lot of confusion stems from holding on to 19th century evangelistic patterns and methodologies. During that time, "repentance" was understood to mean a person's "decision for Christ", in which they prayed for forgiveness and for God to save them. This was the "first trip to the altar."
Many who held that view joined together with others who held a more consistently Biblical and apostolic view. This joining of two different groups was called "The UNITED Pentecostal Church", and a compromise was reached between the two groups. This compromise produced the unique belief held by some in the UPC that a person is forgiven and justified in repentance, but their sins are remitted or washed away in baptism. Repentance of course being viewed as a crisis experience involving confessing and forsaking sin and praying for pardon and salvation.
Biblically, repentance is not a "trip to the altar" or a "decision for Christ."
Baptism was ordained by God via John's preaching. It was a baptism of repentance. The people repented by being baptized, confessing their sins, as a sign of returning to God in obedience.
Christ was baptized, but not needing to repent or confess sins, He imparted a newer, deeper dimension to baptism. Those who, from then on, properly responded to the call of God, would be baptized confessing Him (instead of confessing their sins only). Repentance was still part of baptism, but now that repentance was directed towards faith in Jesus as Messiah.
Thus, Peter, when he said "repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" he wasn't giving two steps to salvation, but one. Genuine repentance includes baptism, and vice versa, they are inseparable, properly speaking. Peter later taught that baptism saves us because it is the answer of a good conscience towards God,
it is the proper obedient response to the Gospel message, not a trip to an altar and a season of prayer and a "decision for Christ" apart from baptism.
When the Gentiles got saved in
Acts 10, it was said of them that God had granted repentance unto life to them. Repentance is a large term and includes baptism, regeneration, and so forth. It means a turning about, from death to life, from sin to salvation.
It is only a modern construct that makes repentance a purely emotional, psychological, internal event separated from baptism and public profession of Jesus Christ.