Godly Sorrow

Godly Sorrow

Sorrow is an unavoidable part of human existence. Every one of us experiences it from the cradle to the grave. But how we respond personally to sorrow varies greatly. The gospel Jesus has delivered to us gives us the possibility to use sorrow for eternal gain and benefit, so we learn to sorrow over the things God sorrows over.

In 2 Cor. 7:9-12 Paul writes about two kinds of sorrow: the sorrow of the world, which produces death, as opposed to godly sorrow which produces repentance leading to salvation. What a difference!

The sorrow of the world focuses my attention on the world, and the things that are seen. When I dwell on the things that are seen, it can lead to death in countless ways, such as accusation, self-justification, revenge, self-pity, discouragement, anxiousness, dishonesty, hypocrisy, hopelessness, etc. These things isolate and separate people from each other.

A godly sorrow leads to repentance, to change, and to new thoughts. The Spirit of Christ will also guide our mind into a godly sorrow. He guides our attention inward to the sin that dwells in our flesh, and upward to the hope of the gospel. If we embrace this sorrow, and allow the Spirit of truth to find the hidden sin in us, it leads us to amazing fruit. For example, I can come to a genuine hatred of sin. Then I will partake in the fear of God, forgiveness both for myself and others, freedom from the fear of man, hope, and the strength and zeal needed to resist to bloodshed. It gives us a light in which we can walk in humility and thankfulness.

Jesus has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Is. 53:4. He is able to show us the way through sorrow into greater liberation, joy and peace. He has, through His life, shown us the way in humility, acknowledgment and trust in the eternal Father. May the love of Christ compel us to follow Him, to love the truth, and to sorrow in a godly manner.

We have many inspiring examples of godly sorrow from God-fearing people in the Old Testament. One of the most shining examples is David. Time and time again in his psalms he expresses his sins, needs, cares and fears to God. But then he continues to seek God until he breaks through to praise, confidence, trust and assurance.

It is worth noting what Paul writes in 2 Cor. 7:10, that this sorrow “produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.” In other words, when you have repented with a godly sorrow you have been forgiven! You don’t have to go back and repent from the same sins over and over again. Godly sorrow leads to godly fear and a hatred of sin, a vengeance and indignation, a cleansing of our self-life. It leads to a vigilance that warns me when those lusts and desires that previously took me captive come up again. I have a vengeance, and a burning desire and zeal against them.

This sorrow is painful at first, but look where it leads to: a crystal clear, uncluttered path ahead. We must allow the chastening of the Spirit to work so deeply that our sorrow truly is godly. Then the result will be eternal life!