I don't often post, but the more I read discussions like this, the more I am driven to solidfy myself into the trinitarian movement.
The following is the brief summary of a message I got to deliver this year at the methodist church I attend.
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A couple years ago, Something finally clicked in regards to the baptism of Christ. The following is the best recollection of the phrase I ended up with in my mind. As usual I forgot to write it down, and thus forgot the exact quote.
"The trinity, So united that no one can seperate any aspect of it without destroying who God is, but yet each aspect of God is totally seperate from another aspect. Yet every aspect of the trinity can be mannifested at the same time, or singularly."
While not worded exactly as I would like it, I just don't remember how I used to phrase this quote I used to use. To me it at the time best explain the events and happenings that took place that took place at the baptism of Jesus Christ.
But it was what enabled me to start to reconcile my oneness pentecostal roots with what I believe now.
Now How does it relate to the journey where I am at and the question of being re-baptised, well take on a few rambling thoughts I was thinking of tonight. (for once my brain was somewhat awake I guess!) Here they are.
Just thinking briefly, If we accept the premise that the phrase "in the name" means authority.
Acts 4:12, for there is no other name, (no other authority). Jesus was the wielder of the authority of God on Earth (Matt 28:18). Then we are baptised by the pronouncement of the Authority of Christ. No problem for both oneness or trinitarian in that aspect.
But nevertheless, how did Christ obtain the authority and how does it relate to matt 28:19 and baptism? if I can keep my thoughts going here...Very simple, Christ came to do the will of the father, (
John 6:38), then very simply one can say the Father have delegated His authority to Christ. And in john 16;13, the Spirit does not speak from his own authority but that from the Father and the Son. Thus we say the spirit has summitted his authority to the Son.
So with that brief ammount of reasoning, we can see that the scripture Matt. 28:19 points to the unified authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as wielded by Jesus Christ. Thus invoking baptism in the titles is calling upon ALL the authority of the Godhead.
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To continue and finish my thoughts on why I am driven to be more solidfied in my belief in the trinity.
it was two settings in the bible that oneness theology could never truely explain, and that the trinitarian theology did a better job (Though never fully adequate in itself-but to me, the trinity is more biblically correct than oneness).
1. The baptism of Christ
2. The Prayer of Christ to the Father.
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