Concerning John the Baptist we are told that he "came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying: 'REPENT, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.' Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the country around the Jordan made their way out to him, and people were baptized by him in the Jordan River, openly confessing their sins." To the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him, he said, "YOU offspring of vipers, who has intimated to YOU to flee from the coming wrath? So then produce fruit that befits repentance . . . I, for my part, baptize YOU with water because of YOUR repentance. . ." (Matthew 3:1,2,5-8,11)

In the gospel of Mark we are told that "John the baptizer turned up in the wilderness, preaching baptism [in symbol] of repentance for forgiveness of sins." And Paul told the synagogue in Antioch that "John, in advance of the entry of that One, had preached publicly to all the people of Israel baptism [in symbol] of repentance." (Mark 1:4; Acts 13:24, NWT)

Please note, John's baptism was for repentance of sins, not for the forgiveness of them. Repentance comes before forgiveness. Indeed, without repentance there is no forgiveness. (Luke 13:3,5; 2 Peter 3:9) Jehovah sent John the Baptist to prepare his people for the one, Christ Jesus, who would provide the means for having one's sins forgiven, by first announcing the need for repentance and then making it possible to repent by means of John. (Mark 1:2-4; Acts 13:24) John drew attention to the coming of that one as "the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Jesus provided the means to have our sins forgiven by sacrificing his perfect life in our behalf. "But God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  (Rom. 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24)

After Jesus' death baptism was no longer just for repentance of sins but also for forgiveness of them. That is why Peter told the crowd at Pentecost, "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit." John's baptism of repentance was no longer valid after Jesus had died. Those who had been baptized by John did not need to get baptized again as Jehovah had accepted their repentance and now forgave their sins due to the ransom paid by his Son. This also enabled them to receive the holy spirit. (Acts 2:38; 19:3-5; Heb. 9:22)

Baptism after Jesus' death is for repentance and forgiveness of one's sins. This forgiveness has made it possible to have a clean conscience before Jehovah. Yes, due to our faith in Christ and by our baptism, we are "having had our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies bathed with clean water." (Heb. 10:21,22)

Nowhere in the Scriptures are baptism and dedication tied together. The Watchtower, May 15, 1952, page 315, under the study article "Dedication for Life in the New World," acknowledges this:

"Searching through the Christian Greek Scriptures we do not find either the word dedication or the word consecration used to designate this step of giving oneself exclusively to God through Jesus Christ. When reading of the early adopters of Christianity we merely find it said that they believed or exercised faith. The formula that those used who urged people to adopt Christianity was, 'Repent and be converted,' or, 'Repent and turn around.' Also, 'Repent and be baptized.'
 

For a more detailed discussion on this subject please see the article "God's View on Dedication" on this site.

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