There are people who believe in the direct operation of the Holy Spirit in their lives today. As proof that the Holy Spirit comes upon believers, they will cite the conversion of Cornelius and his household. Some will even go so far as to claim that a person is not really saved unless they experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Let us examine the events leading up to the conversion of Cornelius in detail. I will not be quoting every single verse I make reference to, but I will give the verse so anyone can see what it says for themselves. This will not be a short post. In order for this to make sense to the reader it will have to be long.

The church was established on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The event was accompanied by the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, and possibly others who were gathered with them (Acts 1:13-15; 2:1-4). Later that day about 3,000 were baptized and added to the Lord's church (Acts 2:41, 47). Peter promised those who were baptized would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in the direct operation of the Spirit today would have us read this verse to say that we are receiving the Holy Spirit, Himself, as the gift. Yet, the verse is actually stating that those who were forgiven of their sins would receive a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Notice that the word "gift" is singular. Yet, miraculous gifts from the Spirit are usually mentioned as a plural. What singular gift does the Spirit give to every Christian? "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Hebrews 6:4). The Hebrew writer also speaks of the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit in which we have been made partakers. We also know that salvation is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). More specifically, Paul says the Spirit of God is our guarantee of salvation. "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14). Salvation is a gift that every Christian receives and the Holy Spirit guarantees that we will receive that gift when this world comes to an end.

Several years pass and the church grew to tremendous numbers. Yet, all of its members came from the Jewish nation. Of particular interest is the start of the church in Samaria. Philip came preaching the word and performing miracles among the people. The people believed the teaching of Philip and were baptized (Acts 8:12-13). "Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 8:14-15). Even though the people in Samaria were baptized, they did not immediately receive the ability to use miraculous gifts. Even though Philip was among them demonstrating the power of God by gifts of the Spirit, it is apparent that he was not given permission to pass those gifts on to others. The gifts came only when the apostles laid their hands on the people (Acts 8:17). "Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles' hands" (Acts 8:18).

Notice that there was a gap in time when people became children of God and when some of them received the ability to do miraculous deeds. Later, Paul mentions that not all Christians were able to perform miracles. "All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?" (I Corinthians 12:29-30). Therefore, we must conclude that a person does not need to have the gifts of the Spirit to prove they have been saved.
In all the years that the church grew at the beginning, there is no mention of the Spirit coming directly upon the disciples as He did on the day of Pentecost. Instead, we find the gifts of the Spirit being spread by the apostles laying hands on believers.

It also appears that the early church began to think that only Jews could become Christians. After all Christians in the very early church were all once Jews.
In Acts 10, we are introduced to a godly man, named Cornelius (Acts 10:1-5). Cornelius is instructed to send for a man named Peter. Cornelius immediately sends men to invite Peter to his home. While this is happening, God gives Peter a puzzling vision (Acts 10:9-17). The key point of the vision was a warning, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." (Acts 10:15). The men from Cornelius arrived at the same time the vision ended. The Spirit instructed Peter to go with the men. Some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied Peter on the trip (Acts 10:23).

When Peter arrived he told Cornelius, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for" (Acts 10:28-29). Cornelius then explains why he sent for Peter and concludes, "So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." (Acts 10:33).

Peter then presents a lesson to Cornelius and his household, but in the midst of that lesson the Holy Spirit falls on those gathered just as He had done at the beginning of the church (Acts 10:44-48). "All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God" (Acts 10:45-46). They were amazed because the pouring out of the Spirit came upon Gentiles. They were amazed because this was the second time that this event had happened. Peter comments on this unusual event, "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 11:15-16). Peter was reminded of the words of Jesus, which he had not thought about in a while. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was not an everyday occurrence. It had only occurred twice: on the day of Pentecost and at the teaching of Cornelius' household.

The coming of the Spirit did not make Cornelius good or religious. Cornelius was "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually" (Acts 10:2) before God spoke to Cornelius through an angel. It was his deeds that brought him to the attention of God (Acts 10:4). Many claim that men are born so depraved that they cannot become religious without the intervention of God. Yet, here is a religious man, who because of his good deeds God takes notice and selects him for a special purpose. Even with his good deeds, he was not saved because he was instructed to send for Peter to learn what God would have him to do.

The Spirit did not produce faith in Cornelius when He came upon his household. Peter said the faith was produced by the message he delivered. "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7). The purpose of the Spirit's coming was to be a witness to their faith. "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us" (Acts 15:8). Even though faith is something that cannot be seen, God revealed what was inside by the sending of the Spirit. Nor did the coming of the Spirit cleanse them of their sins. "He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9).

Please take note of this important point. The baptism of the Spirit did not save Cornelius and his household. The salvation came by the words which Peter taught. "He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, 'Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household'" (Acts 11:13-14). Paul later confirms this when he stated, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

Yet even after being baptized by the Spirit, Peter commanded Cornelius and his household to be baptized. ""Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ." (Acts 10:47-48). You see, Peter was there to tell Cornelius and his household how to be saved. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11). Only in Jesus can anyone obtain salvation and the way into Christ is through faith and baptism. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26-28). Far too many desire to separate faith from baptism, but it is the combination that saves. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be save" (Mark 16:16).

It is amazing how people emphasize the miraculous gifts of the Spirit and claim that one is not saved until those gifts are demonstrated. Do you not realize that there were many wonders involved in the saving of the Gentiles? Why are they not emphasized? An angel was sent by God to Cornelius to tell him who he needed to talk to about salvation. Must people today wait until an angel appears to give them directions to a particular preacher? We are not talking about a "feeling" or a "leading." Cornelius knew he was addressing an angel and the message from the angel was very clear and direct.
Peter was given a vision indicating he should speak to the Gentiles. Should preachers today sit in their offices until they receive permission from God to speak His message? Peter was also directly told to go with Cornelius's men (Acts 10:19-20). Must preachers today wait for the Spirit to tell them were they are to go before spreading the Word? Again, this was not a "feeling" or a "leading," but a direct command of God.
Why is it that one miracle is emphasized when four were involved?

A better question is to ask why God sent the Spirit to these Gentiles? As I have shown, the Spirit was not sent to bring salvation. We are given a hint by Paul. "But I have written very boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:15-16). The offering of the Gentiles became acceptable because it was sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Do you remember God's warning to Peter not to call unclean what God called clean? The coming of the Spirit proved God's acceptance of the Gentiles as demonstrated at Cornelius' house. They were set apart (sanctified) for salvation.

Paul tells us that the gift of speaking in other languages (tongues) was a sign for unbelievers (I Corinthians 14:22). Even though brethren from Joppa had accompanied Peter, they did not believe the Gentiles could be saved. The gift of speaking in other languages was a sign to these unbelievers that God did plan to save the Gentiles. This was what the Holy Spirit enabled. Later this same witness convinced other brethren who questioned Peter's right to go to the Gentiles. "And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, ... "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."" (Acts 11:2-4, 15-18). God bore witness to the Jewish Christians that there was no distinction between Jew and Gentile. "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:8-9)

wow you really spent some time on this, ill read through it hopefully tomorrow during class and let you know what i think.

I'll just say. No one has ever been saved by a work.

Even in the Old Testament times, no one was ever saved by keeping the law. "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

Its all about being saved by grace, through faith.

I really don't want to get off topic here but Torm1, can you tell the forum what the following verse is trying to say?

James 2:18-22 (New King James Version)
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Works are a product of faith, its not us doing it, but Him.

Hey kiss i feel like it is a big time commitment for me to respond so i havnt read it yet, but i will get to it soon.

It it truely a deep subject and requires study in Romans, John and Hebrews as well. You had asked or made reference to the baptism of Cornelius in other post, I knew it was deep then and would take a lot of explaining. But, this is good.

okay i finally read it.
Your entire argument is built around acts 2:38 which you have misinterpreted
You are saying that THE gift of the holy spirit means that A gift?
Those are completely different. If the bible said "and you will receive a gift of the holy spirit" then we would have an argument, but the fact that the bible says "you will receive THE gift of the holy spirit"
Anyone who knows the english language can know that the holy spirit is clearly the gift here.
We know that their are many gifts that the holy spirit can give to us, and due to that verse we know that the holy spirit is a gift from god.
You are trying to change the word in the bible from THE to A. They are different. You cannot make that change. Read the bible for answers and quit searching for justification of your ideas in it.
You literally had to change words because you think you know what the bible was trying to say? Unbelievable.

and i already proved you wrong about the baptism of the holy spirit thing. First you said "Baptism with the Holy Spirit ended with the apostles".
I proved you wrong with that so now you are saying that it ended with cornelius.


The holy spirit literally lives in us, and still does today!
1 cor 6:19
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; "
1 cor 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[a] his Spirit who lives in you
2 cor 1:22
put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit
2 cor 5:5
God, who has given us the Spirit

Read those verses. God has given us the spirit to dwell in us as a gift. The spirit is God, he is eternal and holy, and he prays on our behalf.
praise the lord that he lives in us!

To bad you spent all that time looking those verses up when they don't prove anything about salvation coming by the way of being baptized by the Holy Spirit. Which is what you believe.

If I may continue, I hope to put this to rest. Bryce, I know you will not believe but hopefully others who do read will understand. Frequently there is some confusion as to when baptism is mentioned as to which baptism is occurring -- baptism in water or baptism in the Spirit. Baptism in the Spirit is a baptism that was administered by Christ. John promised that Jesus would baptize with the Spirit. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). And when we read of the two events that are called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we see that no man was involved in its administration. In Acts 2:2 we are told that it came from heaven and in both events we are told that God gave the recipients the gift (Acts 2:17, 32-33; 11:17; 15:8). In contrast, baptism in water is administered by men. Jesus commanded, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). And when the eunuch was baptized, we see that it was done by Philip. "Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:38).

The baptism in the Spirit was promised by Christ. "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). And again, "John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now ... But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:5, 8). However, baptism in water is not promised, but commanded. Peter commanded it of Cornelius and his household, "And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:48). Ananias instructed Saul to be baptized, "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize people of all nations in Matthew 28:19. A command can be obeyed, but a promise cannot be obeyed; a promise must be given.

When we read about people being baptized in the Spirit, we see that signs accompanied the event (Acts 2:4-8; 10:44-46). In particular, those baptized began to speak in other languages (or tongues). But baptism in water did not gant miraculous gifts. Again, the baptisms of the Samaritans prove this point. "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. ... Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 8:12, 14-16).

Finally, all Christians were not baptized in the Spirit. As we previously noted, there were many baptism between Acts 2 and Acts 10, yet the baptism in the Spirit in Acts 2 and in Acts 10 were unique in the history of the church. Even receiving miraculous gifts of the Spirit was not universal. "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" (I Corinthians 12:28-30). The answer to Paul's questions is "No." All Christians did not receive the gifts. However, all Christians were baptized in water.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3).

"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

This then leads us to the question, "Wasn't the baptism received by Cornelius the gift of the Spirit promised by Peter in Acts 2:38-39?" Peter promised of the gift of the Spirit would come after repenting and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins. However, Cornelius received the Spirit before he was baptized. Therefore, it cannot be the same promised gift.

We must also take note that the gift in Acts 2:38-39 was universally promised. "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself" (Acts 2:39). Yet we saw earlier that everyone did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and everyone did not receive the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. However, there is a gift of the Spirit that has been promised to all who have their sins remitted. "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance. In other words, there is a gift of the Spirit which serves as our guarantee of a heavenly reward after this life ends. It is not a gift that is accompanied by miraculous signs, but it is an important gift which every child of God would possess.

If you think that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a common event, then we need to address the question as to what purpose the those unique baptism served. For the baptism that occurred on Pentecost, we are told as to its purpose. The Spirit was given to teach the apostles and to remind them of the events that they witnessed. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26). In addition the Spirit would give the apostles power to be effective witnesses of the Christ. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). It was through the signs that accompanied the apostles that God bore witness to the truth. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" (Hebrews 2:3-4). Therefore, the primary purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to give witness to the truth.

Before considering the purpose of Cornelius' baptism in the Spirit, let us address what this baptism did not do.

The Spirit did not come to make Cornelius acceptable to God. Cornelius was already a God-fearing man (Acts 10:2). He already had a good reputation before men and God (Acts 10:22). But as Peter stated, Cornelius was already acceptable to God, "in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (Acts 10:35).

The Spirit did not come to give Cornelius faith. Cornelius already believed in God (Acts 10:2) and Cornelius came to believe in God's Son through the gospel preached to him. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Peter testified that by hearing the word of the gospel, Cornelius believed. "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7). Cornelius's faith was by the message preached to him and not by direct intervention of the Spirit of God.

The Spirit did not come to give Cornelius salvation. In neither Acts 2 or Acts 10 is there any mention that by receiving the baptism of the Spirit the recipients gained salvation. It is simply an assumption made by various people that the Spirit would not come upon a person unless he is saved. However, there are instances when the Spirit came upon people who we know were in sin. For example, the Spirit came upon Saul while he was searching to murder David. "So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. Now it was told Saul, saying, "Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!" Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah." So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" (1 Samuel 19:18-24). Balaam also was able to prophesy for God even while he sought for a way to hinder God and make money from the deal (Numbers 23:1-5; II Peter 2:15). At least with the case of Cornelius we are dealing with better material; at least Cornelius was a godly man. But because the Spirit comes upon a person, it does not imply that the person was saved or lost.

In the New Testament, we have several cases where the Spirit is given to those who were already saved. The apostles were chosen by Jesus and were baptizing prior to Jesus' death (John 4:1-2), but they did not receive the baptism of the Spirit until a later time in Acts 2. The Samaritans believed and were baptized prior to receiving the gifts of the Spirit as recorded in Acts 8. Those in Corinth were baptized prior to receiving the gifts as well (Acts 18:8; I Corinthians 12:1-11). The same is true of those in Ephesus. "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:5-6). But even in each of these cases, only one is called a baptism by the Spirit. The rest received gifts of the Spirit by the laying on of the apostles' hands.

Not everyone received miraculous gifts from the Spirit, but all Christians did receive salvation from their sins. We must always keep in mind that Peter reported that Cornelius would hear words where by he would be saved (Acts 11:14). Later Peter also stated that we are all saved by the grace of Jesus, just as Cornelius was saved. "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they" (Acts 15:8-11).

The Spirit did not come to sanctify Cornelius. Sanctification is done through the word of God. As Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

The Spirit did not come to bring Cornelius forth. This, again, is done by the word of God. "Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).

The Spirit did not come to give Cornelius a new birth. This, too, is done by the word of God. "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (I Peter 1:22-23).

The Spirit did not come to cleanse Cornelius's heart. His heart was cleansed by faith (Acts 15:9).

The Spirit did not come as an alternative or as a replacement for baptism in water. Even though he received the baptism in the Spirit, Peter still commanded that Cornelius and his household should be baptized in water. "'Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:47-48).

The Spirit did not come to make Cornelius a child of God. That is done by faith and baptism in water. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27).

So why did the Spirit come upon Cornelius and his household? The answer is clearly stated by Peter in Acts 15:8-11. "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." God acknowledged them, or bore them witness, or testified to them (depending on your translation) by giving them the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, our next question is, "A witness to what?" Some time after Cornelius's conversion the issue was raised as to whether a Gentile had to become a Jew before he could be saved. "Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (Acts 15:5). Peter's response to this was to point out that the Spirit came to witness that these Gentiles could be saved without being first a Jew. Peter did not say that the Spirit came to witness that a person could be saved without baptism.

This then leads to the question, "Why did the Spirit come before Cornelius was baptized in water?" In order to answer this question, you need to notice that six Jewish Christians had accompanied Peter to Cornelius's house (Acts 10:23; 11:12). As stated in the text, the Spirit's coming was a shock to these men. "And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:45-46). Peter then turned to these same men and asked if they dare object to Cornelius being baptized in water given the obvious testimony of God (Acts 10:47; 11:17).

Also, notice that the Spirit did not come upon the Gentiles until Peter began to speak (Acts 11:15). Here was testimony to all that Gentiles could be saved through the word of God (Acts 11:13-14).

When Peter testified at the gathering in Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15, he used the example of Cornelius to prove that Gentiles, while remaining Gentiles and not becoming Jews, were accepted by God. Peter did not use the case of Cornelius to prove that everyone should receive the Spirit, or that the Spirit burnt sin out of a sinner's heart, or that the Spirit's coming made him a child of God. Instead, we find that Peter used the baptism of the Spirit as proof that Cornelius and his household should be baptized in water, as recorded in Acts 10 and Acts 11. Peter consistently argued that the Gentiles were to receive the gospel without being bound to the Law. For anyone to claim otherwise would be trying God. "Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10).

How can you say that the holy spirit is not the gift?
The bible clearly says "you will receive THE gift of the holy spirit" That is perfectly clear. You keep stating that the holy spirit is not the gift but that is what the bible itself says. There is absolutely no argument here. Ask anyone who reads the english language what the gift is and the answer is THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The holy spirit grants many gifts and it does not say "the gifts" or "a gift" it is perfectly clear. You offered no argument to this, you simply ignored scripture.

Are you denying gifts by the holy spirit? Paul writes about different gifts in almost EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS LETTERS! how do these not apply today?
Romans 12: 4-8
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."
We ALL have different gifts. These are provided by God. Let me know if you need more references for this, If you have ever read one of pauls letters than you should know these things.

And Yes i do believe that people still speak in tongues, yes i still believe God heals people miraculously.
Our God is unchanging, he granted people those gifts at the beginning of the church through the holy spirit and he still does today.
go read 1 cor 14 and tell me how that doesnt still apply.

You are in a sad position. You do not believe in the power of the holy spirit. I can tell you for a fact that speaking in tongues is real, i have seen it. I have felt the power of the holy spirit flowing through my body. He prays for me, he grieves for me, he is god living inside of me. (let me know if you need verses to back this up. I thought you knew yoru bible and the things it said about the holy spirit)
I thought you were just misguided in your beliefs but you ignore scripture, you think that our God has changed, you think the holy spirit that god tells us is in all believers only applied when the church was just beginning. I am sad for the state of your soul if you do not have the holy spirit living inside of you.