“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:17–20
A two-way street. Picture cars driving in separate lanes and going in opposite directions. Most roads are like this. But on a one-way street, cars must travel in the same direction.
What would happen if you suddenly realized you were driving the wrong way on a one-way street? You’d need to turn around quickly or risk getting in a pretty bad accident, right?
That’s kind of what Peter is saying to the people in today’s text. He’s telling them to turn around and go the other way. This is what repentance means—saying you’re sorry for your sins, then turning your life around so you’re going in the opposite direction, away from sin and toward righteousness.
What did Peter say would happen if we turned away from sin? If we repented? He said God would forgive us and blot out, or erase, our sin so that it is not counted against us. Isn’t that good news? The way of forgiveness is through repentance.
Read
- When do you feel sinful? When do you feel sinless?
- What prevents you from confessing sin sometimes? What encourages you to confess sin? What happens when we confess our sin?
- Pray to the Holy Spirit to rightly convict you about unconfessed sin; ask him to remove any wrongful condemnation that isn’t from him.
Prayer
Our Father, thank you for sending your Son to forgive our sins when we turn from them and repent. May we show the same grace to others when they sin against us. We need your help. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from Week 7 of the Acts Study Guide.
