Book of Common Prayer

Peter explains the reason why he went in to the heathen. Barnabas and Paul preach to the heathen. Agabus prophesies of the famine to come.

11 And the apostles and the brethren that were throughout Judea heard that the heathen had also received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, ³ saying, You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!

⁴ Then Peter began and explained the matter in order to them, saying, ⁵ I was in the city of Joppa, praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel descend, like a large linen cloth let down from heaven by the four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I looked into it, I considered and saw four-footed animals of the earth, and wild beasts and reptiles and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, Arise, Peter; kill and eat. ⁸ And I said, God forbid, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has at any time entered into my mouth. ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven: Do not judge common those things that God has cleansed.

¹⁰ And this was done three times, and everything was taken up again into heaven.

¹¹ And behold, immediately three men came to the house where I was, sent from Caesarea to me. ¹² And the Spirit said to me that I should go with them, without doubting. Moreover, the six brethren accompanied me. And we entered into the man’s house. ¹³ And he described to us how he had seen an angel in his house, who stood and said to him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, named also Peter. ¹⁴ He will speak words to you whereby both you and all your house shall be saved.

¹⁵ And as I began to preach, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as he did on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the words of the Lord, how he said John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ Inasmuch then as God gave them the same gift as he did to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I should have withstood God?

¹⁸ When they heard this, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then God has granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles also.

He withstands Peter to his face, and asserts that the law and circumcision are not necessary to salvation.

2 Then fourteen years after that, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took with me Titus also. ² Yea, and I went up by revelation, and discussed with them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles (but between ourselves, with those who were counted chief), lest it be thought that I should run or had run in vain.

³ Also Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised. ⁴ The issue arose because of incomers, being false brethren, who came in among others to spy out the liberty that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into bondage. ⁵ To whom we gave no ground, no, not for the space of an hour, as concerning to be brought into subjection – and that in order that the truth of the gospel may continue with you.

⁶ Of those who seemed to be great (what they were in time past does not matter to me; God looks on no man’s person) – nevertheless, those who seemed great contributed nothing to me. ⁷ But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel over the uncircumcision was committed to me, as the gospel over the circumcision was to Peter ⁸ (for he who was mighty in Peter in the apostleship over the circumcision was mighty in me among the Gentiles), ⁹ and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, then James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hands, and agreed with us that we should preach among the heathen, and they among the Jews –