Narrate Peter's defence of his role in the conversion of Cornelius. What use did he make of this incident during the Council of Jerusalem ?

Answer Details

Peter's defence of his role in the conversion of Cornelius (Acts 11:1-18)

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the apostles and the brethren of the circumcision party criticized him, saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" Peter then explained the matter to them step by step:

• While praying in the city of Joppa he fell into a trance and saw a vision: something like a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners, containing all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds.
• A voice said, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." Peter refused, saying nothing common or unclean had ever entered his mouth. The voice answered, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." This happened three times, then all was drawn up again into heaven.
• At that moment three men sent from Caesarea by Cornelius arrived at the house, and the Spirit told Peter to go with them, making no distinction.
• Peter went with the six brethren to the man's house. Cornelius told how an angel had directed him to send for Peter to hear a message of salvation.
• As Peter began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on the apostles at the beginning. Peter remembered the word of the Lord, "John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
• He concluded, "If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us... who was I that I could withstand God?"

On hearing this the critics were silenced and glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."

Use made of the incident at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:7-11)

At the Council of Jerusalem, when there was sharp dispute over whether Gentile converts must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses, Peter rose and appealed to the Cornelius experience as proof of God's will. He reminded the assembly that God had chosen him to preach to the Gentiles, that God who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to the Jews, and that God made no distinction between Jew and Gentile, cleansing their hearts by faith. He therefore argued that they should not put a yoke on the Gentiles which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear, concluding that both Jews and Gentiles are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus. His testimony helped the Council to decide that Gentiles need not be circumcised.