Why was Peter's experience at Cornelius's house so important for Paul and the early church?
Peter's Cornelius experience was decisive because it opened his eyes to God saving Gentiles by faith alone, without requiring Jewish proselyte conversion. When Paul was accused at Jerusalem, Peter used that testimony to defend Gentile salvation. Without it, Paul would not have been vindicated and Christianity could not have gotten off the ground.
Les explains that the Jerusalem Jews were in an uproar over taking the gospel to Gentiles because they were jealous of their relationship with Jehovah and could not reconcile these things. Peter came to Paul's defense and remembered that God had sent him to the house of Cornelius, where his eyes were opened to the fact that God could save Gentiles without becoming proselytes of Judaism. In Acts 15, after Peter shared this with the Jews at Jerusalem, the multitude kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles. Les emphasizes that 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 sovereignly opened Peter's eyes twelve years earlier to the fact that Gentiles could be saved by simply believing.
More Questions
What was Peter preaching about in Cornelius's house?
While preaching in Cornelius's house, Peter expounded that Jesus of Nazareth had come to be Israel's Messiah, Redeemer, and King.
Where was Paul when Peter preached to Cornelius in Acts 10?
While the newly converted Paul was in the desert for three years, God was simultaneously starting his outreach to Gentiles by bringing Peter to Cornelius in Caesarea.
How did Peter end up going to Cornelius's house in Caesarea?
God orchestrated Peter's meeting with Cornelius: Cornelius was prompted by God to send for Peter, and Peter, who was 80-90 miles away in Joppa, was brought to Cornelius's house by God's urging and miraculous working.