If you truly believed the Lord, you would not be asking this.  Instead, you would be asking - ‘How soon can I do it’?  For once we understand what wretched sinners we are, and see the forgiveness that Christ is offering - we have no choice.

 

 The attitude in scripture is not- ‘why should I be baptised’?.  It is-  “Why shouldn’t I be baptised” (Acts 8:36) and “Can anyone keep these people from being baptised” (Acts 10:47) as well as “immediately he and all his family were baptised” (Acts 16:33)

 

Baptism should never be seen as a step in some kind of program for salvation.  Simply going through the motions of baptism will not save anyone.  Even believers who have already been baptised are warned, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12)

 

Baptism is a command from the Lord Jesus himself, so if we believe him, we obviously want to obey him.  It must be an action born from faith.  That is why it says, “Repent and be baptised”,  Because until we believe the good news and are ready to repent, nothing will save us.

  

Let’s be serious.  How can we claim to be repentant, if we cannot follow such a simple command?  If you really believe the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, then I will simply ask you the same question that Ananias asked Paul, “What are you waiting for?  Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on His name”! (Acts 22:16)