• Jesus was baptized, so by getting baptized, we're following his example.

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. Mark 1:9 (NLT)

• Jesus commanded that his followers be baptized.

[Jesus said,] “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV)

• Baptism is your public declaration of faith in Jesus.

Many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. Acts 18:8b (NIV)

• Getting baptized shows that you know Jesus on a personal level.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 1 John 2:3 (NIV)

• It's a symbol of Jesus' burial and resurrection.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NIV)

For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. Colossians 2:12 (NIV)

• It's a symbol of your new life as a Christian.

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4 (NIV)

• Baptism does not make you a believer — it shows that you already are one! Baptism is like a wedding ring. It's the outward symbol of an inward commitment you've made in your heart.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)

Every person who has made the decision to believe in Christ should be baptized.

Those who accepted his message were baptized. Acts 2:41a (NIV)

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Acts 8:12 (NIV)

The one requirement for baptism is belief in Jesus! This is why we don't baptize children until they're old enough to understand and believe for themselves.