In baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we understand that the divine name represents the ____ in which this acts is done.

• A. power
• B. presence
• C. authority
• D. person

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that doing something “in the name of” someone signals that you are acting under their authority. When baptism is commanded to be performed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it shows that the act is authorized by the Triune God and carried out by His church under that official mandate. The divine name, therefore, represents the authority behind the act—the official power and swearing-in by God to confer, approve, and oversee the rite. It’s not simply about God’s power as a force, or about His presence, or about a particular divine person alone; it’s about the legitimate authority given by God to perform the baptism. This is why the correct choice is authority.