Godly Sorrow

*Godly Sorrow* 

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.  See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”  2 Corinthians 7:10-11

Experiencing a feeling of Guilt about our sins does absolutely no good unless it motivates us to change our hearts! And, God wants to change our hearts so that we can experience true revival! Are we tired of being stirred but not changed?

 *GUILT IS A MEANS TO AN END AND NOT AN END IN ITSELF* 

Paul rejoiced, not because his letters to the Corinthian church made them feel bad, but because the letters forced them to deal with the issues they faced as a church. They certainly had plenty of issues to deal with! There were divisions in the church…I am of Paul, I am of Cephas and I am of Appollos etc. There were “super saints” in the church trying to run the show. There was sexual immorality in the church. Lawsuits among the members – couldn’t deal with their problems so they turned to the world. Marital problems and these were just a few of the problems. 

There is a difference between “godly” sorrow, and “worldly” sorrow – “worldly” says, “I am sorry that I got caught!” – “godly” says, “now that God has helped me see these sins, what does He want me to do about them?” God doesn’t just want to make us feel guilty about our personal and corporate sins, he wants us to deal with them!

 *REPENTANCE IS THE ONLY TRUE REACTION TO GUILT* 

Paul not only rejoiced because the Corinthians finally came around and dealt with their sins, but that they followed through with a genuine repentance. 

A false repentance (worldly) is one that never gets beyond the emotion of guilt. We may feel sick to our stomach for a while, but we know the feeling will soon pass. In turn, Satan uses that against us, he comes to us and says: “You are Ok now because you felt bad about what you did. Don’t worry about it.”

 The word used here for repentance however means: A change of mind, a change of heart, a change of attitude…I’m sorry and I am going to do something about it! I am going to change with God’s help! Paul even brings salvation into the picture – not that he questioned their salvation, but that when we are saved, It is not our guilt that brings leads to salvation, but the decision to turn from our sins and accept God’s free gift of eternal life! God wants the conviction we may be feeling in our hearts to produce a change of mind and attitude!

 *VISIBLE CHANGE IS THE EVIDENCE OF REPENTANCE* 

Paul not only rejoiced because they followed through with genuine repentance, but that there was visible change to prove their repentance. Sorrow produces repentance and repentance produces a changed life.

They went from laziness to diligence – being quick to do what was right. From guilt to a clear conscience through confession of sin. From apathy to indignation over their spiritual condition. From a lax attitude about sin to fear lest their sins be repeated. From mediocre to having a vehement desire to do what was right in God’s sight. From indifference to zeal in turning back to God.

They were no longer just stirred by the words of Paul, they were changed by them! They brought forth fruits worthy of repentance!

 *Question to Ponder:* 

Am I just stirred by God’s Word or changed by them?

Scribe: Justin