What was Peter saying when the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles in Acts 10:44?
While Peter was still speaking, he had not mentioned repentance or water baptism; he was simply proclaiming who Jesus was, what had happened to Him, and that He had risen from the dead. The Gentiles believed that message, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them as evidence of their faith, without baptism or repentance.
Les teaches that Acts 2:38 gave the Jewish criteria: repent, be baptized every one, receive remission of sins, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit. But in Acts 10:44, the Gentile economy is totally reversed. While Peter yet spake, he had not said a word about repentance or baptism. He spoke merely concerning who Jesus was, what had happened to Him, and how He had risen from the dead. The Gentiles believed it, and the Holy Spirit came upon them as evidence of their faith. Without baptism and without repentance, they simply believed. Les says that is Paul's Gospel, though this was merely the beginning of opening the door to Gentiles, and Peter later makes reference to it in Acts 15.
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
More Questions
What did Peter preach to the Gentiles before the Holy Spirit fell in Acts 10?
Peter's preaching to the Gentiles in Acts 10 was about who Jesus was, what had happened to Him, and how He had risen from the dead.
Why did the Holy Spirit fall on the Gentiles in Acts 10?
God made the Holy Spirit fall on the believing Gentiles in Acts 10 to prove to Peter and the six other Jewish men with him that He was doing something totally new: saving Gentiles.