Luke recorded Peter's retelling of these events to his critics to impress the significance of this incident on his readers further. Peter stressed particularly God's initiative (vv. v. 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17a) and his own inability to withstand God (v. 17b).
Cornelius and his household were not saved from God's wrath until they heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ that Peter proclaimed to them (v. 14; cf. 10:43).
Peter was speaking of the day of Pentecost when he referred to "the beginning"of the church (v. 15, cf. 2:4). Clearly the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what he referred to (v. 16). Peter justified his actions in Caesarea by appealing to what God had done (v. 17a). Note that Peter identified believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only necessary prerequisite to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit (v. 17a). Spirit baptism was not an experience subsequent to salvation for Cornelius and his household but something that happened simultaneously with salvation.
"Peter's defense did not rest on what he himself did, but on what Goddid. God had made no distinction between Jew and Gentile, so how could Peter?"467
