Ask a Catholic

[Randy Carson]

Of course. The Church was baptizing LOOOOOONG before the scriptures were written. However, they were baptizing based on the commandment they heard from Jesus in the Great Commission:

Matthew 28
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If Jesus commanded the disciples to baptize using a trinitarian forumla in Mt. 28:19, that would be a GOD-given tradition and NOT a tradition of men, wouldn't it?

This is a clear example of the misinterpretation of scripture, the Word of God is of no "private interpretation, you MUST let scripture interpret scripture. It is true that Jesus commanded to baptize in the "NAME" of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Is Father a name?
What about Son? Holy spirit?
Those are not names but titles. I am a brother uncle and son, does that make me three different people (trinity)?

If none of those are names, then what is the NAME of the Father Son and Holy Spirit? It is Jesus Christ.

I have already shown examples of two TYPES of baptism: John's Baptism, and Christian Trinitarian Baptism.

Are you an atheist or a JW?

Now, a word about tradition. I could provide a long list of verses in support of tradition, but this one will suffice:

2 Thessalonians 2:15
15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

Here, Paul not only commend holding fast to tradition, but he also commends oral teaching in addition to written scripture.

Ok, provide the scripture where any apostle baptized using the trinitarian formula. They clearly baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the scripture you provided, the Catholic church should still be maintaining that tradition.

The New Testament talks about people being baptized "in the name of Jesus," but there are only four such passages (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, and 19:5). Further, these passages do not use the same designation in each place (some say "Lord Jesus," other say "Jesus Christ"), indicating that they were not technical formulas used in the baptism but simply descriptions by Luke. These four descriptions are not to be considered as a substitute for or contradiction of the divine command of the Lord Jesus Christ to: "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).

And now, a question for you:

What is the pillar and ground of the faith for the believer in Christ Jesus, huggy?

The Word of God.

No, huggy. It is the Church.

1 Timothy 3:15 (KJV)
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)
15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

The pillar and ground, foundation and bulwark of the truth is the Church built by Jesus. And to Peter, the rock upon which that Church was built, Jesus conveyed awesome authority:

Matthew 16:18-19 New International Version (NIV)
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

By the authority granted to it by Jesus Christ and in response to His command, the Catholic Church makes disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.