The Nugget:
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;
My Comment:
This verse stresses the importance of repentance. God requires that we repent, and that we be converted, that our sins may be blotted out. That is what happens when we are truly saved. In context, when Peter preached this as part of his sermon, he was addressing the Jewish people of his day. The promise of God to those Jews of that day was that if they would repent and be converted, their sins would be blotted out, and the times of refreshing would come from the presence of the Lord. God promised to send Jesus Christ virtually right then were the Jewish nation to repent and seek God. God would bring about the “times of restitution of all things” which He had promised by the mouth of all his holy prophets, writers of the Old Testament. Actually, for the Jews, that promise still holds true, and can be claimed by them as a nation with that result at any time. Many teach and think that God’s program for the Jews as a nation is over. But this idea cannot possibly be true. God swore to both Abraham and to David in confirmation of those two unconditional covenants (the Abrahamic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant) that the nation of Israel would be permanently established in the land of Israel, where they would inherit and live in the promised land of Israel forever. It is very serious error and very dangerous to one’s salvation to teach and believe to the contrary. In Isaiah 55:3 God tells us “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” As I read this verse, it clearly states that those who choose not to hear shall not live. Those who teach contrary to and deny the Davidic Covenant, the “Sure mercies of David,” are in grave danger of not being saved. That God has clearly promised the Jewish people that they shall once again and thenceforward forever inherit their land permanently may be seen as the promise is recorded in Amos 9:11-15, particularly Amos 9:15, which reads “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” Well, I was not aware of all this when as a teenager I selected Acts 3:19 as one of the Bible memory verses for the plan of salvation. At that time I saw just the importance this verse places upon repentance and conversion. But now I, and I trust you upon having read this post, know more.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1219 for Acts 3:19.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on pages 1238-1239 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Acts 3:19.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
Acts 3:19. Repent. T#867. See on Ac *+2:38. 5:30, 31. 8:22. *11:18. **17:30. 20:21. 26:20. 2 Ch +**7:14. 30:9. Jb 22:23. Ps 37:27. Pr *1:23. Is **55:7. Je 4:14. 18:8. 26:3, 13. 31:18-20. *36:3. Ezk 14:6. 18:21-23, 30-32. 33:14-16, 19. Jl *2:12-14. Zc +1:3. Ml 3:7. Mt 3:2. 4:17. +*7:13. 9:13. Mk 6:12. Lk 5:32. +*13:3, 5. 24:46, 47. 2 C **7:10. Ep 5:14. 2 T *2:25. He 6:1. be converted. or, turn ye again (to Him). T#601. Ac *11:21. *15:3. **16:31. *26:18-20. *28:27. Dt *4:30. 10:16. 30:10. Jb *22:21. 36:10. Ps 7:12. +*51:13. Pr 1:23. 23:26. Is *1:16-20. *6:10. 31:6. 42:18. 44:22. 45:22. **55:6, 7. 59:20. Je 3:7, 14, 22. 4:3, 4, 14. *31:18-20. +35:15. 36:3. La *3:40. 5:21. Ezk *18:21, 27, 30-32. *33:11, 14. Da *9:13. Ho +*14:2. Jl *2:13. Jon 3:8. Zc 1:4. Mt *13:15. *18:3. 25:24-27. Mk 4:12. Lk *1:16. +13:3 (T#606). 19:20. +22:32. Jn +1:12 (T#183). *12:40. Ro 12:2. *13:14. 2 C +*3:16. 5:20. Ep 4:22-24. 5:14. Ja *4:7-10. +*5:19, 20. 1 P *2:25. Ju +21 (T#288). that your sins. Ac 5:31. %22:18. Dt **4:29-31. 1 K 8:48-50. Ps **32:1-5. +*51:1-3, 9. 85:1, 2. *103:12. Is *1:16-18. *43:25. *44:22. Je *31:33, 34. 33:8. *50:20. Ezk 3:18. Mi **7:18, 19. Mt +*12:32n. Lk 22:57. Jn 16:9. Ep *1:7. Re *21:4. blotted out. “Blotting out” denotes (1) the present forgiveness of sins; (2) the forgiveness of the Jewish nation at the time of its restoration (Peters, Theocratic Kingdom, vol. 3, p. 459). Nu 5:23. Ne 4:5. Ps +*51:1, 9. 109:14. +**130:8. Is 4:2-4. *25:8. 43:25. 44:22. +*60:21. Je 18:23. Mi +*7:15, 19. Zc +*10:6. Lk 1:77. 24:47. Col +*2:14. Re 2:5. 7:17. 21:4. when. or, so that. Ac 8:15, 24. 9:2, 12, 17, 24. Ps *37:14. 102:16. Ezk **20:33-40. Ho +*5:15. +*6:3. Mi %+*5:3. times of refreshing. “Refreshing” is closely related to the consolation and the resurrection (Lk 2:25, 34. Da 12:2). ver. +*21. Ac +*1:6n, 7n. 13:32. 17:26. Ps **14:7. 65:12, 13. *72:6-19. ch. 98. Is +*2:1-3. *25:6-9. *28:12. 35:1, 2, 6, 7, 10. 41:17, 18. 42:23. 43:19, 20. *49:10-22. +*51:11. *52:1-10. *54:1-14. +*60:10. *61:3, 9-11. 62:1-5. *65:17-25. 66:10-14, 18-22. Je 30:10. 31:2, 3, 22-26. *32:37-41. *33:15-26. Ezk 11:19. *34:23-31. 36:26, 27. *37:14, 21-28. 39:25-29. Ho 2:19-23. *6:1-3. Jl +*2:28n, 32. *3:16-21. Am +**9:13-15. Mi *7:14, 15, 20. Zp *3:14-20. Zc +*8:20-23. 10:1. Mt +*8:11. *11:28-30. +*19:28. Lk 2:25, 34. Jn 3:5. Ro **8:19-23. +**11:25, 26. Ep +*1:10. 2 Th **1:7, 10. 2 T 1:16. He 4:1-11. 2 P 3:8. Re 7:17. 21:4. 19:9. presence. FS144A1, Ge +11:8. Ac 1:11. Ps 16:11. +*102:16. Is +*59:20. Ezk 48:35. Zc *14:9. 1 Th 1:3.
psm 107.8-9 oh that men would praise the lord for his goodness and
for his wonderful works to the children of men.
act 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:
the cross references on this verse were real blessing to me some of my favorites
1. 2tim 2.25 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves: if god per-
adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth:
2. isa 1.18 come now, and let us reason together,saith the lord: though your
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,though they be red like crimson
they shall be as wool.
3. isa 44.22 i have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud,
thy sins, return unto me; for i have redeemed thee.
4. isa 43.25 i,even i, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
5. isa 55.6-7 seek ye the lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near;
6. isa 55.7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our god, for he will abundantly pardon.
7. matt 18.3 and said, verily i say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter int the kingdom of heaven.
8. jas 4.7 submit yourselves therefore to god. resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
9. jas 4.10 humble yourselves in the sight of the lord, and he shall lift you up.
10. dt 4.29 but if from thence thou shalt seek the lord thy god, thou shalt find him,
if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
11. psm 32.1 blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
12. psm 32.5 i acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have i not hid,
i said, i will confess my transgressions unto the lord: and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
13. psm 51.4 against thee only, have i sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest.
14. psm 103.12 as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
15. psm 72.18-19 blessed be the lord god, the god of israel, who only doeth wondrous things. vs 19 and blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; amen and amen.
16. rom 11.25-26 for i would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery. lest ye should be wise in your won conceits; that blindness in part is happened to israel, until the fulness of the gentiles be come in. vs 26 and so all israel shall be saved; as it is written. there shall come out of zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from jacob.
psm 103. 9 for he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.