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Here Paul explains to us the process of salvation:

• First, the Person must hear the Gospel.

• Second, the person must believe on the Gospel to be saved.

• Third, when a person believes on the Gospel with saving faith, as a result of the salvation they already have, God automatically gives and seals them in the Holy Spirit.

Salvation does not come through water baptism or through receiving the Holy Spirit or through speaking in tongues. Salvation is received through faith and through faith alone. When do we receive water baptism, before or after salvation? After we have believed. How does one receive the Holy Spirit? Automatically as a result of believing on the Gospel. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’" Only God knows those who have saving faith in His work of salvation for them through Jesus Christ. When God sees that we have saving faith in our hearts, Paul tells us that He then gives and seals us in His Holy Spirit automatically as a result, but not as the means of our salvation but as a result of the saving faith we already have. Paul tells us in Romans 10:9-10,

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Paul tells us here that salvation takes place when a person believes in his heart. This again is in complete harmony with what took place in Acts Chapter 10: Peter shared the Gospel and before they had given verbal confession, they believed the Gospel in their hearts with saving faith. God knowing this gave them immediately His Holy Spirit as a result. Why then is it necessary for us to confess Jesus as Lord? Because even though God knows when a person has saving faith in the Gospel in their hearts, the only way we know if a person has believed is by what they confess with their mouth. Salvation takes place in the heart before God, but the evidence of the salvation we already have before men is through our works: confessing with our mouth Jesus as Lord and obeying Jesus through water baptism, etcetera. These are our works, but not as the means of our salvation, but evidence and proof of the salvation we already have.

When did Peter, Philip and Paul baptize their converts in water? Before or after they were saved? After they were saved:

Peter: "‘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)

Philip: "And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him.’ (Acts 8:36-38)

Paul: ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household." (Acts 16:30-33)

In everyone of these cases saving faith came first and only when they gave evidence of saving faith would they then baptize them in water, but not as the means of their salvation, but as a result of the saving faith they already had. In these last two cases there was no physical manifestation of the fact that they had the Holy Spirit, no speaking in tongues, only confession of saving faith they already had. Only God knows those who are His, only God knows those who truly have His Holy Spirit. We can only go by what a man says and his works that follow, but salvation takes place through saving faith in the Gospel in the heart. Only God knows those who are His. God allowed the Gentiles to manifest speaking in tongues in Acts 10:46 to let Peter and the Apostles know beyond doubt that Jesus’ salvation was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. But whether they spoke in tongues or not, they were not saved when they spoke in tongues or when they received the Holy Spirit, but when they believed in their hearts the message of the Gospel.

The reader at this point needs to understand that there is a difference between receiving the Holy Spirit at the moment when we have saving faith in the Gospel and being baptized in the Holy Spirit for ministry outreach and release which is accompanied with speaking in tongues. This was clearly demonstrated in Acts 8:12-17 and Acts 19:1-7. In verse 12 of Chapter 8 it says the following:

"But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike."

Again here, we see that only after they believed would Philip then baptize them in water. Verses 14-17 then go on to tell us the following:

"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. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit." (See also the case of the Ephesians in Acts 19:1-7)

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