From the article: “After his effort to run away from what God commissioned him to do, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and eventually was deposited on the shores near Nineveh (Jonah 1 and 2). After preaching to the people of Nineveh about the need to repent, something happened that Jonah wasn’t expecting: The people of Nineveh repented, and God spared them (Jonah 3).”
REPENTANCE is the missing step on the road to REDEMPTION that I am increasingly hearing from the pulpit these days. Just praying for forgiveness of sins doesn’t get it in these trendy new cults masquerading as Christian Churches, in my opinion. We’re getting lotsa Gospel with very little Law.
Ninveva was a pagan culture.
Repent from what ?
All have sinned.
Israel sinned, therefore God provided a yearly sacrifice that the high priest offered to God for the sins of the whole nation, the atonement for their sins, the law does not attone for sins, it condemns a man.
Repent from what ?
God set into motion the way of salvation in his son Jesus Christ.
The law can not make any mam righteousness, or be made justified in the sight of God, never.
Repent from what ?
The Greek word for our English word Repent means, to change one’s mind, attitude towards God.
The Greek word is metanoeo.
John the Baptist called on the people to “ Metanoeo “ and “ believe “ on the Gospel, to believe on the one whom God sent.
St. Paul even said in his letter to the Romans that the law was weak in the flesh, it could never save anyone or make anyone righteous before God.
If it could have made man right before God, or justified before God, then they would not have need of the Old Testament system of the blood sacrifice, but of course you are already aware of that.
If the law would have, could have made man right before God, or justified before God, then ? There would have been no need to send his son, the Messiah to die on the cross for our sins.
St. Paul called the Ten Commandments, which was written on stone tablets, the letter that kills, condemns, the ministry of death.
But grace gives life.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For those who walk not according to the flesh, but after the spirit.
The spirit is grace, the spirit of grace.
Walking in the flesh is conducting, working, doing, self efforts to obey the law, but it was weak because of the flesh.
But God sending his own son fulfilled ever iota, dot and tittle of the law for us.
The Ninivites were ungodly pagans, who had no regards or thought of the God of Israel.
God wanted to show his grace and kindness towards the Ninivites, Israel’s enemies, that’s why Joanha was upset towards God.
The Gentiles who came to Jesus Christ were not under the law, or under the Covenant of the law that God set up between Israel and the God of Israel.
St. Paul even brought this up with Peter and argued with Peter about putting the Saved Gentile saints under the law.
I agreed..