In Acts 2:38, Peter tells the crowd they need to be baptized in the name of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said that baptism was to be “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Which is right?

I think they both are. I don’t think that either was intended as part of a litany to be pronounced while performing baptism. Jesus told his disciples to pray in his name, yet none of the recorded prayers in the New Testament contains the phrase “in Jesus’ name.” Christians are told to do everything in Jesus’ name (Colossians 3:17), to assemble in the name of Jesus (Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 5:4), and to do good deeds in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:41; Matthew 18:5). None of that has to do with a phrase that is to be said out loud.

We can look to the Old Testament concept of “invoking the name of the Lord” to better understand this concept. This was more than saying a name; it was looking to the Lord as God. Solomon built a temple for “the Name of the LORD.” Isaiah could write about the Name of the Lord coming in punishment (Isaiah 30:27).

Being baptized in the name of Jesus is essentially being baptized into Christ. There is little difference in being baptized in the name of the godhead and “calling on the name of the Lord” in baptism (Acts 22:16). More than ritual, it’s relationship. It includes authority, but it’s more than that. It’s about staking your claim as a member of God’s people. It’s about declaring yourself to now be a temple of the Lord.

There’s nothing wrong with saying “I baptize you in the name….” It’s just helpful to remember that there is much more to that act than a mere pronouncement.