Sugar coated double talk. There is a difference between obeying a command to become saved and obeying a command after we have been saved. You blend the commands to create salvation by faith and works.
So according to you, these Jews in Acts 2:38 (prior to repenting and receiving water baptism) had ALREADY believed the gospel?
In Acts 2:37, their "belief" at this point was "mental assent" that
Jesus was the Messiah and they were guilty of crucifying Him. *That is not saving belief yet. Nothing is mentioned here about them trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of their salvation, which explains why they still needed to repent and believe the gospel in that order.
In Acts 2:40-41, we read - And
with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then,
those who had received his word were (afterwards) baptized; and
that day there were added about three thousand souls.
In Acts 4:4, we read - But many of those who had heard the message
believed; and
the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
In Acts 5:14, we read - And
believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.
So in Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.
In Acts 10:43 we read
..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. These Gentiles received
the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 -
when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 -
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved)
BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47. This is referred to as
repentance unto life - Acts 11:18. *Hermeneutics.
Do you understand what it means to believe the gospel? I hear these same arguments that you present from those who attend the church of Christ (Campbellism) who also teach a watered down gospel and they reverse the scriptural order of repent and believe as well. Also, Romans 1:16 clearly states that the
gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
BELIEVES.. Yet according to you, those who
believe the gospel are "still lost" until they repent and receive water baptism "afterwards," which negates Romans 1:16.