Baptism in YAHSHUA'S Name
Apostolic Baptism
Rev. Steve Marlowe
{This is written for Christian edification
and apologists to promote discussion on the subject of Baptism
and to establish the truth in Christ}
What is the true baptism of Christ?
Baptism is a significant Christian sacrament that symbolizes the death and resurrection of believers in Christ.
Key aspects of Christian Baptism:
Symbolism: Baptism represents the death and resurrection of Christ, as well as the believer's death to sin and new life in Christ.
Purpose: It signifies a public declaration of faith in Christ and a commitment to follow Him and shun away from sin.
Practice: The method of baptism varies among Christian denominations, with immersion completely in water, the pouring of water over one’s head, and sprinkling being the most common.
Timing: Some denominations baptize infants, while others baptize believers upon confession of faith. Others will only baptize confessing adults.
Biblical Basis:
The practice of baptism finds its roots in the New Testament, particularly in the ministry of John the Baptist. Although modified in the baptism of Christ, it was a demonstration, a symbol, of repentance and renewal.
John the Baptist: Baptized people as a symbol of repentance and preparation for the coming Messiah.
Christ: Was baptized by John by immersion, and all His disciples were commanded to baptize new believers by the same example. This was for the purpose and fulfillment of all things. The disciples were always baptized, baptizing those confessing believers in water by immersion.
Significance of Baptism:
Forgiveness of sins: While salvation is through faith in Christ alone, baptism also symbolizes the washing away of one’s sins.
New life: It marks the beginning of a new life in Christ, characterized by spiritual growth and obedience. Many Christians will ask a fellow believer when they were baptized, as this signifies, for them, your new birth in Christ.
Union with Christ: Baptism unites believers with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and their sanctification in His name.
Membership in the Church: It signifies joining the body of Christ.
Baptism in Different Denominations:
Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants: Infant baptism is practiced by springling, followed by confirmation later in life.
Protestant denominations: Baptism is typically administered to believers upon confession of faith, with variations in practice among different denominations. Some by immersion, pouring of water upon the head, or the sprinkling of water, and a few immersed in the fresh flowing river.
Orthodox Church: Infant baptism is common, followed by chrismation, a rite in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches comparable and similar to confirmation in the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. The Orthodox practice the laying on of hands with oil.
Historically, Pilate attempted to show his innocence by washing his hands with water (Matthew 27:24). Up to the fourth century, Christians showed they were cleansed when baptized by immersion in water in the name of Christ only.
Some Christian leaders have identified seven baptisms in the New Testament. The seven baptisms are listed here:
1) The baptism of Moses, as noted by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 10:1–4), when the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, they were “baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea.” They were identified with Moses and his deliverance by passing through the Red Sea and following the LORD’s presence in the cloud shown in Exodus 13:21, we read “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.” And so we rejoice in the Freedom given us in Christ as found in The New King James Version of Psalm 68:4 when we read:
“Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,
By His name Yah,
And rejoice before Him!”
YAH! This is “the name which is above every name,” the very name of “YAH!” And therefore, we cry out in rejoicing, “Halleluyah! Praise YAH!” Our Savior has “the name which is above every name!” The very name of YAH in His name, behold the only name of salvation by which we must be saved, “YAHSHUA.” The apostle Paul never knew the name “Jesus.” “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him ‘the name which is above every name,’ that at the name of YAHSHUA, every knee should bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Every tongue, every language, is to confess this One revealed name that was given from Heaven, the only name by which we must be saved! Listen to the testimony of the apostle Peter, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of YAHSHUA the Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:8-12). There is only one revealed name, and therefore all other names are counterfeits. One must distinguish between the one and only name given for our salvation, the personal name of YAHSHUA, from titles, or descriptive names like Emmanuel, or EL Shaddai.
Paul uses this baptism of Moses as a comparison to how Christians are identified with Christ and His salvation. Those who followed Moses passed through the water and were thus initiated into a new life of freedom from slavery and the Law-keeping of their God; those who follow Christ, as the Israelites did in the desert, who is greater than Moses, pass through the waters of baptism and are thus initiated to a new life of freedom from sin and hate and to be ushered into the Kingdom of Heaven of righteousness, love, and joy.
There Is No Other God, for Until all things are fulfilled Christ is our only God, our only Rock, to the glory of His God and Father.
We read in Isaiah 44:6-8,
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
And who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
Do not fear, nor be afraid;
Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
Who is the Rock?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). It has only been Christ from Adam to the very end, who has spoken to mankind. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).
In John 5:37-47, YAHSHUA clarifies this, and He said, “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name (YAH, according to salvation YAHSHUA), and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name (Jesus), him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” Remember it was Moses who asked for His name (Exodus 3:13-15). Moses was told by God, “HaYAH Ashar HaYAH,” which translated means “I AM Who I AM.” HaYAH means “The I AM.” Hence we say in praise to this name YAH, “Halleluyah!” The LORD did not say, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.” It is Halleluyah, NOT Halleluyeh or Hallelujah.
So, again, I ask, “Who is the Rock?”
The apostle Paul makes this very clear, when he writes, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4).
The One speaking in Isaiah 44:6-8 is the person of Christ, our Messiah, who is the only Rock. For until all things are fulfilled, He is our only God, in that He has all power, all dominion, all glory, and all majesty given to Him by His God and Father. When all is fulfilled then He will give all things back to the Father, who gave Him all things.
The apostle Paul writes, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ, all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For ‘He has put all things under His feet.’ But when He says ‘all things are put under Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).
What did you think our Savior meant, when He said, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27). He told us that He has control, as our only God, until all things are fulfilled, and sin and death are no more. Then He turns all things back to the Father, who is the all in all God.
Christ has told us that He is our only God with the purpose of destroying sin, and the kingdom of darkness that holds captive the sons of Adam. When Christ fulfills all things, He will then turn everything back over to the Father, who gave Him all things. It was the Son of God, who was given all things, and He alone is our God, as He has told us many times in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. This means that there is no Triune God, no Trinity. The Shema of Israel is that there is only One God, behold the Son of God, who is YAH. YAH means, I AM, and the Jews know this ‘I AM’ Means YAH, who revealed Himself to Moses. Our Lord YAHSHUA said to the Jews, That He is YAH, the I AM (HaYAH), which He also revealed to Moses.
“Then the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?’
YAHSHUA answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Then the Jews said to Him, ‘Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
YAHSHUA answered, ‘If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.’
Then the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’
YAHSHUA said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but YAHSHUA hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (John 8:48-59). I AM means YAH. Shua means “my help,” as in my “salvation.” Behold the only name by which we must be saved, “YAHSHUA.”
YAHSHUA and “There is no other name given under Heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
YAH is the essential name of salvation, YAHSHUA means “I AM Salvation,” as our Lord God YAHSHUA has “the name [YAH] which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
The apostle Paul heard the name YAHSHUA on the road to Damascus as it was revealed in Hebrew (Acts 26:14-15). Unfortunately, a counterfeit name has been placed in the New Testament, a name that has only existed since the 17th century, the counterfeit name of Jesus, which is not a Hebrew name. Counterfeit names attributed to the Savior over the centuries, Jesus, Iesus, and Iesous, by the tongue of man and not by the revelation of God.
Every tongue, every language, is to know this one revealed name YAHSHUA, the name given from Heaven (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:11).
To reject the revealed name of salvation, YAHSHUA, for a counterfeit name is to stand condemned already (John 3:18). Repent, and reject counterfeit names never revealed by God and call upon the name of YAHSHUA!
YAHSHUA told us, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved…” (Joel 2:30-32). And so it is written in the New Testament, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:13). Common sense tells us, that it is not just any name. God the Father has given us a name, and there is no other name, making the names of Jesus, Iesus, and Iesous, counterfeit names. Those few who call upon the name of YAHSHUA, which represents the Way, the Truth, and the Life, as He said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).
2) The baptism of John – for he preached a baptism of repentance of sins in preparation for the coming of the Messiah (Mark 1:4). He baptized the people in the Jordan river. In Acts 18:24–25, a disciple of John the Baptist named Apollos preaches in Ephesus; however, he only knew the baptism of John and the need for repentance, however, he was instructed in the death and resurrection of Christ. Later in the same city, Acts 19:1–7, Paul encounters some more followers of John the Baptist, and these disciples had been baptized for repentance, but they had not heard of being baptized in the name of YAHSHUA, nor taught of the new birth, or the receiving of the Holy Spirit of God in YAHSHUA’S name. Paul taught them the whole message of salvation in Christ, and they received the message and were subsequently baptized in YAHSHUA’S name.
3) The baptism of YAHSHUA - Is baptizing in the name of YAHSHUA only, which is how the apostles baptized believers. “Then YAHSHUA came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But YAHSHUA answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, YAHSHUA came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:13–17). This was YAHSHUA’s act of identifying with sinful humanity. Although YAHSHUA did not need to repent of sin, He came to John to be baptized. John resisted baptizing the Savior of the world, saying that YAHSHUA should be the one baptizing him. But YAHSHUA told John it was the fulfillment of all righteousness: He said to John the Baptist, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (verse 15). In this baptism, YAHSHUA put His stamp of approval on John’s ministry and also began His own. As YAHSHUA came up from the water, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Father’s Holy Spirit descended upon Him (verses 16–17).
The New Testament, specifically in “The Acts of the Apostles” records that baptisms in the early Apostolic Church were performed in the name of Christ only. According to the New Testament baptisms were not “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” We know this because the apostle Peter, on the day of Pentecost (Shavuot), preached to the people in Jerusalem to repent and be baptized in Christ YAHSHUA’s name for the remission of sins, as found in Acts 2:38.
In Acts 8:16-17, we read, “For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of…Christ. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” First baptism in the name of the Lord YAHSHUA, and second, the laying on of hands by the disciples to receive the Father’s Holy Spirit.
In Acts 10:48, “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord...”
Acts 19:5, “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord YAHSHUA.”
Acts 22:16, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
Why did the disciples not baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost? What excuse would they have? Did not YAHSHUA tell them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). The disciples baptized in the name of YAHSHUA, and never in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 28:19, appears to be an interpolation, as is 1 John 5:7, a proven interpolation, and if Matthew 28:19 is an interpolation, which means “words added,” it would explain why the disciples of Christ never baptized “in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Eusebius, the first Christian Church historian, quotes the original statement of Christ, “Go and make disciples of all the nations in my name” (Eusebius, The History of the Church, Penguin Classics, 1965, p. 68). The name by which the disciples of Christ would preach and baptize converts was the name of “YAHSHUA.” Matthew 28:19 and 1 John 5:7 are two pillars to substantiate the Trinity and the verses are interpolations, therefore, these verses are bogus. These verses were slipped into the New Testament by stealth and must be exposed.
We know that the apostle Peter did not say the name of Jesus because that name did not exist in apostolic times (according to scholars and historians, for example, the Historian Ernest Renan, The Life of Jesus, p. 90). Historically, the name Jesus has only been known since the 17th century. In conclusion, baptisms are not to be done “in the name of the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost,” but rather, in the name of “YAHSHUA.” Matthew 28:19 is an interpolation, as is 1 John 5:7, and should be discarded thereby having no effect on Christian doctrine.
4) The baptism of fire (Matthew 3:11–12) – John prophesied that Christ would baptize men “with fire.” This speaks of Christ judging the world for its sin (see John 5:22). Immediately after mentioning the baptism by fire, John describes YAHSHUA as overseeing a harvest to come: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 7:21-23, 13:24–30, 36–43). Those unrepentant people, judged by Christ on the Last Day, will be cast into the lake of fire for being workers of Lawlessness (Revelation 20:15). The workers of Lawlessness, the church leaders, the blind ones leading the blind, are the chaff burned with unquenchable fire. Those teaching in the names of Jesus, Iesus, or Iesous, or Jehovah, or even Yehovah, are workers of lawlessness, who decided for themselves to accept names never revealed by God.
5) The baptism of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14; 1 Corinthians 12:13) – John also predicted that Christ would baptize men with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). This is a spiritual baptism, and it is the baptism that saves us. At salvation, we are “immersed” in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit covers us, indwells in us, inspires us in all righteousness, and makes us a part of the spiritual body of Christ. The baptism of the Spirit is what initiates us into the new life in Christ. The first people to experience the baptism of the Spirit were the believers recorded in Acts 2 on the Day of Shavuot (Pentecost). The spiritual entity known as the body of Christ is formed by this baptism: “We were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
6) The Baptism of the Cross according to suffering (Mark 10:35–39) – The Savior used the language of baptism to refer to His sufferings (and those of His disciples). James and John, the Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder,’ had come to the Messiah asking for a place of honor in the Kingdom. YAHSHUA asked them, “Can you . . . be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38). They replied that they could, and YAHSHUA confirmed it: “You will . . . be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with” (verse 39). The “baptism” He speaks of here is the suffering He was to endure. James and John would suffer, as well, however, James would suffer unto death.
7) The Baptism of Believers - This is a washing in water by immersion to symbolize the action where the Father’s Holy Spirit comes upon a believer’s heart. A believer’s baptism is performed and given to members of the church showing their outward expression of commitment to Christ. Different churches practice different modes of baptism, however, those who follow Christ must be baptized in His name only, for this is commanded by our Lord and Savior. Water baptism pictures some wonderful spiritual truths. When we are saved, we are “buried” with Christ and “rise” to the newness of life; our sins are “washed away,” and we are cleansed. It is Spirit baptism in the name of YAHSHUA by which we are saved, but water baptism is our outward expression of that event. “All of us, who were baptized into the Messiah YAHSHUA, were baptized into His death. We were buried with Him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3–4).
Of the seven baptisms identified in Scripture, only one is of personal significance to the Christian today: the baptism of the Holy Spirit in YAHSHUA’s name (that saves us) as the believer’s water baptism (that identifies us with the body of Christ), as the outward expression of our solidarity with Christ. The other baptisms signify types of baptisms. As for those in post-Apostolic times in Christ, the baptism of fire is still in the future. All authorized baptisms are done in the name of YAHSHUA only. This is the Gospel truth in YAHSHUA’S NAME, AMEN.
