In the text below we see that after Peter’s trance vision he was prepared for the three gentile men from Caesarea arriving. He goes with them at the direction of God the Holy Spirit. He, and six other Christians arrive at the man’s house, and hear his explanation of why he called for him. Peter witnesses the the Holy Spirit coming upon the man, and he notes that it was that way with them in the beginning. Notice what he says, “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could prevent God’s way?” God gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit in the same way He did at Jerusalem during Pentecost, Samaria, and with the followers of John the Baptist. This gift was after they had already been regenerated to new life, and faith in Jesus.
It was different than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in New Testament believers. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit was special to these four separate groups. They were so different that it was necessary for God to bring them into the Church with a visit from an Apostle, and this special outpouring. This unified these groups into the one body of Christ. It doesn’t happen this way anymore. We don’t need this miraculous sign because we have the testimony of God’s Word. The main point is that they already had believed in Jesus. The circumcised who had taken issue with Peter bringing these gentile believers into the Church settled down after Peter’s testimony of what God had done. They acknowledge that the gentiles had been given the repentance that leads to life.
The only people who seek baptism are those who already been brought to new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit. The conviction of the Holy Spirit humbles them by bringing the knowledge of their sin to their mind. Their overwhelming guilt brings them to the foot of the cross, where they behold their Savior, whose body had been broken for them, whose holy blood had been shed for them, and there at the cross, they repent, and trust His justifying work. Only then do they seek baptism. For to seek baptism they must first believe that Christ is. They must also desire to be in Christ. These things must occur logically before baptism. Otherwise, any ol’ Eastern Orthodox priest, Roman Catholic priest, or Church of God apostle, could simply douse strangers with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and create new Christians by their own work, and agenda. It is preposterous, and scandalous, to think that baptismal regeneration is true.
“Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had
received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took
issue with him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began speaking
and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and
in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from
heaven, and it came right down to me, and when looking closely at it, I was observing it and saw the
four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the sky.
“And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise up, Peter; slaughter and eat.’ “But I said, ‘By no means,
Lord, for nothing defiled or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a voice from heaven answered a
second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled.’ “And this happened three times, and
everything was drawn back up into heaven. “And behold, immediately three men appeared at the house
in which we were, having been sent to me from Caesarea. “And the Spirit told me to go with them
without taking issue at all. These six brothers also went with me and we entered the man’s house. “And
he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and
summon Simon, who is also called Peter; and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved,
you and all your household.’ “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did
upon us at the beginning. “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized
with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift
as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could prevent God’s
way?” And when they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has
granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.””
(Acts 11:1–18 Legacy Standard Bible)
https://accordance.bible/link/read/LSB#Acts_11:1
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