Why would Peter order or command Cornelius and his people to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ after they had received and been baptized in the Spirit. Many tell us that the baptism in the Spirit is sufficient for salvation, and that baptism in water in the name of Christ is not essential. Jesus, however, tells a different story. He said, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Sounds pretty essential. We must be born of both water and Spirit.
To me, this strongly implies that we must be baptized in both water and Spirit. How can we be born, come forth from water, literally, unless we have first been immersed in water? How can we be born, come forth from the Spirit, metaphorically, (the Spirit is not a physical entity) unless we have been immersed in the Spirit?
Jesus instructed His disciple to go to all nations (Matt. 28: 19 , all creation (Mark 16: 15), to the Jew and their children, to those far off (Gentile, Eph. 2: 17) and to all that God shall call to Himself. (Acts 2: 39) These were to be baptized in water in the name of Christ. First Corinthians 12: 13 tells us that we all have been baptized in the Spirit into the body of Christ. Yet there is one baptism. To me, we must recognize that there are two elements, water and Spirit, yet one baptism.
We need both elements and the blessings they bring to our lives.
God bless.