I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.
I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.”’
“He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;
But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
“He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”
Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully.
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”
saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ Isaiah 56:7 but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!” Jeremiah 7:11
the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?”
but I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”
But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
The Lord turned, and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the Lord’s word, how he said to him, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”
He went out, and wept bitterly.
But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.
and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ Isaiah 40:3 as Isaiah the prophet said.”
They came to John, and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”
He must increase, but I must decrease.
“Come, see a man who told me everything that I did. Can this be the Christ?”
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “Behold, you are made well. Sin no more, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle.
She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
“He has blinded their eyes and he hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and would turn, and I would heal them.” Isaiah 6:10
Peter therefore denied it again, and immediately the rooster crowed.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they have been forgiven them. If you retain anyone’s sins, they have been retained.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation be made desolate. Let no one dwell therein;’ Psalm 69:25 and, ‘Let another take his office.’ Psalm 109:8
to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.”
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Joel 2:28-32
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.
“Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,
and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,
God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”
God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn’t right before God.
Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”
and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
He was without sight for three days, and neither ate nor drank.
All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.”
But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”
before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel.
As John was fulfilling his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out,
“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;
He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,
brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
He said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Many also of those who had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds.
Many of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. They counted their price, and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.
testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus.
Therefore watch, remembering that for a period of three years I didn’t cease to admonish everyone night and day with tears.
“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
As I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky.
Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you.
When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
This I also did in Jerusalem. I both shut up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death I gave my vote against them.
When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
“I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?”
saying, ‘Go to this people, and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see, but will in no way perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, and I would heal them.’ Isaiah 6:9-10
Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God;
You therefore who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn’t steal, do you steal?













