Peter was the first apostle to preach the gospel to a non-Jewish audience. Peter was sent to a man named Cornelius who was a Roman centurion. When Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house, he told Cornelius, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation” (Acts 10:28). The Jews were forbidden to associate with other people because God expected them to be holy, separated from the people of all the other nations (Leviticus 20:25).

Things changed after Christ died to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Ephesians stating that Jesus made it possible for Jews and Gentiles to be one in Christ. Paul explained:

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:11-16)

Paul indicated that the Gentiles had no hope and were without God in the world before Christ shed his blood to reconcile them to God and John said in his first letter that Jesus’ sacrifice to take away our sins demonstrated that God’s love for us is real (1 John 4:10, NLT).

There was much debate in Jerusalem about the Gentiles being saved, but Peter reminded everyone that God had appointed him to preach the gospel to the members of Cornelius’ household (Acts 15:7). Then, Peter said to them, “And God, who knows the heart bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:8-9). Peter considered the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be an indicator of whether or not a person had been saved and said this is how God lets us know something has happened.

Peter said God made no distinction between Jews and Gentiles with regard to cleansing their hearts (Acts 15:9). Cleansing the heart has to do with purification and is referred to in the book of Hebrews as purging the conscience (Hebrews 9:14). The result of God purging our conscience is the remission of sin, the guilt and shame we once felt are taken away (Hebrews 9:22). Paul explained in his letter to the Romans that the reason why there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile with regard to purification is because God’s righteousness is the standard and it has the same effect on everyone who has faith in Jesus. Paul said:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Having faith in Jesus is the only thing that matters when it comes to redemption. As the psalmist said in Psalm 49, “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit…But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me” (Psalm 49:7-9, 15).