Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:35-36)
Why does the story seem to jump directly from “Jesus” to the “water” of baptism? Since the text itself connects the two, we should pay attention. This is one way the Bible interprets itself, by connecting things that go together. We would be right to infer—to think correctly—that baptism in water is linked to the Good News (the Gospel) about Jesus. That inference is supported throughout the book of Acts. Wherever baptism is mentioned, it is a required response to the Gospel. This pattern begins with the first Gospel message in Acts. Peter, having proved Jesus to be the promised Messiah, commanded believers to repent and be baptized. Three thousand obeyed that very day (Acts 2:36-41). By means of repetition and consistency the Bible is sending us an important message.