Acts 10:44-48 “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. (45) And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. (46) For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, (47) "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" (48) And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
In this fourth account of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we see Peter preaching the gospel to the gentiles for the very first time. Until this time (which was approximately six years after the Lord’s resurrection), the disciples had proclaimed the gospel to the Jews only, thinking that salvation was only for the Jews. When we read the context of the passage, we see that the Lord dealt with Peter on this issue to correct his thinking, by sending him to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. And so, it was during Peter’s sermon that the gentiles were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, for God in His sovereignty, baptized the gentiles with the Holy Spirit in front of the Jews that were with Peter. God had to do that, in order to convince the Jews that salvation was also for the gentiles; otherwise they would never have believed that the gentiles were born again, and they would not have allowed them to be baptized in water. It is very important that we see in scripture, the sequence of events as they unfolded in this incident, because that then reinforces what we have seen in the other accounts of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Michael E.B. Maher
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