“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”
My Notes
What Does Acts 3:19 Mean?
Peter calls the crowd at Pentecost to repent and be converted — to turn around, to change direction — so that their sins may be blotted out. The blotting out is vivid: like erasing ink from a scroll. The record is wiped clean.
"When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" — repentance produces refreshing. Not punishment. Refreshing. The turning that feels costly produces an experience that is restorative.
"Blotted out" (exaleipho) means to wipe away, to smear over, to obliterate. The sins are not just forgiven. They are erased. The record no longer exists. The evidence is gone.
"Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord" — the refreshing is experiential and it comes from God's presence. Repentance opens the door to a fresh encounter with God that revives what guilt has depleted.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'blotted out' — completely erased — mean for the sins you carry?
- 2.How is repentance the doorway to refreshing rather than punishment?
- 3.What do 'times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord' look like in your experience?
- 4.Where are you spiritually dry because you have not turned from what is depleting you?
Devotional
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. Turn around. Change direction. And watch your record disappear.
Blotted out. Not filed away. Not noted with a red flag. Blotted — erased, wiped clean, as though the ink was never written. The record of your sin, once blotted, is gone. Not reduced. Gone.
When the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Repentance does not produce punishment. It produces refreshing. The turning that feels like dying to the old self is actually the doorway to revival.
Times of refreshing. There are seasons — specific times — when God's presence brings renewal. And the pathway to those seasons is repentance. Not performance. Not effort. Turning.
If you are spiritually dry — depleted, exhausted, running on empty — the prescription is not more activity. It is repentance. Turn from what is draining you. Turn toward the presence that refreshes.
The blotting and the refreshing come together. When the sins are erased, the presence arrives. And the presence brings something your soul has been craving: refreshing from the Lord himself.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Repent ye therefore,.... The Ethiopic version adds, "and be baptized"; see Gill on Act 2:38,
and be converted. The…
Repent ye - See the notes on Mat 3:2. Therefore - Because of your sin in putting Jesus to death, and “because” he is the…
Repent ye therefore - Now that ye are convinced that this was the Messiah, let your minds be changed, and your hearts…
We have here the sermon which Peter preached after he had cured the lame man. When Peter saw it. 1. When he saw the…
Repent ye therefore i e. because you see the greatness of your offence.
and be converted Lit. turn again, i.e. from the…
Cross References
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