, even water baptism. Why is baptism since the fourth century no longer being administered like it was by Peter in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38), by Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:16), and by Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:5)? Because the church fathers did not understand that it is about the Name, in which lies the salvation of God (Acts 4:11), into which believers shall be baptized. Because of the misconception about God, the commandment of baptism given by our LORD in Mt 28:19 was also changed into a Trinitarian official act which has absolutely nothing to do with the original meaning but is still being practiced to this day.

The biblical baptism is preceded by the preaching of the Word, because faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Acts 2; Rom 10:16-17; and others). That is how the LORD commanded it in the Great Commission:

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved …” (Mk 16:15-16). Whosoever is baptized confirms as a believer that he or she has received the forgiveness of his or her sins.

The critical history of the church has proven that the original version of the Great Commission in Mt 28:19 states as follows: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into my name (onto onomati mou), Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you …” That is how it is recorded in the footnote of the “Novum Testamentum Graece Et Germanice” published by Nestle-Aland, 1973 edition. The version known all over the world, “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” the one that is commonly used in all the churches for every official act or ceremony, is not found in any original manuscript. That is the conclusion of the critical Bible research. In Martin Luther’s translation, it states in the footnote to Mt 28:19: “The precise wording is: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, by baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit …” Before we can baptize into the Name, in which God made Himself known as Father in the Son and by the Holy Spirit, it must be revealed to us. In the most widely used German translations of the Bible it likewise states: “Baptizing them in the name …”! That is exactly what the apostles did. In the Bible, the Trinitarian formula is not used a single time, indeed, not even once. We find this confirmed in the Greek-German “Interlinear-Translation:”

Peter did not give a long explanation about baptism in his first sermon on the founding day of the New Testament Church: It was clear to him, as one who had heard the original words from the mouth of the Master, exactly how baptism should be administered. Hence he acted according to the Great Commission of the risen Redeemer and commanded all of the believers to be baptized in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37-41).

At the next opportunity, he again preached forgiveness: “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43) and straightaway also baptism: “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (v. 47). “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the LORD.” (Acts 10:48). After Paul’s sermon, even the disciples of John the Baptist who believed in Jesus Christ were baptized again: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (Acts 19:5-6). The apostles and everybody in early Christianity understood that it is about the Name, wherein lies the salvation of God, into which believers shall be baptized.

Faith, water baptism, and baptism by the Holy Spirit belong together. In the water baptism the believer professes his or her decision for Christ, and in the Spirit baptism God affirms Himself to the believer. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:13).

International church history uniformly testifies that from early Christianity until the third century, baptism took place only in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ and this by a single immersion. Addressing the believers in Rome, the apostle wrote: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death (namely by immersion [baptisimo]), 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.” (Rom 6:3-4). “Buried with him in baptism …” (Col 2:12).

In Acts 8:38 we are told: “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.” Likewise, John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan River (not near the Jordan River): “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him …” (Mt 3:16).

In the year 337, when Emperor Constantine was on his death bed in the palace at Ankyron, Bishop Eusebius sprinkled water on his forehead three times while reciting the Trinitarian formula. Was that a baptism? Through this act, Constantine supposedly became a Christian, even though he worshipped the sun god Sol even until his death. The Trinitarian formula was added by the spiritually blind church fathers in the time of the formation of the trinity doctrine. A Trinitarian formula was a perfect addition to the invented trinity doctrine in order to make it credible. This is the “Roman baptismal creed.” If the church fathers in the third and fourth century and subsequently all theologians would have carried out the commandment of baptism like Peter did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and later on also Paul (Acts 19:5), then there would not have been any dispute about it at all. However, none of the church fathers was able to give account of a conversion to Christ or a true experience of salvation, let alone a divine commission.

In the Bible, we find neither the trinity doctrine of three eternal persons nor the baptism in the Trinitarian formula. There is not a single Scripture in which even one act would have been administered in the formula “in the Name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” – not a single one! Every prayer, in fact, everything took place in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ, for that was the command given to the true believers in Col 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus …”

The Trinitarian formula is used in all churches for every religious act or ceremony, for the induction into all orders and lodges, even for spiritualistic sessions, and all the more throughout the entire occultism. It is not biblical; therefore, it can only be unbiblical. It is not of divine origin; therefore, it is false inspiration and deception. Everybody should think about it, also the charismatics who use the Name “Jesus Christ” in the prayer for the sick but vehemently reject to be personally baptized in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ.

However, false christs and false prophets must appear so that what our LORD has foretold would be fulfilled: “Many will say to me in that day, LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Mt 7:22-23).

Who can comprehend that in all of Christendom there is no clarity about the fundamental teachings of Godhead, baptism, and the LORD’S Supper, even though they are very well documented in the Bible? This is only because people did not remain in the doctrine of Christ and the apostles. Regrettably, the original revelation, as given to the apostles, got lost already in the first Christian centuries. Unfamiliar political and religious ideas were incorporated into Christianity by the church fathers.

The well-known Swiss theologian Hans Küng covered this important subject in his book Das Christentum (The Christendom), which contains more than a thousand pages. On page 126 he asks the question: “Is there any mention of a trinity in the New Testament?” Immediately thereafter he writes: “No trinity doctrine in the New Testament.” He also discusses

the “Comma Johanneum”: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Küng explains: “However, historical-critical research has exposed this sentence as a forgery that came into existence in the third or fourth century in North Africa or in Spain. It was of no use to the Roman inquisition authority when it tried to defend this sentence as being authentic even at the beginning of our century. In plain terms, it means nothing other than this: Within Judeo-Christianity, in fact, in the entire New Testament, there is indeed the faith in God, the Father; in Jesus, the Son; and in God’s Holy Spirit, but there is no doctrine of a god in three persons (forms of existence), no doctrine of a triune god or of a trinity.” (pp. 126-127).

The following fact remains true: When there is no divine revelation, then there is also no biblical orientation, which leads to discussions and interpretations. That is the case with all biblical subjects, even water baptism. Why is baptism since the fourth century no longer being administered like it was by Peter in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38), by Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:16), and by Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:5)? Because the church fathers did not understand that it is about the Name, in which lies the salvation of God (Acts 4:11), into which believers shall be baptized. Because of the misconception about God, the commandment of baptism given by our LORD in Mt 28:19 was also changed into a Trinitarian official act which has absolutely nothing to do with the original meaning but is still being practiced to this day.

The biblical baptism is preceded by the preaching of the Word, because faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Acts 2; Rom 10:16-17; and others). That is how the LORD commanded it in the Great Commission:

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved …” (Mk 16:15-16). Whosoever is baptized confirms as a believer that he or she has received the forgiveness of his or her sins.

The critical history of the church has proven that the original version of the Great Commission in Mt 28:19 states as follows: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into my name (onto onomati mou), Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you …” That is how it is recorded in the footnote of the “Novum Testamentum Graece Et Germanice” published by Nestle-Aland, 1973 edition. The version known all over the world, “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” the one that is commonly used in all the churches for every official act or ceremony, is not found in any original manuscript. That is the conclusion of the critical Bible research. In Martin Luther’s translation, it states in the footnote to Mt 28:19: “The precise wording is: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, by baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit …” Before we can baptize into the Name, in which God made Himself known as Father in the Son and by the Holy Spirit, it must be revealed to us. In the most widely used German translations of the Bible it likewise states: “Baptizing them in the name …”! That is exactly what the apostles did. In the Bible, the Trinitarian formula is not used a single time, indeed, not even once. We find this confirmed in the Greek-German “Interlinear-Translation:”

Peter did not give a long explanation about baptism in his first sermon on the founding day of the New Testament Church: It was clear to him, as one who had heard the original words from the mouth of the Master, exactly how baptism should be administered. Hence he acted according to the Great Commission of the risen Redeemer and commanded all of the believers to be baptized in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37-41).

At the next opportunity, he again preached forgiveness: “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43) and straightaway also baptism: “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (v. 47). “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the LORD.” (Acts 10:48). After Paul’s sermon, even the disciples of John the Baptist who believed in Jesus Christ were baptized again: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (Acts 19:5-6). The apostles and everybody in early Christianity understood that it is about the Name, wherein lies the salvation of God, into which believers shall be baptized.

Faith, water baptism, and baptism by the Holy Spirit belong together. In the water baptism the believer professes his or her decision for Christ, and in the Spirit baptism God affirms Himself to the believer. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:13).

International church history uniformly testifies that from early Christianity until the third century, baptism took place only in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ and this by a single immersion. Addressing the believers in Rome, the apostle wrote: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death (namely by immersion [baptisimo]), 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.” (Rom 6:3-4). “Buried with him in baptism …” (Col 2:12).

In Acts 8:38 we are told: “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.” Likewise, John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan River (not near the Jordan River): “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him …” (Mt 3:16).

In the year 337, when Emperor Constantine was on his death bed in the palace at Ankyron, Bishop Eusebius sprinkled water on his forehead three times while reciting the Trinitarian formula. Was that a baptism? Through this act, Constantine supposedly became a Christian, even though he worshipped the sun god Sol even until his death. The Trinitarian formula was added by the spiritually blind church fathers in the time of the formation of the trinity doctrine. A Trinitarian formula was a perfect addition to the invented trinity doctrine in order to make it credible. This is the “Roman baptismal creed.” If the church fathers in the third and fourth century and subsequently all theologians would have carried out the commandment of baptism like Peter did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and later on also Paul (Acts 19:5), then there would not have been any dispute about it at all. However, none of the church fathers was able to give account of a conversion to Christ or a true experience of salvation, let alone a divine commission.

In the Bible, we find neither the trinity doctrine of three eternal persons nor the baptism in the Trinitarian formula. There is not a single Scripture in which even one act would have been administered in the formula “in the Name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” – not a single one! Every prayer, in fact, everything took place in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ, for that was the command given to the true believers in Col 3:17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus …”

The Trinitarian formula is used in all churches for every religious act or ceremony, for the induction into all orders and lodges, even for spiritualistic sessions, and all the more throughout the entire occultism. It is not biblical; therefore, it can only be unbiblical. It is not of divine origin; therefore, it is false inspiration and deception. Everybody should think about it, also the charismatics who use the Name “Jesus Christ” in the prayer for the sick but vehemently reject to be personally baptized in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ.

However, false christs and false prophets must appear so that what our LORD has foretold would be fulfilled: “Many will say to me in that day, LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Mt 7:22-23).

Who can comprehend that in all of Christendom there is no clarity about the fundamental teachings of Godhead, baptism, and the LORD’S Supper, even though they are very well documented in the Bible? This is only because people did not remain in the doctrine of Christ and the apostles. Regrettably, the original revelation, as given to the apostles, got lost already in the first Christian centuries. Unfamiliar political and religious ideas were incorporated into Christianity by the church fathers.

The well-known Swiss theologian Hans Küng covered this important subject in his book Das Christentum (The Christendom), which contains more than a thousand pages. On page 126 he asks the question: “Is there any mention of a trinity in the New Testament?” Immediately thereafter he writes: “No trinity doctrine in the New Testament.” He also discusses

the “Comma Johanneum”: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” Küng explains: “However, historical-critical research has exposed this sentence as a forgery that came into existence in the third or fourth century in North Africa or in Spain. It was of no use to the Roman inquisition authority when it tried to defend this sentence as being authentic even at the beginning of our century. In plain terms, it means nothing other than this: Within Judeo-Christianity, in fact, in the entire New Testament, there is indeed the faith in God, the Father; in Jesus, the Son; and in God’s Holy Spirit, but there is no doctrine of a god in three persons (forms of existence), no doctrine of a triune god or of a trinity.” (pp. 126-127).