“Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he who fears him, and works righteousness, is acceptable to him.”
His words are spoken in awe. He is almost speaking to himself as he looks at the people before him. How is it that he never knew? How could he not have realised that God is no respecter of persons, that Jew and Gentile are both alike to Him? That all people, of every nation, who fear God and work righteousness are acceptable to Him? Note the order. First they fear God (awe inspired faith), and then they work righteousness (they obey His laws). We are reminded here of Paul's words, ‘for not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be accounted righteous. For when Gentiles who have no law, do by nature the things of the law, these having no law, are providing a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness with it, and their reasonings one with another accusing or else excusing them, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ' (Romans 2:13-16). These would all be men and women who had first become aware of God, and had then feared Him, with the result that they had known the force of His law within their minds and wills, and had thus from heart and conscience responded to Him to do His will. He had worked in them to will and to do of His good pleasure (compare Philippians 2:13). They were genuine people who had experienced the working of God's power resulting in their being righteous. And they were found among the despised Gentiles.
‘Respecter of persons.' Compare Deuteronomy 10:17; 2 Chronicles 19:7; Job 34:19; Romans 2:11; Romans 10:12).