And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
After everyone had been going back and forth arguing for a while, Peter stood up and said, 'Hey guys, you all know that God chose me a while back to be the one to bring the gospel to non-Jewish people so they could hear it and believe too.'
Peter reminded everyone that God picked him to spread the good news beyond just one group of people.
📚 Historical Context
In the early Christian church, a significant debate arose about whether Gentiles, or non-Jewish people, needed to follow Jewish laws like circumcision to be accepted as believers. This verse is from the Jerusalem Council, a gathering of apostles and elders in the mid-1st century AD to address this issue and decide on the church's direction. Peter is referring to his earlier encounter with Cornelius, as described in Acts 10, where God demonstrated that the Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles without requiring them to adopt Jewish customs.
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