Acts 15:6-11 - It is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved

15:6-9

Earlier we had read about Peter and Cornelius, along with the other Gentiles who came to faith at the time.  It was God’s wisdom, that while Paul would be the primary apostle to the Gentiles, Peter was the first to see Gentiles come to faith. So Peter refers to his experience with Cornelius and the others. He saw God give the Holy Spirit to the Gentile believers. This demonstrated that God accepted the new believers. God made no distinction between Jew and Gentiles. What counted was faith in Christ. The Law did not purify anyone’s heart, but faith did. Notice that Peter is arguing from experience. Paul has also argued from experience. Experience is not irrelevant in theological arguments. However, in Galatians we get a fully theological explanation as to why circumcision is no longer necessary.

15:10,11

So God did not require circumcision of the Gentiles, demonstrated by His pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon them. So if the church required it, it would be putting God to the test! Moreover, circumcision was a symbol of keeping the whole Law. Peter reminds them that no Jew has ever managed to keep the whole Law (Jesus excepted), not even the Pharisees. All are saved by grace, not by works, whether Jew or Gentile.