How did Peter defend Paul at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15?
Peter defended Paul at Jerusalem by recalling his earlier visit to Cornelius's house, where God opened his eyes that Gentiles could be saved simply by believing, not by becoming proselytes of Judaism. His testimony supported Paul and Barnabas, who then declared the miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles.
Les explains that Peter came to Paul’s defense at Jerusalem by remembering that God had sent him to the house of Cornelius. There Peter’s eyes were opened to the fact that God could save Gentiles without their becoming proselytes of Judaism. Peter shared this with the Jews at Jerusalem, and then the multitude kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul declare what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles. Les notes there had been an uproar because the Jews were jealous of their relationship with Jehovah and could not reconcile these things. But God does everything sovereignly: had Peter not had that eye-opening experience at Cornelius’s house, Paul would never have gotten off the hook and Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. God had opened Peter’s eyes twelve years earlier that Gentiles could be saved by simply believing.
More Questions
Why was Paul called to the Jerusalem council in Acts 15?
Paul's preaching and taking the gospel to the Gentiles while he was at Antioch stirred up the Jerusalem believers, so they summoned him to Jerusalem for the Acts 15 council.
why did the jerusalem believers call paul to the acts 15 council
Because Paul had been ministering at Antioch and taking the gospel to the Gentiles, the Jerusalem believers became upset and called him down for the council of Acts 15.
What had Paul done among the Gentiles by the time of Acts 15?
By Acts 15 Paul had already spent several years working among the Gentiles and had established churches in Asia Minor, especially in Antioch.