**The folks in the House of Cornelius, have you read about them? I’m curious what you cite to explain their receiving the Holy Spirit even before Peter finished his sermon and before any were baptized.**
God made it clear that there would be no denying that the Gentiles were grafted in. Peter, seeing and hearing the gift of Holy Ghost given to the house of Cornelius had to follow God’s orders, and baptize them in the name of the Lord.
Back in Jerusalem, testifying of the events, he said:
“Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I that I could withstand God?”
Withstand God on what? (God had already given them the Holy Ghost, so there was no withstanding that from happening.) Not Peter, nor any man, could forbid water. It’s God’s ordained plan: to be buried with the Lord Jesus in baptism for the remission of sins. The household of Cornelius was baptized just like the command for baptism found in Acts 2:38. Which is obedience to the commissions given by the Lord following his resurrection:
Matt. 28:19,20
Mark 16:15-18
Luke 24:46-49
John 20:21-23
The disciples had to be converted before they could preach this new and living way, with the Lord telling Peter (before the crucifixion):
“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen the brethren.” Luke 22:32
With baptism being so vital to ‘be born from above’ you would think GOD would have put the baptism of each of the Apostles into The Word of God Bible, eh?... A Pharisee by any other name ...