Acts 10:48

‘And he commanded them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ.'

Following up his question he gave command that those present be baptised in (en) ‘the Name of Jesus Christ'. They were being accepted on the same terms as Jews, and without circumcision. But it could not be refused, for these Gentiles had already received what their baptism indicated, their part in the pouring out of the Spirit.

As we have seen earlier to be baptised in ‘the Name' of Jesus Christ was to be baptised into His Name as LORD, to be identified as His and to be baptised into all that He is. The coming of the Spirit had fused them (baptised them) into oneness with Christ's own body (1 Corinthians 12:13), their baptism in water sealed it before the church and the world.

Wisely he calls on his companions to perform the baptising of these Gentile converts. This will mean that they share with him in the responsibility of doing so. It will also avoid in the future the danger of someone saying proudly or schismatically, ‘I was baptised by Peter'.

Again we have to pause for thought. What has happened here ? Circumcision which was so vital for being a true Jew can no longer be seen as required in order to be a part of the new Spirit-endued Israel, for God has made these men a part of the new Israel without circumcision. The inference was that all God-fearers, and all future Gentile converts, once they had been sanctified and cleansed by God, could enter into full fellowship with, and become wholly one with, all other believers whether Jew or Gentile, without circumcision, because God had by His action here ordained it.

This incident also once again brings out that at the most important moments of the forming of the new body of Christ the Holy Spirit did His work prior to people being baptised. This would later become the norm after New Testament days as baptism began to be delayed, firstly in order to judge whether faith was genuine, and secondly because of the false ideas that grew up about baptism suggesting that baptism cleansed from sin, so that people (even famous bishops) waited until later life to be baptised. But baptism can, in fact, not cleanse from sin. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). Baptism indicates rather the coming of the Holy Spirit, and new life through the Spirit, along with forgiveness of sin, either as something that has already been experienced before baptism, or as something that can be experienced by the immediate response of baptism (and even then timewise saving faith precedes baptism).

‘Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.'

The Gentiles then begged him to stay with them for many days that he may teach them more concerning their new faith. And as always when Scripture leaves us standing in the air we may assume that he did.