“And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.” (John 19:38-39) 

If baptism is an ordinance and not a sacrament; that is, if it’s not necessary for your salvation, then, why should you be baptized? Why is baptism so important?

Although many a professed Christian ask why they should be baptized, a far better question is: “Why not?” If you are truly saved and a true follower of Jesus Christ, why wouldn’t you want to be baptized? 

If baptism is (1) commanded by Christ (2) a public profession of our faith (3) an outward picture of the inward change Christ has wrought in our lives (4) the sign of the New Covenant (5) a picture of our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and (6) a public pledge offered as proof to a fallen world of our good conscience toward God, then, why would any Christian refuse to be baptized?

While we are not saved by being baptized, it is inconceivable to me that the truly saved would not want to be baptized. Why would any true Christian not want to prove his or her commitment to Christ by submitting to believer’s baptism in obedience to Christ? Truly, the profession of any professed believer is suspect if he or she refuses to do the very first thing that Christ commanded us to do in our Christian lives.

Tragically, contemporary Christianity often falls prey to the lack of proof provided by Christian practice to authenticate Christian professions. Why, then, would a new convert want to begin their Christian life with a refusal to offer any corroborating evidence to substantiate their confession of Christ? Don’t we have enough incognito Christians? We certainly don’t need anymore; and, for sure, no Christian should start their Christian life under cover. Don’t be a closeted Christian. Step out of the closet into the baptismal pool and proudly profess your faith in Christ today!

“Water baptism is the outward testimony of the believer's inward faith.” (Dr. Kenneth Wuest)