What happens here is not the same thing that happened to Balaam. Those who heard the message ended up speaking in tongues. But Balaam did not. The apostle was surprised and so were those who were with him. This display of the Holy Spirit indicated they had believed in Jesus.      How Does One Believe? When does a person start to believe in Jesus? Belief does not come after a prayer or at a baptism. It happens in the mind, heart and soul. At the moment they believed, the Holy Spirit fell on them. Nothing else had to happen. It is the Holy Spirit who places us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). He knows when someone believes.      Jerusalem Council. Later we discover in Acts 15, the apostles held a conference in the city of Jerusalem to determine if God was saving the Gentiles, too, and not just the Jews. Listen to the apostle Peter.     And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness 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." (NASB) Acts 15:7-8   Peter's point is that the proof they believed in Jesus and were saved (Acts 15:11) was the immediate display of the Holy Spirit "just as He also did to us." God cleansed their hearts by faith. There is no mention of baptism or water in the entire passage.   Conclusion:  Water baptism is a public demonstration of our submission and dependence on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness our sins. Water does not save us. Faith or our depending on Jesus to forgive our sins is what is required to save .         < Back
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