Repentance and its Blessings (Acts 3:11-20)

The crowd at the temple have observed the amazing fact that a lame beggar has been healed. It is not surprising that they are astonished and wondering what kind of power is available to Peter and John. The apostles are quick to deny that they have any inherent power; instead they affirm that the miracle is connected to the glorification of Jesus. They also make clear the purpose of the miracle – it was designed to lead them to repentance. It is obvious that the miracle in itself did not bring about a correct response to God. Until its significance was explained, the observers obtained no benefit from the miracle. This situation reminds us that it is essential that we have the correct framework for assessing God’s actions and understanding what he is doing.

Prerequisites for repentance

Peter mentions two aspects of knowledge that are essential before there can be genuine repentance. The first is knowledge about what God did through Jesus Christ and the second is an understanding of the seriousness of rejecting the authority of Jesus Christ.

We should observe the way that Peter describes God. He is referred to as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ I suspect that inevitably the minds of the listeners would go to the previous occasions when this name was used of God. These occasions were connected to the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt (Exod. 3:6, 15; 4:9). Surely, this was a name of God that would have created expectation in the minds of the listeners. This was the name of God that indicated that he had come to rescue his people, not because they deserved it, but because he was faithful to his promises.

The first detail in the framework for repentance is that we are dealing with a God who is performing a rescue mission. We know that the children of Israel at the time of the Exodus had to be rescued from slavery in Egypt; they needed to be delivered from earthly, political oppression. The rescue mission that Peter had in mind was not from physical slavery, but from the bondage of sin. In Egypt, God had rescued Israel by his servant Moses. The person he used for the greater rescue was Jesus Christ.

In his explanation Peter uses three titles for Jesus and each of them helps us understand who Jesus is and he did. Peter calls Jesus God’s servant (v. 13), the Holy and Righteous One (v. 14), and the Author of life (v. 15). The role of servant reminds us of the willingness of the Son of God to become the servant of the Lord. Perhaps our minds have turned to Paul’s great words in Philippians 2:5-8, words that tell us the Son of God took on him the form of a servant in order to obey the will of the Father. His role as servant led him to the cross where he carried the awful weight of sin and paid its penalty in order that his people would go free.

In addition, the title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ reminds us of the character of Jesus. Believers love to reflect on the sinlessness of Jesus, on the purity and perfection of his thoughts, words and deeds. He was the lamb without blemish, holy in mind and heart, ideal for the perfect sacrifice that God required in order to satisfy his justice.

And the title ‘Author of Life’ tells us that Jesus is the possessor of great power. It reminds us that he is the origin of all created life: ‘All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men’ (1 John 1:3-4). He is also the source of all spiritual life – every sinner that has been converted, whether before the coming of Jesus or since the coming, has obtained spiritual life from him. Further, the title assures us that Jesus is the source of all future life, the life of the ages to come which will combine eternal and spiritual in order to give life suitable for the heavenly environment.

Yet Peter does introduce what seems to be a contradiction when he says that they killed the Author of Life. How could the Author of Life die? The answer to this question is found in why he became a righteous servant. He became a man without ceasing to be God. A great mystery indeed, but a wonderful reality. The Son of God could die in his human nature. Nevertheless, although he died, it was a voluntary act in which he dismissed his spirit. He entered into death, knowing that his Father would raise him from the dead.

So Peter told his audience who Jesus Christ is. He is the eternal Son of God who became a servant, lived a righteous life, died on the cross although he was innocent, and was raised again from the dead by God the Father. The Father has also glorified him, says Peter, which means that Jesus is now exalted to the throne of God, and therefore it is possible for miracles to take place by his apostles who trusted in him.

Peter also reminded them that they had sinned in their attitudes towards Jesus Christ. They had denied him, prevented Pilate from releasing him, and preferred a murderer instead of him. While they did not physically kill Jesus, they were guilty of causing his death, and no doubt they would have got involved if the authorities had allowed them.

Of course, these people were guilty of many other sins in addition to the sin of rejecting Jesus. It is possible, of course, that Peter mentioned these other sins, because Luke did not regard it as necessary to record every word that Peter said on this occasion. What is important to note is that their attitude towards Christ had to be repented of, even although Peter admits that they had acted in ignorance. Ignorance is not an excuse for wrong actions. Although they were ignorant of who Jesus was, their actions towards him were not in line with truth (they bore false witness) and love.

With regard to ourselves, we have to face up to these same two aspects if we are to repent of our sins. We must have correct information about Jesus Christ and we must reflect on our attitude towards him. Most of us could give a very accurate description of who Jesus is and what he did when he was here on earth. We already are in advance of the initial state of the people who heard Peter preach on this occasion. Our knowledge of Jesus includes awareness of his deity, his real humanity, his perfect life, his sacrificial death, his bodily resurrection, his exaltation in heaven, and his future role as Judge of all humans. It is wonderful to have this knowledge, but it will only profit us if we act upon it.

In addition, we must, therefore, consider how we have responded to Jesus Christ. We have heard the gospel innumerable times and still some of us have not turned to him in repentance. Instead such have ignored the appeal of the gospel, dismissed the claims of Christ over their lives, and refused to leave their sins and follow him. To them once again comes the call to repent of their sins.

What is repentance?

The word itself means a change of direction, to turn from the path we are on and begin walking on another road. By nature we are on the path that leads to destruction, and those who leave it and begin walking to heaven do so by the activity of repentance. This is a useful picture of repentance, but what does the person look like who is walking in this new direction.

Repentance is an intelligent action of the heart. The person that we observe walking in this new direction is not confused. He understands what he has done. His change of direction is based on information.

Further, repentance is an emotional action of the heart. The person walking along the road has a tear in his eye, in other words he is a contrite person, grieving for the sins he has committed against God. His emotions are affected. He is appalled by his sins, and that for a variety of reasons. His sins were against a good and kind God, included persistent rejection of the gospel of Christ, and were part of his journey to destruction. Such a person cannot be indifferent to the information that he has received.

And repentance is a volitional action of the heart. The person walking along the road is committed to this new direction. He has said farewell to his previous lifestyle and now walks in a way that pleases God. Each step in his new direction takes him further away from his old life, and he walks with a steadfast step towards heaven.

So repentance involves comprehension, contrition and commitment. We can add another ‘C’ to the list. Repentance is always Christ-centred, especially Jesus on the cross. Such repentance is described in Zechariah 12:10: ‘And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.’

Consequences of repentance

In verse 19, Peter mentions two outcomes of genuine repentance. The first is that the penitent person is forgiven all his sins. They are all blotted out of God’s precise and accurate record, a record that remains precise and accurate after they have been forgiven. One of the most surprising feature of church life today is how quickly we lose the sense of wonder at being forgiven by God. Perhaps a reason for this easy forgetfulness is that we have embraced a form of easy believism. It is hard to forget one’s deliverance if one has spent some time gazing into the awfulness of hell; it is hard to forget one’s deliverance if we have felt the power of sin leading us to destruction; it is hard to forget one’s deliverance if we have stood at the cross and gazed in amazement upon the distress of the Saviour as he endured the judgement of God.

Pardon of sin is a most wonderful blessing. The reaction in our hearts should be the equivalent of the response of the lame man to his healing – walking, leaping and praising God. Our pardoned souls should be celebrating the grace of God, and it is a form of exercise which develops our other spiritual muscles because it leads to a sense of thankfulness and a sense of devotion.

Peter mentions a second consequence of repentance in verse 20: ‘times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.’ This experience of refreshing will be true of each individual who repents; into their hearts, the Spirit of God will flow, bringing to them, among other blessings, a sense of peace, delight in God, the joy of adoption into God’s family, and an anticipation of heaven.

This experience of refreshing will be true of congregations in which people repent. When a sinner turns from their sins to Christ, the people of God sense that heaven has come to earth. The lack of this can cause a congregation to become spiritually flat. Of course, we can pray for this blessing, but the evidence that our prayers have been heard is the arrival of the blessing.

I think Peter is also suggesting that each penitent person is a link in the chain that eventually leads to a great time of spiritual prosperity. The gospel seems to move slowly for a while, a conversion here and there. To us, they may seem spasmodic and unconnected. Yet the reality is that they are links in a chain, and somewhere on that chain there is a time when a great number of conversions will occur. Each penitent person is a reminder that God has a great event ahead.

It is also a possibility that Peter here is describing a great worldwide revival that will occur before the second coming of Christ. You will note that he mentions three consequences of repentance: (1) pardon, (2) times of refreshing, (3) the return of Christ. The New Testament does hold out the wonderful prospect of spectacular results when the race of Israel as a whole is converted. You will recall that the future of the Jews was a matter of great interest to the apostles during the forty days between the resurrection and ascension of Christ. They were not told when their restoration would occur. All they could know was that it was coming, and that each act of repentance by an individual Jew was a sign, a prototype, of the great national repentance that is yet to occur.

These words also remind us that lack of repentance is one reason, perhaps the reason, why we do not experience times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. In one sense, it does not matter what sins we are guilty of, if we do not repent of them. Sins of pride are just as effective in stopping divine blessing as are sins of immorality. I don’t think it is too difficult to deduce that lack of blessing suggests lack of personal repentance. Our response as individuals should be to ask God to search us, to convict us of our wrong attitudes and actions, to lead us to repentance, to give us the blessing of times from the presence of the Lord.