Of course, John did not baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus for two reasons.  The Lord instituted ‘Christian baptism’ after His resurrection from the dead and just before His bodily ascension into Heaven.  We read His words in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”  And as we have seen before on this Answers From The Book site, this baptism is to identify with the Lord Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection as we read in Romans 6:3-6, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

This baptism shows we realize Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised again from the dead for our justification. (Romans 4:25).  We identify ourselves and unite ourselves with Him as true disciples of Christ. It was different in the case of John’s baptism.

John began baptizing before Christ came on the scene, manifesting Himself as the savior who would die for sinful people like you and me.  Matthew 3:1-6 tells us, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”  John baptized people as an acknowledgement of their sins and their repentance of their sins. 

John the Baptist instructed men to, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” (Matthew 3:8).  That is, men were told to show such an attitude that demonstrated themselves as being truly repentant for their sins.  As a tree is known by its fruit, so repentance is known by good works, so all were told to show their repentance by their actions and obedience to the call of John to be baptized.  What did John say to those being baptized?  What words did he use when baptizing others?  Perhaps he spoke the same words we read in Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”  Since John was the forerunner of Christ, announcing Him to the world, he would naturally point to the coming Messiah in such a way.  We read of John in Mark 1:3 as, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”  His coming was foretold in Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

So, John baptized repentant people as a sign of their repentance.  Christian baptism is for those who have already repented and accepted Christ as their savior.  It seems the mode of baptism was the same, putting someone physically under water and then drawing them out.  Yet, the reasons for the baptisms were distinctly different.  (CC)  (702.6)