Gentile Salvation Defended
1 The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God's message also.
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When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him,
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saying, "You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
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Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying:
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"I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object coming down that resembled a large sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me.
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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.
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Then I also heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat!'
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" 'No, Lord!' I said. 'For nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!'
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But a voice answered from heaven a second time, 'What God has made clean, you must not call common.'
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"Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.
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At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.
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Then the Spirit told me to go with them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man's house.
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He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.
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He will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.'
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"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.
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Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
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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?"
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When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, "So God has granted repentance resulting in life to even the Gentiles!"