Is Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ Biblical?

The question I will answer in this article is about baptism in the name of Jesus, compared to baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: 

Pastor Vasile, I read in an article on the internet that the biblical and true Baptism is not in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but only in the Name of Jesus… and that verse from Matthew 28:19 was added in addition to Scripture. Is this statement true? Thank you. May God guide you! 

Both formulas for baptism are found in the Bible, and it is wrong to say that baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not biblical. This phrase is found only once in the New Testament: 

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 28:19 NASB)

Those who claim that this phrase was added later by the church fathers come up with the following arguments. It is known that the Gospel of Matthew was written in Hebrew. The oldest manuscript in the Hebrew language of this Gospel dates from 1385 and is called Shem Tov. In this manuscript of verse 19 only the word “go” is mentioned, and then verse 20 follows. Since it is the only manuscript in Hebrew, it is believed to be a faithful copy of the original and proves that the other words were later added, but it’s not so. Why? Because this verse has been quoted by many ancient authors. One of them was Eusebius of Caesarea. It is true that in many ancient authors the phrase is found only until baptism, but this is proof that the original text written by Matthew included verse 19. 

I ask myself: why should anyone deny the formula of baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”? Even if we see it only once, the teaching about the Holy Trinity is grounded in the Bible. 

The formula for baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus is mentioned more often in the Holy Scriptures and is just as valid and has the same authority as when it is done in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. It is up to the baptismal minister to discern which forms to use, but this is by no means an opportunity for discussion or division, for both are equally biblical. 

Baptism is the command of the Lord Jesus Christ for all who have chosen to be His disciples to inherit eternal life, and they must hasten to be baptized. 

Translated by Nicoleta Vicliuc