Objection · Case 04 · The Trinity
Reading “name” (singular) as proof of one divine essence is a grammatical stretch. “In the name of X and Y and Z” is a natural way to say “by the authority of.”
One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Response
Fair. The singular name is suggestive rather than probative and should not carry much weight. What is harder to explain on a non-Trinitarian reading is the company: a Jewish text placing the Holy Spirit and the Son alongside the Father as the authority into which people are initiated, with no hint that two of the three are creatures. Acts’ baptism in the name of Jesus is best read as a summary of whose baptism it was rather than a competing formula.
About this exhibit
This objection is to One name shared by three, Matthew 28:19.
Jesus commands baptism into the single “name” of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Note the singular word name, joined to three who are named.
Under Claim 06: The New Testament shows Father, Son, and Spirit as distinct from one another, speaking to and sending one another.