Peter's defense was simple and powerful: God gave the Gentiles the exact same gift (the Holy Spirit) as the Jewish believers, based on the same condition (faith in Jesus). Commentators stress that this divine action was the ultimate, unanswerable argument. When God's will is made clear through His actions, human traditions and objections must give way. Peter's question, "Who was I to withstand God?" teaches us to submit to God's revealed work.