When Jesus commissioned His disciples, He declared that all authority in heaven and on earth belonged to Him. On the basis of that authority, He commanded them to make disciples, baptise them, and teach them to obey all that He had commanded.
Who, then, should be baptised? The natural order of Christ’s command is clear: people become disciples of Jesus, they are baptised, and they begin learning what it means to follow Him. Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles followed this same pattern. Those who heard and believed the gospel were baptised.
The biblical covenants also help us understand who should receive the covenant sign. Under the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants, circumcision marked those who entered the covenant community through physical birth. The New Covenant, however, is made up of those whose hearts have been changed, who know the Lord personally, and whose sins have been forgiven through Christ.
Baptism is not something invented by the church. Christ commanded it, the apostles baptised those who believed, and the sign of the New Covenant belongs to those who know the Lord. If you have repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ, but have never been baptised, will you obey Christ and be baptised?