The prerequisite was repentance followed by water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, after which they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Peter told his Jewish hearers, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' Les Feldick repeatedly emphasizes the order: repent, be baptized, then receive the Spirit. He also stresses that this was part of the Jewish program, not the same instruction given to Gentiles later.
Acts 2:38 — This is the verse that directly answers the question — Peter lists repentance and baptism before the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:36 — Shows that Peter was addressing 'all the house of Israel' about the Jesus they had crucified, giving the context for verse 38.
In Acts 2, Peter tells the men of Israel that the Jesus they crucified has been made both Lord and Christ. When they ask what they must do, Acts 2:38 gives the direct answer: 'Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' The text places repentance and water baptism before the receiving of the Spirit. The verse is addressed to Israel in the context of Peter's Pentecost sermon. Acts 2:36 identifies the audience as 'all the house of Israel,' so the command is to the nation that had rejected and crucified the Messiah. The text itself does not mention Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as the basis for salvation in this verse.
Les Feldick emphasizes that Acts 2:38 has a specific order: repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, remission of sins, and then the gift of the Holy Spirit. He says people often read it too casually, but the order is crucial. He also ties verse 38 to verse 36 — it was the house of Israel, the nation that crucified their Messiah, that was told to repent and be baptized. Les connects this to John the Baptist's 'baptism of repentance,' which prepared Jewish hearts for the King and His kingdom. Les contrasts this Jewish program with the message God later gave through Paul to the Gentiles. In Acts 10, the order is reversed: the Holy Spirit falls on Gentiles while Peter is still speaking, before they are baptized. Les explains that Acts is a transitional book, moving out of the Judaic system into grace. He argues that Paul never teaches repentance and baptism for salvation, and he warns his class not to insert death, burial, and resurrection into Acts 2:38 because that content is not there.
Peter's command was to repent, be baptized, and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Les highlights the order: 'Repent, be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ,' then remission of sins, and then the gift of the Spirit. He calls the order 'so crucial' and says people read so casually that they miss it.
In Acts 10 the order is completely reversed. The Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles while Peter is still preaching, before he baptizes them. Peter then commands them to be baptized after the fact. Les uses this reversal to show that Acts is a transitional book, moving from the Judaic system to God dealing with the Gentiles by grace.
Les ties Acts 2:38 to Acts 2:36, where Peter tells 'all the house of Israel' to know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus, whom they crucified, both Lord and Christ. He says verse 38 was only for the nation of Israel at that time — every Jew was expected to repent of their national sin and be baptized.
Les tells his class to look for death, burial, and resurrection as a means of salvation in the early chapters of Acts. He says, 'You're going to have to look real hard, because it's not there.' He concludes that if it is not there, readers have no right to put it there.
Jewish Program vs. Paul's Gospel
Les says Paul's letters never teach repentance and baptism for salvation; Acts 2:38 belongs to a different Jewish economy that cannot be mixed with the gospel for today.
Acts 10 Reversal
Les points out that in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit falls on Gentiles before baptism, a total reversal of the Acts 2:38 order, showing the transition out of the Judaic system.
No Death, Burial, Resurrection in Acts 2
Les instructs his class to look for death, burial, and resurrection in Acts 2 and says it is not there, so it should not be added to verse 38.
The Order of Acts 2:38
Les walks through the exact order: repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, receive remission of sins, then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
National Repentance as the Prerequisite
Les teaches that every Jew had to repent and follow it with water baptism — that was the prerequisite for the King to return, usher in the tribulation, and set up the kingdom.
Addressed to the House of Israel
Les ties verse 38 to verse 36: it was the people of Israel, who had crucified their Messiah, who were told to repent and be baptized.
Change in the Baptizer
Les contrasts the baptizers: in the Jewish economy Jesus baptizes Jews into the Holy Spirit, but by Paul's letters the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into Christ.
Baptism of Repentance
Les explains that John's baptism was the 'baptism of repentance' — the repentance and baptism could not be separated as the Jews prepared for the King and His kingdom.
Acts 2:36: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Identifies both the audience and the message: the house of Israel had crucified the Messiah, which sets up Peter's command in verse 38.
Acts 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The key verse answering the question: repentance and baptism precede the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:44: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Shows the Holy Spirit coming before baptism in the Gentile household, reversing the Acts 2:38 order.
Acts 10:48: And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Shows Peter baptizing the Gentiles after the Spirit had already fallen, confirming the reversal of the order.
According to Les Feldick, no. He says Acts 2:38 was part of the Jewish program, while Paul's message to the Gentile was to believe the gospel that Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Les challenges anyone to find one place in Paul's letters where he teaches repentance and baptism for salvation.
Peter was addressing the nation of Israel. Acts 2:36 says 'all the house of Israel,' and Les emphasizes that verse 38 is tied to verse 36. It was the people who had crucified Jesus who were told to repent and be baptized.
Les says the order was totally reversed for the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit fell on them while Peter was still preaching, and only afterward did Peter command them to be baptized. This shows Acts is a transitional book moving from the Judaic system into grace.
No. Les instructs his class to look for death, burial, and resurrection as a means of salvation in Acts 2 and says it is not there. He concludes that because it is not there, we have no right to put it there.
Watch the Teaching: What Must I Do to Be Saved? Acts 2 vs. Acts 16 Explained