They have received the Holy Spirit
Acts 10:47 - More than a few words on the subject of baptism
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“Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Acts 10:47 NIV
In researching Bible commentaries for today’s verse, I came upon a new phrase: credobaptism. What does this mean? From CompellingTruth.org:
Believer’s baptism — baptism after a personal profession of faith — is consistently modeled and commanded in the New Testament. The biblical pattern never separates baptism from repentance and belief, making credobaptism the most faithful expression of the ordinance.
Believer’s baptism is also referred to as credobaptism. Now, I was baptized as an infant in the Roman Catholic church, and of course I was too young to make a personal profession of faith and I never repented of my sins (I wasn’t even aware of sinning as a baby). When Barb and I came back to Christ after years as skeptics and sinners, we joined a Lutheran church where baptisms were performed for infants, children new to faith, and adults who were making their profession of faith. When we moved to a non-denominational Bible-centered church years later, I finally decided to be baptized again as an adult on January 16, 2022 — credobaptism in action.
By the time of my adult baptism, we had both come back to faith, were beginning to study the Bible in earnest, and had begun the process of repenting of sin (defined by Wikipedia as “reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.”). I decided to be baptized again as an adult since I wanted to make a public declaration of my faith.
So much for my personal history; today’s verse is all about baptism. In Acts Chapter 10, Peter is preaching the gospel to the first group of Gentiles, and in Acts 10:44-46 it is recorded that:
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”
The circumcised believers were, of course, those of the Jewish faith who had professed their faith in Jesus Christ. They were familiar with what had happened on the Jewish festival of Shavuot 50 days (”pentecost” in Koine Greek) after the first day of Passover. On that day, the Holy Spirit came upon a group of about 120 believers who were gathered together.
In this verse, Peter was preaching and the Holy Spirit “came on all who heard the message”. They all began to praise God and speak in tongues, similar to what happened on Pentecost. Now Peter was a smart man, and he probably knew that there would be resistance to the Gentiles being baptized just like the Jews had. So he spoke the words of this verse: “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Everyone in attendance had seen the evidence of salvation for these new believers; receiving the Holy Spirit in a very miraculous way. Peter wanted to make sure that there would be no Jewish believers who would block the baptism of the Gentiles. After all, Jesus had commanded His disciples to “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
In our time, credobaptism follows the awakening of belief in a person, their profession of faith in Jesus crucified and His resurrection, and their repentance. There are many examples of this in the New Testament, but nowhere is infant baptism (paedobaptism) mentioned. Here’s what GotQuestions.org has to say on the topics of credobaptism and paedobatism:
Churches that practice infant baptism often hold that baptism is how a person receives the Holy Spirit. They base this belief on Peter’s words in Acts 2:38: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” According to many paedobaptists, baptism sets the child apart and secures salvation. They also cite household baptisms in the New Testament as evidence that whole families were saved and baptized (assuming that children and babies were included), and not just adults (see Acts 11:14; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:16). But this assumption goes beyond what the text of the Bible says.
Neither infant baptism nor adult baptism can save a person. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Romans 3:28; 4:5; 5:1; Ephesians 1:13; 2:8–9; Galatians 2:16; 3:24; Philippians 3:9). It does not matter if you were baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling—if you have not first trusted in Christ for salvation, baptism (no matter the method) is insufficient to save.
If Christian parents wish to dedicate their child to Christ, a baby dedication service is appropriate, but there is no biblical mandate or example of baptizing a baby. Whether an infant is dedicated or baptized or both, he or she will, at some point in the future, still have to make a personal decision to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Baptism is a personal decision that each Christian needs to make. There’s nothing that says that if you were baptized as an infant you can’t be baptized again as an adult. The important thing is that your baptism means something to you — that you are making a public declaration of your faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our lives. In the same manner that You poured out Your Spirit on the first Gentiles to become Your followers, may we also feel Your presence and power. Help us to share the Good News of Jesus boldly and with love to all nations, and may the waters of baptism be open to all who seek You in recognition that Your gift of salvation is for everyone who believes and repents. We pray this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.