Peter's visit to the house of Cornelius displays Peter's faithfulness to the leadership of God's Spirit. But typical of Peter, even as he left that house he probably wondered how the law was going to be attached to such believers.
Peter was somewhat dense, prone to plodding in ruts, until God's Spirit shook his cage and set him straight. And had to do it on several occasions, too! Thanks be to God that it is upon the same profession that Peter made under influence of the Holy Spirit that we are individually Saved, born again from above.
Peter is a man after my heart since I believe I have oodles of the same failing, of a density in mind that must be shaken occasionally, to straighten me out and slap my lazy bottom to go forward. Of Peter, I can feel an affinity. With Paul I am in awe of his spiritual gifts.
Perhaps that's why I could not become a Catholic, my commonness I feel relates more to Peter the man than to an institutional leader. We shall soon find out where we are missing the details, eh? The departing approaches ...
Verse 6 says that they (at least Peter, James and John) added nothing to what Paul told them. Why?
Verse 7 tells us. When they SAW that the gospel Paul preached, the gospel of the uncircumcision was COMMITTED TO PAUL; just as the gospel of the circumcision was COMMITTED TO PETER they knew that he that wrought effectually in Peter as the apostle of the circumcision, the SAME HE was mighty toward Paul, as the apostle of the uncircumcision. Verse 8. That He would be Jesus Christ.
Do Peter, James, or John try to teach Paul anything? When they hear his gospel of the uncircumcision do they SEE that there is a DIFFERENCE between what they have been commissioned to preach to the circumcision and what Paul has been commissioned to preach to the uncircumcision?
Verse 9 gives us the outcome of this meeting. When James, and Peter, and John PERCEIVED THE GRACE THAT WAS GIVEN TO PAUL,they gave to Paul and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship. The GRACE that was GIVEN TO PAUL. Surely it doesn't mean his way of speaking, that he was graceful in his preaching. It was the gospel of the grace of God that Christ gave to Paul to give to the Gentiles. THAT is what they perceived and gave their hands of fellowship to Paul for. They would go to the circumcision and Paul would go to the uncircumcision (heathen).
Notice something BIG happening here? The "Great commission", the kingdom gospel, that Peter and the 11 were given, to go to ALL THE NATIONS, beginning at Jerusalem was changed to THEM STAYING AND MINISTERING TO THE JEWS with the KINGDOM GOSPEL, and PAUL MINISTERING TO THE GENTILES WITH HIS GOSPEL.ANd we know that what they bound on earth was bound in heaven and what they loosed on earth was loosed in heaven. That, too, was part of the "great commission.
So, did Paul receive and preach a different gospel than Peter and the 11?
"IN THE DAY WHEN GOD SHALL JUDGE THE SECRETS OF MEN BY JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MY GOSPEL". Rom. 2:16. Clearly he did. Unless he was lying in Rom. 2:16. And countless other places in his epistles.