Why use the name? This is because the Triune God-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-is too mysterious. Your eyes cannot see Him, and your hands cannot touch Him; therefore, if He were not denoted by a name, it would be very difficult to have Him. If I say, “I baptize you into the Father, the Son, and the Spirit,” you may ask me, “Where is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit?” Therefore, there is the need to use the name for denotation. This principle is in the Bible. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him,...to those who believe into His name.” If you only say, “But as many as received Him,” some may not understand. Since this “Him” cannot be seen or touched, how can we receive Him? Where is “Him”? However, the verse says, “But as many as received Him,...to those who believe into His name.” Although you cannot see or touch or find “Him,” you have His name here. You can say, “Lord Jesus.” You cannot see or touch Jesus, but you can call His name, “Jesus.” You can say, “Jesus, Jesus, dearest Jesus. I believe in You, Jesus.” I tell you, when you say this, you touch Jesus.

Therefore, to be baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is to be baptized into the Triune God-the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Today this Triune God is the all-inclusive Spirit, the life-giving Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is like the fresh air. As we are meeting here today, we are meeting in Him. If at this very moment someone is touched and says to me, “I repent and I believe,” then I would say to him, “Since you have repented and believed, I will baptize you into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.” This is not a ritual but a reality.

Matthew 28:19 says, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Then Acts 19:5 says, “They were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” This tells us that the name of the Lord Jesus equals the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Not only so, further on in the Epistles, we see this word: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ...” (Gal. 3:27). This tells us that Christ is equal to the name of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, to baptize people into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is to baptize them into the name of the Lord Jesus and into Christ.

Furthermore, to baptize people into Christ is to baptize them into His death and even more into His Body. “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body” (1 Cor. 12:13). Therefore, baptism is not a small thing. Previously I was not clear, but now I am clear. When a person repents, believes, and is baptized, this baptism immerses him into the Triune God, into the name of the Lord Jesus, into Christ, into His death, and into His Body. This is truly marvelous.

I truly hope that from now on, whenever there is a baptism in the church, these five items will be pointed out: the name of the Triune God, the name of the Lord Jesus, Christ, His death, and His Body. In baptism we do not merely immerse people into water outwardly. Water is a symbol, signifying the Triune God, Christ Himself, His death, and His Body. When we immerse people into water, we are baptizing them into the Triune God, into Christ, into the death of Christ, and into the Body of Christ.

Since the Lord has given me this revelation, I cannot help saying that Christianity is truly pitiful. It is so poor that the water of baptism consists of just a few drops. With the sprinkling, I did not get immersed into the Triune God or into Christ or into His death or into His Body; I was baptized into nothing. Returning home, I lived and acted the same way as I did before baptism. This was my pitiful baptism. This is also the pitiful condition of Christianity. On the contrary, from now on the church in each locality must no longer baptize people in this poor way. We must use a lot of water as a symbol of the rich God, the glorious Christ, His all-inclusive death, and His universal Body. Today we must put repentant sinners into all of these items. We must baptize in this way. Those who baptize others should pray in this way: “Lord, give me the power of the Holy Spirit, give me authority, and give me faith. Whomever I put into the water today will be baptized into the Triune God, into Christ, into His death, and into His Body.” Not only the baptizing one needs faith, but the one being baptized needs it more. If the faith of the two parties are put together, I tell you, when that person comes out of the water, he will jump, praise, and declare, “Hallelujah! Today I am in the Triune God. Today I am in Christ. Today I am in His all-inclusive death. Today I am in His glorious Body! My sins are gone, the world is buried, death has been nullified, Satan has been destroyed, and I am buried. Today I am in the all-inclusive Christ, and I am in the glorious church!” This is the rich and glorious baptism of the church. This should be our condition today.

Each time the church has a baptism, if you do not have this confidence, this faith, then you should not baptize others. You must have this kind of living authority, living faith, and living assurance: “I am representing the God of all to immerse you, repentant sinners, into Him, into Christ, into His death, and into His glorious Body!” Is this not glorious? This baptism ushers us out of darkness into light, out of death into life, and out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. We need this kind of baptism.

Many who have been baptized this way can testify that after such a baptism, sins and addictions disappeared. They could testify that after such a baptism, inner anguish vanished because they were baptized into the Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. This is a subjective experience. Our subjective experience begins at this juncture. I do know a good number of people who became totally different persons after returning home from baptism because they were immersed into the life-giving Spirit.
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