[SDG]

What was Peter's message at Cornelius' house? ... was it the same PAJC message that claims that water baptism causes remission of sin or activates the Holy Spirit to regeneration?

I think not!!! ... we have 3 accounts/witnesses of his message that day ... all from Peter's mouth ...

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Witness #1 [Acts 10]

The first account is a transcript of the Gospel message preached by Peter at Cornelius home:

Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

The only mention of water baptism here is that of John the Baptist's in verse 37 ...

but verse 43 ... tells us what Peter preached and believed would result in forgiveness/remission of sins. The same message he preached at Pentecost when he echoed the words of the prophet Joel and all the other prophets who proclaimed ... "whosever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".

We know the sequence of events that then followed after those sitting in room heard and believed this message. They were filled w/ the Holy Ghost ... and then ... and only then were they baptized.

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Witness #2 [Acts 11]

Peter then recounts this same experience at Cornelius' house and his message to a group of circumcised Jewish believers in Chapter 11.

15"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with[a]water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"


18When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

Please take special notice that Peter in rehearsing his message remembered the Lord's words [ also John 1] when he made distinction between John's water baptism and the promise of a better baptism ... that of the Spirit.

He also says that the gift both the Jewish believers and Gentile believers received came through belief ... the Jewish brethren acknowleged that LIFE was granted by God to the Gentiles through repentance [v.18]

Please also note that Peter never says that forgiveness came from their subsequent water baptism or water baptism is necessary for the New Birth.

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Witness #3 [Acts 15]

Peter is compelled to recount his message and the response of those that gathered in Cornelius' house to the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. Peter sought to defend against those who felt that an outer ritual, in this case, circumcision, was necessary for salvation. Also, conspicuously missing is a stress on their water baptisms in this account ... for a guy like Peter that's "strong" on doctrine it's puzzling that it never even comes up in the conversation.


The first speech of the council was given by Peter who was no doubt wondering why the issue had not been settled in the eleventh chapter of Acts when he reported the conversion of the household of Cornelius as follows:

And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God
made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe (Acts 15:7).

Peter again rehearsed how that the Gentiles had received the Gospel from him and believed, no doubt remembering his own words at the house of Cornelius: To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43).

He goes on to say, not that baptism purified them ... but it was the Lord Jesus Christ through their faith in Him ... and that God Himself had verified this by giving them the same baptism of the Holy Spirit that the disciples received on the Day of Pentecost.

11 Peter explained, therefore, that whether one is a circumcised Jew or an uncircumcised Gentile his heart can only be purified by faith in Christ apart from ritual— And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9).

Peter knew that no one had ever kept the Law of Moses, especially those who were making the argument that day. He therefore wanted to know why the Judaizers were asking the Gentile disciples to do something that neither themselves nor the Old Testament fathers were able to do. He also stresses that their purification came by faith - not by water baptism.

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (Acts
15:10)

Peter then concluded his argument by saying in effect, no it's not the baptism or a circumcision that saves them but ... GRACE:

—But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they (Acts 15:11).

The Apostle Paul confirmed this same affirmation when he wrote to the Romans:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the
Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall
justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith
(Romans 3:28-30).

Their Jewish hearts must be purified by faith apart from the Mosaic Law and
circumcision or else remain unpurified altogether. Peter would later take the position that these Judaizers were false prophets. Although they professed Christ to be the Messiah who died on the cross, they were denying Him by their gospel of circumcision and law,

as Peter stated:

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious
ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (II
Peter 2:1, 2).

Peter’s words silenced the multitude at the Jerusalem Council so that Paul and Barnabas could be called upon to give their report.


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Where is the doctrine of baptismal remission/regeneration in Peter's message at Cornelius' house ...? Why isn't his doctrinal stress and message impetus the 3 step template offered by the W&S crowd? Why is there no mention of sins being washed away through a religious rite like baptism?

I know that my PAJC brethren will try to read in between the lines and ask us to make the "revelatory" connections they've made ... but even the most elementary reader of Peter's witness sees that the 3 step salvational process isn't the core of his spoken message to Cornelius.

Did he forget his notes on the New Birth at Pentecost?