Monday, October 19, 2020

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 10: 44-48 comments: Peter has Cornelius and company baptized

 


Acts 10:44 ¶  While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47  Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

 

Notice how these believers receive the Holy Ghost in this instance first and then are baptized? Now, see the baptism that Peter called for with the Jews as they were to repent of the crime against Christ. Baptism first, then receipt of the Holy Ghost.

 

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

There are commentators who wish to make a clearer distinction between the two baptisms and declare that Acts 2 was a baptism of national repentance. I believe that comes from trying to view the Bible as a set of directions and parsing out minor variations as significant of a different dispensation. A Jewish or a Gentile believer today receives the Holy Ghost when they believe and then is baptized as a public profession of that invisible act.

 

Luke 23:34a  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

 

Even if Acts 2:38 was an act of national repentance this does not change the need for every Jew or Gentile to receive Christ and believe in Him and to trust in His righteousness and not their own for salvation.

 

The Jews present responded to Peter’s sermon were baptized and received the Holy Ghost but was this a presentation of a strict order of events making their salvation different from Gentile salvation?

 

See the order presented here in the text. First, with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch there is no mention of receiving the Holy Ghost but it is assumed.

 

Acts 8:26 ¶  And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27  And he arose

and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33  In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34  And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36  And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38  And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. 40  But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

 

Then, with the Roman centurion and company and Peter where it is implied that they believed what they heard and then they received the Holy Ghost and are then baptized.

 

 

Now, do you honestly think that each of these situations were different in that in one instance you are baptized then you receive the Holy Ghost after that and yet in another you get baptized because you believe and it is implied that you received the Holy Ghost upon belief and in another instance you believe and receive the Holy Ghost and then are baptized? How many dispensations do you want to create? Christians often don’t have a problem with belief. They have a problem with reading comprehension. This is a lot like those people who believe Noah walked off the Ark with a white son, a black son, and an Asian son when it nowhere says that but they read back into the text what they want to believe.

 

Earlier in Acts 8 you will have people believing and being baptized but not receiving the Holy Ghost until Peter and John lay hands on them. In Acts 16 Lydia believes and is baptized but no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In the same chapter the jailor believes and is baptized and no mention is made of the Holy Ghost. In Acts 9 it is implied that Paul believed and then he received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. In Acts 22 he relates that he was baptized after that. Again, if you are going to read the Bible like a textbook how many dispensations do you want to create?

 

When you get saved it is because you believed, were given faith, and received the Holy Ghost. At some point, to fulfill all righteousness as Jesus said, you should get baptized as an outward manifestation of your inward change and faith.

 

In any event Jesus Himself puts the focus on your belief, not your baptism.

 

Mark 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

 

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