<p>3:19 <i>Therefore r<em>epent and be converted</em></i>- Not 'repent and convert'. The conversion, grammatically, is performed by another party. The repentance is what enables the process of conversion to be performed upon the repentant person who now wishes to change. Repentance is therefore a mental re-thinking, not a rearrangement of human life to be without sin and failure. The parallel is with Peter's earlier preaching in Acts 2:38: &quot;Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit&quot;. &quot;Be converted&quot; implies an action upon the heart of the repentant hearer of the Gospel; the parallel in 2:38 is to receive the gift of the Spirit, a holy spirit or mind being developed in the believer. I gave reasons on 2:38 to understand this gift to essentially refer to the internal work of the Lord on repentant hearts- or as Peter here puts it, being converted. The same word translated &quot;converted&quot; is found in the description of John the Baptist's work in Lk. 1:17 as being to turn or convert the hearts of people. This same work is now being done by the risen Lord, through His Spirit. Acts 11:21 speaks of this work of conversion as being done by the Lord's hand, and the Old Testament parallels God's hand with His Spirit; it is His instrumentality, and not man's: &quot;And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and were turned s.w. 'converted' to the Lord&quot;. Likewise Acts 28:27 parallels conversion with the act of the Lord healing hearts: &quot;Be converted, and I should heal them&quot;. Conversion is the healing action of the Lord on human hearts who are open to it, rather than a steel-willed cracking of expositional and theological riddles in the Bible text and vainly attempting to brutally conform one's own life to that text. Conversion is also a matter of the heart in 2 Cor. 3:16, parallel with the Lord removing a vail which He has placed over the Jewish mind.</p>
<p>And again, it was Peter, the preacher himself, who had sinned against his Lord and had been &quot;converted&quot; on his repentance, with the result that he was not strengthening the Lord's sheep (Lk. 22:32 &quot;When you are converted...&quot;, s.w.). Truly, Peter's address is shot through with reference to his own failure, repentance and restoration by grace. He reminds his sheep of how they are now &ldquo;returned&rdquo; (s.w. &lsquo;converted&rsquo;) to the Lord Jesus (1 Pet. 2:25), just as he had been. My point is that the 'conversion' was by another hand than his own steel will.</p>
<p>In the context of Israel's latter day repentance, we read some admittedly strange words:&nbsp; &quot;(The Jews) have... not believed, that through your (Gentile believers) mercy, they also may obtain mercy&quot; (Rom. 11:31). Could this not mean that Israel's reconciliation to God is partly dependent on our &quot;mercy&quot; in preaching the Gospel to them? And now consider Peter's words to Israel: &quot;Repent... and be converted, that (firstly) your sins may be blotted out... and (secondly) he shall send Jesus Christ&quot; at the second coming (Acts 3:19,20). Does this not suggest that Christ's eager desire for the second coming is limited by our preaching to Israel?</p>
<p><em>So that your sins may be blotted out</em>- Applying the language of David's forgiveness for the murder of Uriah to all Israel (Ps. 51:1). David's forgiveness by grace is often set up as programmatic for the way all believers, and all Israel, can be treated (see Rom. 4:1-4).</p>
<p><em>S</em><i>o that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord</i>- The second coming is clearly dependent upon Israel's repentance for crucifying the Lord. The seasons / times refer to those of Acts 1:7, the second coming. This is why the Lord said that there was no such defined 'time' for it, but rather they were to get on with converting Israel. There are preconditions, involving Israel's repentance in response to our preaching to them; but not a calendar date. &ldquo;<em>Times of refreshing</em>&rdquo; is the age of the Messianic Kingdom on earth, probably alluding to Is. 28:12: &quot;This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing...&quot;.</p>
<p><em>&ldquo;From the presence of the Lord&rdquo; is literally f</em>rom His face. Luke is connecting with what he recorded in Lk. 1:76; John the Baptist's ministry was to herald the presence / face of the Lord being revealed. But his ministry failed on a national level; the essence of John's appeal is however to be continued by Christian witness to the Jews in all ages, and when it finally succeeds, the Kingdom age shall come from the presence of the Lord. See on 3:21 <em>The time of the restoration.</em></p>