Baptism’s New Name

Matthew 28:18-20

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 6:1-8
Romans 11:33-36

Hymns

246, 298, WS 751, WS 800

Hymns from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) (TLH) unless otherwise noted

WS - Hymns from the Worship Supplement 2000

Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

Prayer of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, since You have given us, Your servants, grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of true faith, and to worship the true Unity in the power of Your divine majesty, keep us also steadfast in this true faith and worship, and defend us ever from all our adversaries; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)

In the name of God the Father who created and preserved us day by day,

In the name of God the Son who gave His life as a ransom for us all,

and in the name of God the Holy Spirit who sanctified us, setting us apart as God’s people by calling us to faith in Jesus,

Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all, dear fellow redeemed,

When a baby is born the parents are usually peppered with a barrage of questions: is it a boy or girl? what is the length and weight? And, of course, what is the child’s name? While things like gender, length, and weight are beyond our control, the responsibility of naming a child falls squarely on the shoulders of the parents. They may choose a name that has meaning and history for their family, or they may choose a name that is found in the Bible.

What do you think of your parent’s choice of name for you? I was once discussing the topics of name with a 90 year old member named, “Mable.” I asked Mable if there was any significance to the choice of her name. She said she didn’t know because she never asked. And she never asked her parents because she knew they would say, “Well what did you think we should have named you?!?” Some people are indifferent about their name, others do not like their first name at all and prefer to be called by their middle name.

Regardless of your parents’ choice for your first name or middle name, there were a couple of other names that you were born with. One is your last name. You were born into a family and bear that family name. That may be a good thing or a bad thing. For instance, if you were born with the last name of “Hitler,” it wouldn’t matter how lovely your first and middle name sounded - you would start out life with a horrible reputation. On the other hand, if you were born to William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, your first name wouldn’t matter as much as being born into the Royal family of Great Britain and all the privileges that come with that.

But there was another name we all were born with, regardless of our gender, our family name, our race, or the social-economic condition we were born into. A name that also carries a reputation and association with it. Namely, “son of Adam.”

When God created Adam, he was made in God’s image. Adam was a true reflection of who God is. Adam was righteous and holy, just as God is righteous and holy. But the moment Adam and Eve sinned, that perfect image was shattered and lost forever. After sin entered the world, we read in Genesis 5 (v.3) that Adam had a “son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” Instead of being born with God’s image of holiness and perfect righteousness, Seth was born bearing Adam’s sinful image, as a fallen sinner, just like his father. And with this family name also came death. Though Seth lived for 912 years, his end was the same as his father Adam—he breathed his last and died.

So it has been for all the sons of Adam from Seth all the way down to a newborn who entered the world today. As hard as it is to think of innocent and adorable newborn being a lost sinner, that is the condition he was born into the world with—as were all the sons of Adam. We all were conceived not bearing the perfect image of God, but the sinful image of Adam. King David reminds us, “Certainly, I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5 EHV) Now sin and death are the sad reality for all the children of Adam. “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

Regardless of what you think of your parents’ choice of your first name or middle name, or the association people have with your last name, as sons of Adam we all needed a new name. That is where our text comes in on this Trinity Sunday. Here Jesus is commissioning His Church to go and make disciples of all nations. Or if we draw on the concept of names—to make disciples of all the sons of Adam. This commission to make disciples includes infants and the aged, rich and poor, black and white, Jew and Gentile—if they are born sons and daughters of Adam, they are lost sinners and Jesus wants us to go to them.

One of the tools Jesus gives us for disciple-making is Baptism. Through baptism God gives the sons of Adam and new name. A name greater than any other name. A name of power. A name of salvation. A name of life. In baptism God gives us His own name. “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This is the name of the One true God, the Triune God. While our minds may have trouble comprehending the Three-in-One God, we believe and confess it to be true because this is what the Bible teaches. In Deuteronomy 6 (v.4), we read, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” And here in the Great Commission, Jesus puts the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on equal footing and calls on the Church to baptize in this Name.

And this is the new Name that we receive in baptism. Baptism is kind of like an adoption. As sons of Adam, we weren’t naturally born into the family of God. God had to choose us and make us a member of His family. Being baptized in the name of the Triune God, that person now bears God’s holy name. A lost son of Adam is now a child of God and belongs to His family of believers in Jesus Christ.

We put our name on things that belong to us, to let everyone else know that this is your possession. In my library, my books bear my name on the inside cover. That way if it is lent out, the borrower will know who to return it to.

When the Triune God puts His name on something, He likewise is claiming this as His own. When He gave His instructions for the “Aaronic Benediction” in Numbers 6, (“The LORD bless you and keep you…”), He says, “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:27) So it is in baptism. The Triune God has put His name on you and blessed you. He has blessed you by bringing you into His family, washing away your sins, connecting you with Christ, and creating faith in Jesus for salvation. Now the Triune God says of the son of Adam who was born lost in his sins, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) You now belongs to the Triune God!

Having been baptized in the name of the Triune God, Jesus wants the children of God to learn more about Him. Jesus continues in our text, “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Jesus wants you to learn about this Triune God in whose name he has been baptized and God’s will for him. Jesus wants you to learn about God the Father who created all things and who in love sent His Son to save us. He wants you to learn about God the Son, who took on flesh and became your brother and who covered you with His perfection in baptism. He wants you to hear how God the Son laid down His life on the cross to save you and rose from the dead on Easter to give you new life. Jesus wants you to hear about God the Holy Spirit who made you a believer in Jesus and who dwells in your heart by faith, giving you holy desires.

This is Jesus’ desire for all the sons and daughters of Adam who have received this new name in baptism. He wants you to learn about this new Name you received in baptism as you hear and learn His word. He wants you to know His promises of forgiveness and eternal life that He has given you in baptism and in His Word, confident through faith that because of Jesus we will live eternally with the Triune God in heaven.

May God bless with all the sons and daughters of Adam who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God, confident of Jesus promise—“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. And amen.

—Pastor Nathan Pfeiffer

Berea Ev. Lutheran Church
Inver Grove Heights, MN

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