God saw by their action 

“When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, 
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; 
he did not carry it out.” (Jon 3: 10) 

We are not saved because of our actions; we are saved by Jesus’ love, death and resurrection. Our action is not to deserve God’s redemption but to show how much we love Him and how we “turned from our evil way.” Action is to express love and respect not to “buy” anything.

“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.” (Gospel acclamation)