Scripture
Matthew 28:19
Jesus commands baptism in the one name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
One name
The baptismal command joins Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the one name into which disciples are baptized.
Where this passage comes up
- The Holy Spirit is not a personThe Bible's spirit teaches, speaks for itself, chooses, forbids, and can be lied to and grieved, and it is named with the Father and the Son. A force does not do those things.
- The Trinity is paganThe word and formula are later, but pagan triads were three gods, and Christians worshiped Jesus two centuries before the councils that defined the Trinity.
- The Trinity was invented at NicaeaNicaea met to answer Arius about the Son. The threefold name, the worship of Jesus, and the word Trinity were all in Christian use long before 325.
- The Holy Spirit is a personWhat the Spirit does, and how he can be treated, are things only a person does or suffers. A single pronoun carries little of the weight.
- The Trinity is monotheismThe Bible says there is one God, distinguishes the Father, Son, and Spirit from one another, and treats each as that one God. The Trinity is the summary that keeps all three.