Study Desk

The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God's message also.

When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision^[a] argued with him,^(a)

saying, "You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!"^(b)

Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying:

"I^(c) was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.

When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.

Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!'

"‘No, Lord!' I said. ‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!'

But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.'

"Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.

At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.

Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man's house.^(d)

He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send^[b] to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.

He will speak a message^[c] to you that you and all your household^(e) will be saved by.'

"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^(f)

Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'^(g)

Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?"^(h)

When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, "So God has granted repentance resulting in life^[d] even to the Gentiles!"⁽ⁱ⁾