When should someone be baptized?
1. Baptism comes after believing and understanding.
Matthew 3:4-6
4And John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
2. When you repent then be baptized.
Acts 2:38
38Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repent means to have a change of mind, to turn from your sin and turn to Jesus. When you have had a change in your heart and mind about sin and who Jesus is then you may be baptized. When you invite Jesus into your life, you will change your mind about sin.
Acts 8:12 & 13
12But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Believe with all your heart and then you may be baptized. Baptism comes after you personally decide to believe in Jesus. If someone has you baptized before you are old enough to understand, then you did not make a personal decision to believe in Jesus. If you were baptized and you did not understand what you were doing you only got wet, not baptized.
Unless you understand that you are a sinner, how will you be able to change your mind about sin? Believers baptism means you believe in something. When you believe the bible then you believe Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus was to be known as Emanuel, which means God with us. (Matthew 1:21 & 22)
What does baptism represent? God tells us in His bible to believe and then be baptized. If you join a group of people, usually there is something that identifies you with that group. Boy and girl scouts have a uniform and practice the creed which identifies them with the scouts. When you attend a prestigious University, you wear a ring and receive a diploma this identifies you with that institution. Gang members must perform an initiation act in public and then they receive a tattoo that identifies them with that one gang. All of these groups have something that identifies the individual with the organization. When you get married, you wear a ring that identifies you as married and your single status has changed. When you join the family of Jesus Christ being baptized in public identifies you with His death, burial, resurrection, and with the family of God. The other thing that identifies you with the family of God is a change in your lifestyle, character, and habits. When you invite Jesus in you will begin to subtract sin. Your status as an unbeliever has changed.