Some have expressed confusion over what should be said when a person is baptized. All who believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God know that It does not and cannot contradict Itself, yet for some reason they think they must choose between being baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19) and being “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38)—as though one of these is right and one of them is wrong. Very simply put, the first was uttered by Jesus, and the second by an apostle of the Lord, speaking through inspiration. Matthew who recorded the first one and Luke, who recorded the second, were both writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Who would not have allowed them to conflict with each other.
Since all Scriptures harmonize, therefore, we ought to ask ourselves what each verse means. The Greek preposition in Matthew 28:19 is actually eis and should be translated “into,” as the American Standard rendered it. Other translations use “into” in other verses, such as 1 Corinthians 10:2 and Galatians 3:27—but not here—which is a strange inconsistency. Vine says that the name (into which sinners are baptized) implies all that name stands for—“of authority, character, rank, majesty, power, excellence, etc., of everything that name covers” (782). In other words, it means we are submitting to His authority in all things—not only in being baptized but in the way we adopt His character, also.
Notice that name is singular, thus showing the unity of the three personalities of the Godhead. How ironic, then, that a few cite this verse to “prove” that baptism should be repeated three times—once for the Father, once for the Son, and once for the Holy Spirit. No one in the New Testament was immersed three times. They were baptized into the name of Deity.
In Acts 2:38, “in the name of Jesus” simply means by His authority, as it does in most passages where we find “in the name of the Lord” (Deut. 18:22; Jer. 44:6; Col. 3:17). This phrase does not mean that Jesus is the only one in the Godhead (as some think), which would contradict Matthew 28:19. Jesus baptized when He was teaching (John 4:1-2), and baptism does join us with His death; so it is by His authority. However, the Lord said that all He taught and did was authorized by the Father. The verse in Matthew is broader, but baptism is both in His name and into His name. Either is proper. The important thing is that a person knows the reason for being baptized.