Saved by Grace

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:6-11 (ESV)

Peter is the one who comes to the defense of the gentiles. He had dealt with this controversy before. He has personal experience. And if the Holy Spirit has been given to gentiles without circumcision what more could be asked? Peter himself probably hasn’t changed his diet all that much. It’s hard to imagine that he woke up after a life time of kosher food and just decided he would start having bacon for breakfast every morning and lobster for dinner. We know from Galatians that he himself will have problems with all of this from time to time. But one thing he can’t deny, and doesn’t want to deny, that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus. No one is saved by the  law.