Peter acknowledged God’s acceptance of the Gentiles and of the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit.

Acts 15:7-11

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“And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” Acts 15:7

There was a lot of dispute over whether or not the Gentiles should be circumcised. That is when Peter [Apostle of Jesus Christ] rose up to have his say. His point was that the Gentiles did not come to faith in God by the laws of Moses [laws of Judaism] but by hearing about Jesus Christ by word of mouth.

Paul wrote in the book of Romans that the Gospel heard by word of mouth did not exclude the Jewish people who depended on the written laws of Moses. They had their chance to hear the word of prophecy about Jesus in the Old Testament, to believe in Him as the Christ and Son of God, but they did not believe, as quoted, “But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” Romans 10:19

Below is the text spoken by Paul, through the Holy Spirit, from Romans 10,

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Romans 10:14-21

“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:8-9

Peter verifies that the non-Jewish Gentiles received the Holy Spirit the same as all the Jewish Apostles did. The Holy Spirit comes in the name of Jesus Christ, and whoever believes in Him will live in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God knows the heart of every single person, and when He sees Jesus in us, there is the remission of sin and the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit given to the Apostles of Jesus Christ, as given to Paul, given to Barnabas, given to the four women evangelists [Acts 21:9], and given to each and every believer. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” Acts 15:10

Peter made it clear that requiring people to live by the laws of Judaism was like putting a ball-and-chain on them. The yoke put around the neck of the disciples was the laws of Moses [laws of Judaism], which none of the Jewish people were able to endure. And certainly, the non-Jewish Gentiles were not able nor willing to. As an example of those laws, read through the book of Leviticus…I wonder how far through the book you will be able to endure? Our Lord Jesus said that His yoke is light, and His burden is easy, that’s because He gives grace to allow us to live by the Spirit and not the letter of the law. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

As followers of Jesus Christ, we do not want to burden people with a list of right and wrong ways of living for Jesus. We are saved by the grace and mercy of God, and that is a free gift, which has nothing to do with our own efforts.

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:11

Paul called the Pharisees a sect in Acts 15:5-6 and now he is using the non-Jewish Gentiles as their example of how to receive Salvation from God and to receive the Holy Spirit. We are saved by believing God and putting our faith in Jesus Christ, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11