Untitled Sermon
Repent and Refresh
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord
3:19 Turn again can also be translated “turn back.” It means to turn back to God instead of continuing to turn away from him.
3:20 Peter promised three results of repentance: (1) The forgiveness of sins (v. 19). (2) Times of refreshing (a mark of the messianic age), as people are “refreshed” in their spirits when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them. (This “refreshing” comes also to the world in general as it is affected by believers who are changed by the power of the Spirit.)
Repentance
The need for repentance is highlighted in Jesus’ earliest preaching: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Repentance is rooted in the human consciousness of sin, an awareness of falling short of a standard, relational brokenness and alienation, and fear of judgment. Whether motivated by inner guilt or shameful loss of face, repentance involves attitudes and acts that aim at setting things right. Coupled with confession, repentance is involved in the process of receiving forgiveness from God through Jesus Christ, and provides a model for person-to-person reconciliation as well.
From its beginning, the biblical narrative speaks of our need for repentance. Made in the image of God, and meant for fellowship with the Creator, Adam and Eve use their freedom to disobey a divine command (Gen 3). In estrangement they hide; when discovered, they attempt excuses in their fearfulness. At the origins of the human family, sin is present (hence the term “original sin”), which becomes part of the spiritual reality of all humanity. The result: “the person, the one sinning, will die” (Ezek 18:20). The sacrificial system of the Old Testament is established (in part) to address the necessity of atonement (Lev 17:11; Heb 9:22): “apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Jewish tradition shows a lifelong struggle between the yetzer ha tov (good impulse) and the yetzer ha ra (evil impulse; compare Gen 4:7; Rom 7:22–23). The life of David dramatically demonstrates this. A man after God’s own heart, David nonetheless falls deeply into evil, committing adultery and murder (2 Sam 11). When David faces God’s justice and the consequences of sin, Psalm 51 presents his public response: a contrite heart, personal confession, and repentance (Psa 51:16–17). Later, Solomon received the promise that when God’s people humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from sin, God hears from heaven, forgives them, and heals their land (2 Chr 7:14).
The New Testament suggests several forms of turning to repentance and confession. First John 1:9 suggests personal confession of sin directly to God. Other passages invite the ministry of a friend, counselor, or minister to hear one’s confession (Matt 16:19; John 20:23; Jas 5:16). In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the son’s repentant return is embraced by the parent’s unconditional love, bringing reconciliation (Luke 15:11–32). Jesus Himself teaches His disciples to pray “forgive us”—and this underlies general confession in corporate worship (Matt 6:12). The kyrie prayer, “Lord have mercy,” transcends cultural boundaries (Luke 18:13).
In the early church, initial repentance and forgiveness were closely identified with conversion and baptism (Acts 2:28). In addition to the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, other exhortations about sin were emerging (Exod 20; Matt 5–7; compare 1 John 2:16; 3:4, Rom 14:23, Jas 4:17), which were accompanied by reflections on especially “deadly” sins (Mark 3:29; Acts 15:29; 1 John 5:16).
Hebrews emphasizes the ministry of Jesus as once-for-all sacrifice and abiding high priest (Heb 7:26–28; 9:11–15). The letter includes a fervent exhortation against backsliding from life in Christ (Heb 6:4–8; 10:26–31). Similarly, the book of Revelation proclaims the need for repentance for individual believers and entire church fellowships (Rev 1:4–3:22). Paul even speaks of “godly sorrow” that brings restoration, whereas “worldly sorrow”—guilt with no healthy remedy through grace—proves deadly (2 Cor 7:8–13).
JAMES D. SMITH III
Further Reading
REPENTANCE A change of attitude and action from sin toward obedience to God. The concept of repentance differs slightly in the Hebrew and Greek minds, but an emphasis upon right behavior is consistent throughout.
Repentance in Hebrew
No Hebrew word is an exact equivalent for the English term “repentance.” Repentance was expressed by a number of different actions that show a change in thinking and attitude toward sin and God. Repentance may be demonstrated by:
• a public display of mourning over sin, such as weeping (Ezra 10:1), tearing garments and/or hair (Ezra 9:3), and wearing sackcloth (Joel 1:13)
• making restitution for wrongs committed (1 Chr 21:22–26)
• abasing oneself before the wronged party (Gen 33:3)
The Hebrew word that most closely approximates “repent” or “repentance” is translated into English as “return,” which basically means “to turn around and go in the opposite direction.” In theological contexts, the implication is to turn from a road characterized by rebellion toward God and a road characterized by obedience. The emphasis is upon actions that necessarily proceed from turning one’s orientation toward God.
Repentance in Greek
The Greek word for “repentance” derives from a verb meaning “to radically change one’s thinking.” “Repentance” refers to an event in which an individual attains a divinely provided new understanding of their behavior and feels compelled to change that behavior and begin a new relationship with God (Heb 6:1; Acts 20:21). While the Greek language can represent the concept of repentance as an independent action, the Semitic background of the New Testament writers demanded that appropriate actions follow the event of repentance (Matt 3:8; Acts 26:20). Examples of changed behaviors following repentance include:
• Zacchaeus making restitution for the fraud he committed as part of his occupation (Luke 19:1–10)
• Paul preaching the faith he once tried to destroy (Acts 9:1–28)
• Onesimus, the runaway slave, returning to his master, Philemon, to face the consequences of his actions (Phlm 8–16)
James 2:14–26 offers the most explicit comments in the New Testament regarding the relationship between repentance and appropriate actions. James argues that suitable actions will inevitably follow a sincere experience of repentance. The rhetorical question “What good is it …?” (2:14) calls into question not the effectiveness of faith in Christ without accompanying good deeds to save the sinner, but the very presence of that faith if the deeds do not follow. He argues that just as the evidence of biological life in the human body is the basic processes of respiration and circulation, the evidence of saving faith is acts of justice and mercy that arise spontaneously from a changed life (2:18).