Acts 11:16

16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

Acts 11:16 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 11:16

Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said,
&c.] Just before his ascension, ( Acts 1:5 ) .

John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost;
as they were on the day of Pentecost, and as now Cornelius and his family were; and since they had the greater baptism, the baptism of the Spirit, the lesser baptism of water could not be denied them.

Acts 11:16 In-Context

14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’

15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.

16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”

Footnotes

• [a]. Or in; also in 11:16b .