Water Babtizm

Matthew 28:19-20
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:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Water Baptism has become such a controversy in the church today because people do not fully understand the word of God.  Jesus Christ taught the disciples exactly how he wanted them to go forth and baptize the people.  He made it very clear, so if there is any fault in how it's done, the fault is our own.  In order to understand the confusion, we need to take a look at the way of life during the time of Christ and understand their ways.  During this time there were many believers that would baptize new believers.  John being the first to start baptizing others started a tradition.  The people that John baptized were considered to have been baptized in John's name or you could say in the name of John.  Many of the lawyers and pharisees rejected Christ for the very fact that they were not baptized of his (John's) baptism.

Luke 7:28-30
28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

If Christ had baptized them it would have been in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: and when they told someone how they were baptized they would have said in Jesus Name!  Because it was with the baptism of Jesus!!  

This truth is further clarified with Paul's teaching in 

1 Corinthians 1:12-15

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

When we repent and accept Christ as our savior the Holy Ghost dwells within us.  We are buried in Christ.  Water baptism is the keeping of a commandment.  it is the outward showing of this inward experience.  

Acts 10:47-48
47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.  (with Christ's baptism, the way he had taught them to be baptized)

Much of this confusion comes from Peter's teaching in

Acts 2:38 
Then Peter said unto them, 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.

Peter was a disciple of Jesus Christ.  He knew Christ so completely that Jesus told him "Upon this rock ( this truth) I will build my church".  he knew who Jesus was!!  He would not have went forth and taught anything contrary to what Christ had already taught him.  He was simply using a common term when telling the people to be baptized in Jesus name.  He was telling them to be baptized the way Jesus taught them.  In other words, He was telling them to be baptized with Jesus's baptism!  In those days whoever baptized you when you told someone about it, you would say I was baptized in John's name, or in Jesus's name or even in Paul's name but it was all done the same way, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost!  

I have been in church under the Jesus Only teaching and even had a pastor at one time whom I loved dearly, but as I grew in Christ, the Holy Ghost became my teacher.  For those that believe you must be baptized in Jesus name only and leave out the Father and the Holy Ghost I would leave you with this thought.

Who is greater Jesus Christ or Peter?  If you fail to truly comprehend anything that I have said, then you must believe that the bible contradicts itself and that Peter thought he knew more than Christ himself knew and was going against what Christ taught the people to do.  Peter would not have done that.  The bible is the infallible word of God and every part is truth.  We must read it with the understanding that there is an explanation for any part that appears to contradict another part.  

Another thing I want to leave you with is this.  Water baptism is not what saves you.  It is the fulfilling of a commandment.  Those that believe you must be baptized in water in order to be saved should consider Jesus Christ own words on the cross. He told the thief while hanging on a cross that he would be with him in paradise.  That thief had not been baptized!