Acts 3:19
“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;”
King James Version (KJV)
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Following the healing at the temple gate, Peter preaches to the gathered crowd, urging them to turn back to God after acknowledging their role in rejecting Jesus.
What Does Acts 3:19 Mean?
Acts 3:19 is Peter's call to renewal -- repent and turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away and seasons of refreshing may come from the Lord's presence. Peter speaks this in the temple after the healing of the lame man drew a crowd. He has just reminded them that they delivered up and denied Jesus, the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead. Now, rather than leaving them in guilt, he points them toward hope.
The verse holds two linked commands: "Repent ye" and "be converted." To repent is to change the mind and heart; to be converted -- the Greek epistrepho -- is to turn around, to reverse course and head back toward God. Together they describe a full turning of the whole person. The promise attached is rich. First, "that your sins may be blotted out" -- the Greek exaleipho means to wipe away, to erase completely, like ink removed from a page. The guilt is not merely covered but eliminated. Second comes the beautiful phrase "times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." This pictures renewal, relief, and revival flowing from God Himself, like cool air after exhausting heat. Peter assures these hearers that the same God they had wronged stands ready to forgive completely and to refresh them. The path back is open, and it leads not to mere pardon but to restoration.
In the Original Language
The Greek "epistrepho" (be converted) means to turn around or return, and "exaleipho" (blotted out) means to wipe away or erase completely.
Cross References
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
- Acts 2:38
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
- Isaiah 43:25
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.”
- Psalm 51:1
Application
No past failure is beyond God's mercy; a genuine turning back to Him brings not only the erasing of guilt but refreshing renewal that flows from His presence.