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Acts 3:19 - Repentance or Remorse.

Acts 3:19 (NIV) Repent, then, and turn to 
God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that 
times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 

Acts 3:19 AMP) So repent [change your inner 
self - your old way of thinking, regret past 
sins] and return [to God - seek His purpose for 
your life], so that your sins may be wiped away 
[blotted out, completely erased], so that times of 
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord 
[restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]; 

Acts 3:19 (CWR) So you need to repent, turn 
your lives around and confess your sins.  God 
will blot out your sins and refresh your souls by 
giving you the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to 
all who accept Him as their Lord. 

INTRODUCTION

Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a 
turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin 
unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away 
from it in heart, there will be no real change in 
the life.  {SC 23.2}   

COMMENTARY PEARL

Our Stubborn Wills
   Becoming a Christian is a once-for-all 
event, in which we repent of our sins and cast 
ourselves on Christ alone for our salvation. When we 
are converted, God takes us "out of darkness 
into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). 
   But being a Christian is a daily, ongoing 
experience. It is a lifelong process of daily repentance 
and faith, turning from sin and seeking to live 
for Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. 
   That is where our wills come in. Although 
we have been converted and God has come to live 
in us, our old nature is still "alive and 
kicking." Our stubborn wills still demand to put self 
first instead of Christ. 
   It isn't easy to bring our stubborn wills 
into submission to Christ, but when we do, it is 
as if a misplaced vertebra has snapped back 
into place. Instead of the stress and tension of 
a life out of harmony with God, we discover 
the serenity of His presence. 
   Who will control your will today? You - 
or Christ? 
   Each morning, we must choose to die to 
self again.  We hand the reins over to Christ and 
give him complete control.  Some days, its 
easy; some days, its not.  But its always 
best. [Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY

What It Really Means to Repent
   Somewhere along the way, repent 
became a negative word. 
   When many people hear that word, they 
think of a guy holding a sign on the corner 
telling people to turn or burn because the end 
is near. 
   But the world's idea of what it means to 
repent is totally wrong. Repent is actually 
the most positive, transforming word in the 
world. 
   The word repent just means you 
change your mind. Its not when you stop doing 
bad things - thats the result of repentance. 
Repentance simply means you used to think one way and 
now you think another way. 
   You used to think guilty thoughts, and 
now you think forgiven thoughts. You used to 
think damnation and discouragement, and now you 
think peace. You used to think selfishness, and 
now you think of others first. You used to think 
ambitiously, and now you think about how to serve. You 
think about God as he really is - a kind and 
loving Father. You think about yourself as God sees 
you - with value and purpose. You think about 
what really has meaning in life. 
   Repentance is when you start rethinking 
your life in order to match how Jesus thinks. 
When you repent and turn from darkness to light, 
its not about not getting to do the things you 
want to do anymore. Its about doing only the 
things that matter because your mind is set on 
whats most important. It's the most positive 
change in the world.  
   Do you need some refreshment? Do you need 
to recover from lifes hurts and be revived 
after loss or failure? Then you only need to 
repent. When you do, youll come into Gods 
presence and experience real joy and peace. [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

Repentant? Or Just Remorseful?
   For the kind of sorrow God wants us to 
experience leads us away from sin and results in 
salvation. Theres no regret for that kind of sorrow. 
But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, 
results in spiritual death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 
NLT) 
   If I were to get in my car and go down 
the freeway at 140 miles per hour, I would be 
remorseful if the highway patrol pulled me over. Why? 
Because Id pay a penalty for my choices. Id 
get a ticket and maybe even spend the night in 
jail. And my insurance rates would go up 
significantly. 
   But if I were to get in my car and do the 
same thing the next day, it would show that I was 
not repentant. 
   Theres a difference between remorse 
and repentance. Sometimes we confuse the two. 
Were remorseful when were sorry for getting 
caught. But were repentant when were sorry 
enough to stop doing the same thing. 
   A lot of people feel remorse. Maybe 
someone traps them in a lie or catches them 
stealing. Or maybe they sin in some other way, and it 
catches up with them eventually. Thus, theyre 
remorseful. But do they change their behavior? 
   If they simply plot a little more 
carefully the next time and hope they wont get 
caught, thats not repentance; thats just 
remorse. 
   The Bible says, For the kind of sorrow 
God wants us to experience leads us away from 
sin and results in salvation. Theres no 
regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, 
which lacks repentance, results in spiritual 
death (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT). 
   If you can continue on a course of sin 
despite feeling guilty about it, that tells me you 
dont know God. 
   Maybe youve never given your life to 
Jesus. Maybe there has never been a moment in your 
life when you said, Lord, Im sorry for my 
sin, sorry enough to turn away from it. 
Perhaps youve been sorry because youve been 
found out, but are you willing to turn away from 
that sin and put your faith in Jesus? 
   Jesus is telling us, Friend, I love 
you, and Im reaching out to you. But you 
must reach out as well and take His hand. Have 
you done that yet? [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

Spiraling Downward
   For the kind of sorrow God wants us to 
experience leads us away from sin and results in 
salvation. Theres no regret for that kind of sorrow. 
But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, 
results in spiritual death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 
NLT) 
   Have you ever known someone who appeared 
as though they would really make their mark in 
life? They looked like they were going to do well, 
but then they self-destructed. 
   That is what happened to Saul, the first 
king of Israel. He started out well, but things 
went from bad to worse because he disobeyed God. 
And when his successor, David, emerged on the 
scene, Saul began to relentlessly hunt him down. 
   On more than one occasion, Saul tried to 
murder David because he was paranoid and jealous of 
him. And when Saul went to battle against the 
Philistines and realized that he was clearly defeated, 
he killed himself. 
   Saul had so much promise and potential, 
but he threw his life away. He was more 
concerned with what others thought of him than with 
what God thought of him. He was shallow. He was 
vain. And he was a fool. 
   In fact, he once admitted, I have been 
a fool and very, very wrong (1 Samuel 26:21 
NLT). Or, as the New King James Version puts it, 
I have played the fool and erred 
exceedingly. 
   Like Saul, we can play the fool in our 
lives as well. 
   We play the fool when we disobey God, 
even in the smallest matters. Spiritual decline 
is gradual. Sauls failure wasnt 
immediate. At first, he was humble, but then pride set 
in. He took matters into his own hands and did 
what God told him not do. 
   We play the fool when we attempt to 
justify the wrongs we have done. More than once, 
Saul blamed others for something he had done 
wrong. And when he finally owned up to his sin, it 
was only to save face. We must be honest about 
our sin and admit it when weve done something 
wrong. 
   We play the fool when we allow hatred and 
jealousy to control our lives instead of love. There 
always will be people who do better in life than we 
do. There always will be someone who is better 
looking, in better shape, and more intelligent than 
we are. And if allow jealousy to control us, 
then well be miserable people. Instead, we can 
thank God for everything He has given us because 
we dont deserve any of it.  
   Saul threw his life away, and his 
jealousy ultimately destroyed him. In the end, if he 
had genuinely repented, God would have forgiven 
him. 
   The Bible says, For the kind of sorrow 
God wants us to experience leads us away from 
sin and results in salvation. Theres no 
regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, 
which lacks repentance, results in spiritual 
death (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT). 
   In other words, if were really sorry 
for something weve done, then we will stop 
doing it. But to say were sorry and continue in 
a path of disobedience shows that were not 
sorry at all. [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Acts 2:38 - Repentance, Baptism And Power.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080821-1252.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100604-1018.html 

Acts 3:19 - Repent and Be Born Again.

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220920-0823.html 

2 Corinthians 7:10 - Sorrow; Godly or 
Worldly? 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221031-0819.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/