You do not seem to know what you are talking about.
Water baptism is a work. Receiving the Holy Spirit is explicitly a gift.
So, let's talk about the apostle Paul, who was Saul. He was a persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ and an uncompromising Pharisee. He was not a man who would repent and get baptized for the remission of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. But in AD 37/38 he met Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road and was gloriously converted to Christ. It was there on that road that he repented and believed in Jesus Christ and his gospel. But Jesus Christ did not give him the gift of his Holy Spirit at that time. He would need to be baptized as the condition for receiving him into his body. How do I know that? Because I believe the words I read.
Below is Paul's personal testimony.
3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.
5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.
6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
I call your attention to verse 16. This is the same formula as all the Jews were given. He had repented on the Damascus Road but he had not received the Spirit at that time. Why? Because baptism in the name of the Lord is the condition for the Jews to receive him into their bodies. In this passage Paul is using the metaphor of the baptismal waters of washing away his sins.The outward and inward is cleansed by the Spirit, the baptism of which is typified by the water that came out of heaven and is also that which is drank into the body to wash away inherent sins so he may dwell there.
God always, I said always, uses the physical to illustrate the spiritual but it gives understanding to the spiritual and blinds those who will not see.
You must believe the words. If you choose not to, you will remain blind.
