Amen. Both are Scripture, both are true, and they do not contradict one another. The difficulty disappears when we distinguish between the command Christ gave for baptism and the authority in which the apostles baptized.
Matthew 28:19 gives the baptismal command
Jesus Christ said:
Matthew 28:19 — “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
This is a direct command from the risen Lord Jesus Christ. He tells the apostles how disciples are to be baptized: “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Nothing in Acts cancels or replaces that command.
Acts 2:38 does not contradict Matthew 28:19
Peter said:
Acts 2:38 — “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
The expression “in the name of Jesus Christ” emphasizes the authority, allegiance, and identification under which the baptism was performed. Peter was preaching to Jews who had rejected and crucified Jesus. They were now being called publicly to identify themselves with the very Christ whom their nation had rejected.
Notice that Acts itself uses varying expressions:
Acts 8:16 — “…only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 10:48 — “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
Acts 19:5 — “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
If Acts were prescribing an exact verbal formula that had to be spoken over a candidate, we would expect the wording to remain identical. It does not. These statements describe baptism as Christian baptism under the authority of Jesus Christ, not as a replacement for Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19.
“In the name of” often means “by the authority of”
Acts itself demonstrates this:
Acts 4:7 — “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?”
They were asking by whose authority the apostles acted.
Likewise:
Colossians 3:17 — “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…”
That certainly does not mean that a Christian must verbally pronounce “Jesus” before every individual action. It means that everything is to be done under His lordship and authority.
So baptism can be in the name of Jesus Christ—that is, by His authority—while being administered exactly as Jesus commanded:
“in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:38 does not teach baptismal regeneration
The Bible is clear that salvation is received by faith, not by water baptism.
Acts 10:43 — “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
And before Cornelius was baptized:
Acts 10:44 — “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”
Only afterward:
Acts 10:47-48 — “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized…”
They received the Holy Ghost before water baptism. Therefore water baptism cannot be the means by which they were regenerated.
Paul also separates the Gospel from baptism:
1 Corinthians 1:17 — “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”
If baptism were necessary for justification, Paul could never have separated baptism from the Gospel that way.
So which is biblical baptism?
Both passages teach biblical truth, but they are teaching different aspects of the same baptism.
Matthew 28:19 gives the Lord’s command concerning its administration:
“in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:38 identifies the authority and confession behind it:
“in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Thus the historic Baptist practice is thoroughly biblical:
A saved believer is immersed in water, by the authority of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5), and there is no contradiction between Acts 2:38 and Matthew 28:19. The words of Christ in Matthew give the command; Acts records the apostles carrying out Christian baptism under His name and authority.
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