What did the Gentiles do to be saved in Acts 10 if they were not baptized or repenting?
In Acts 10, the Gentiles were saved by believing the message Peter spoke about Jesus—who He was, what happened to Him, and that He had risen from the dead. Before any baptism or repentance, they believed, and the Holy Spirit came upon them as evidence of their faith.
Les explains that Acts 2:38 gives the criteria: repent, be baptized every one of you, receive remission of sins, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit. But when you come to Acts chapter 10 and the Gentile economy, that order is totally reversed. While Peter was still speaking, he had not said a word about repentance or baptism; he spoke only 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. So without baptism and without repentance, they believed. Les notes that this is Paul's Gospel, though it is merely the beginning of opening the door to Gentiles, and Peter later refers back 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.