Some opponents of water baptism being salvific often claim that Cornelius was justified before he received water baptism. I addressed this previously at:
Sedevacantist Peter Dimond wrote an interesting response to those who claim that Acts 10:47 precludes baptismal regeneration:
Cornelius the Centurion
OBJECTION- Acts 10:47 says that Cornelius and his companions received the Holy Ghost. This means that they were justified without Baptism.
Answer- Acts 10:47 does not say that Cornelius and his companions were justified without Baptism. Nothing there says that their sins were remitted or that they were “saved,” a phrase frequently used to describe those who have been justified by Baptism. The context of Acts 10 is dealing with receiving the Holy Ghost by receiving the gift of speaking in tongues, not having one’s sins remitted. Acts 10:47, therefore, is merely speaking of Cornelius and his companions having received the gift of tongues. The description “receiving the Holy Ghost” or “being filled with the Holy Ghost” is actually used to describe a person making a godly prophecy or receiving some spiritual gift. It does not necessarily mean that one has received the remission of sins. The following two passages are examples of the phrase “filled with the Holy Ghost” being used to describe a spiritual gift (prophesy, etc.), not the remission of sins.
Luke 1:41-42 “And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb: and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried out with a loud voice . . .”
Luke 1:67: “And Zachary, his father, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and he prophesied, saying . . .” (Peter Dimond, Outside the Catholic Church There is Absolutely No Salvation [2d ed.; Fillmore, N.Y.: Most Holy Family Monastery, 2006], 169-70, emphasis in original)