We read about people being baptized in the New Testament and it creates within us a desire to also be baptized. We read about Jesus and the apostles teaching people to be baptized in the New Testament and it prompts us to want to be baptized. So, as long as I was baptized (i.e., fully immersed in water), does it really matter why I did it? Some might argue that it doesn’t matter, and others may claim it does. What does the Bible teach?
If it does not matter why someone is baptized, what if they are only doing it to please their parents and to get them off their back? If it does not matter, what if they are baptized because all of their friends were baptized and they just went along with them? If it does not matter, what if they do it because someone dared them to be baptized? If it does not matter, what if someone is baptized just to satisfy the wishes of the person they want to marry?
The list of scenarios could be extended, but perhaps these are sufficient to make the point—even human wisdom recognizes that the reason someone is baptized actually does matter. So then, who gets to decide what reason is acceptable and what reasons are not? The answer should be obvious—Christ has all authority and no man does (Matt. 28:18)!
Since the Bible is the only Divine source of information regarding baptism, why would we look anywhere other than the Bible for the reason one needs to be baptized? Some today claim that one needs to be baptized in order to demonstrate to the world that he has accepted Jesus and been saved. Did you know that there is not a single verse in the Bible that teaches this to be the reason to be baptized? In fact, just the opposite. Some examples in the book of Acts (the Ethiopian in Acts 8, Saul in Acts 9, the jailer in Acts 16) were individuals who were baptized “immediately,” without waiting to gather a crowd to demonstrate to them (or to anyone else) that they were already saved.
So, what reason does the Bible give for one to be baptized? There is only one. When a sinner realizes that his sins are separating him from God and that he must make a change in order to be saved, that person “must” be baptized, so that in the moment of immersion, he may be “saved” and have his sins “washed away” by the blood of Jesus (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). That is the only Biblical reason for one to be baptized.
What if someone is baptized for a different reason than to obtain forgiveness of sins at that very moment? Then, that person was not baptized for the reason the Bible pinpoints and that person needs to decide if they want to follow the Bible’s teaching (and Christ’s authority) on the matter.