Nineveh's Repentance

“ The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”- Jesus

Why was Jonah preaching? Because God sent Jonah to "cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up" before God.

What was Jonah preaching? “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Was Nineveh overthrown after forty days? No.

Why did God relent? Because "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way."

Or, in Jesus' words: “They repented at the preaching of Jonah.”

"The people of Nineveh believed God," AND "they turned from their evil way."

Their repentance wasn't merely a change of mind from not believing God's plan to believing it, and had they merely admitted God's plan without stopping their wickedness, God would not have relented and Jesus would not be commending them for any repentance. Their repentance was a change of mind concerning their evil way, and it was sincere in that they actually turned from their evil way, crying out to God, and God, who searches the hearts of mankind, saw it and confirmed it.

Consider the Hellenists in Antioch. After the persecution that arose over Stephen, some of the men, who were scattered, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

It seems appropriate to finish with the famous words of James -

“Faith without works is dead.”

Parable of Two Sons

“ Go and sin no more.” - Jesus.

Consider the following parable of Jesus recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew, and especially the repentance of the first son:

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.”

Notice the first son regretted it and went. He didn't just regret it, but he regretted it and did the work which was his father's will. What kind of regret would it have been if he didn't afterward go and do the work? It could not be considered sincere and it certainly wouldn't qualify for repentance. It would have been a mere conviction of his wrong mixed with emotional sorrow, but without a change of will. It would have been merely sorrow, not repentance.

Today, many professing Christians are convicted by their conscience of their wrong and they feel sorrow and shame, even confess to God in prayer, but without a real change of will through a sincere faith that obeys. They experience sorrow, but without repentance. Nevertheless, many consider this feeling to be one and the same as repentance.

Biblical repentance regards the reconsideration of one's ultimate purpose of heart unto a change of one's mind regarding their purpose, which directs their way of life, so that they turn away from their unclean and corrupt purpose to a clean and undefiled purpose, in line with God's. It follows conviction of one's wrong and the sorrow and shame associated with it, but repentance itself does not amount to this feeling of sorrow. Those who are convicted and feel shame and sorrow, yet don't turn away through sincere faith and wholeheartedly follow Christ, can not be considered true Christians - followers of Christ. 

To better illustrate my point, if this parable had included a third son representing the person who feels sorrow without true repentance, it would have gone like so:

“A man had three sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Then he came to the third and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and turned towards the vineyard, but then soon turned back again, and then turned again and again and again not truly willing to separate himself from his other business long enough to do his father's, until sunset finally came and he lay down. Which of the three did the will of his father?”