<p>15:9 <i>And h<em>e made no distinction between us and them</em></i>- The same word was used when Peter was told to go with the Gentile visitors &quot;without doubting&quot; (10:20; 11:12), i.e. making no distinction between Jew and Gentile.</p><p><em>Cleansing their hearts by faith</em>- This may be a comment upon their receipt of the Holy Spirit (:8). Whilst their speaking in languages was an outward sign of the Spirit's operation, the essence of the gift of the Holy Spirit refers to internal cleansing (see on 2:38). Their hearts were cleansed by the gift of the Spirit- on the basis of their <em>faith</em>, not their circumcision. Peter had been told that he was not to make any difference between clean and unclean as defined by Moses, because God had now cleansed the unclean (s.w. 10:15; 11:9). Clearly the unclean animals he had seen represented the Gentiles.</p>