Baptism was established by John the Baptist.
The first disciples would have considered themselves Jews. They carried on the tradition of baptism from John.
Being a Christian indeed does mean committing to Christianity. Unless you are nailed to a fence or whatever, the expectation is that a Christian is one who takes the leap and makes the committment.
Salvation is another question.
The Jewish people performed ritual cleansing.
John the Baptist baptised BEFORE Jesus ministry started, the people who were 'baptized' by John the Baptist were baptised for the repentance of sin. John the Baptist only spoke of the coming of the messiah and only of himself as a pre-cursor to the one who would come, Jesus.
John the Baptist was considered an outcast by his own people. Many people tried to follow John the Baptist, but he only spoke about the One to come, Jesus.
We do not baptize as Christians for repentance.
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