2 Corinthians 7. We know that the church in Corinth had quite a few issues and the Apostle Paul’s first letter to them called them out for several sins including division, selfishness, sexual immorality, and more. Paul writes, even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it… I see that the letter has grieved you, though only for a while (7:8).

Sometimes in life people are doing something wrong, and they get caught and called out for it. This is not a pleasant experience for anyone. How do people typically respond when they get caught doing something wrong? (Just think of children or teenagers…) Usually people respond with anger, denial, lashing out at those who have caught them – there’s also sullenness, bitterness, manipulation, lying, yelling (or the silent treatment), etc. People do not like being caught doing something wrong.

Paul writes, you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief… godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death (7:9-10). There are two kinds of sorrow contrasted in these verses, and they have different outcomes.

First, there is worldly sorrow. This sorrow is what happens when the person is simply really sorry (and mad and hostile) because they got caught. They are embarrassed. But mostly they are just frustrated and sorry that their sin has been revealed. They are not upset about their actual sin, only that they have been humiliated. In fact, if they had not been caught, they would have continued in their sin without regret. There is no heart change, no repentance. Paul writes that this is a false sorrow that leads to death, because continuing in sin without heart change always leads to death.

In contrast, godly sorrow produces repentance. Godly grief produces earnestness, fear, longing, and zeal (7:11) to do what is right, to become a person of integrity, and to clear oneself of all wrongdoing. This is a grief that understands how significant the sin was and how it has caused tremendous damage to oneself and others who were affected. This is the grief of Peter when the rooster crowed, and he realized he had denied Jesus, and he went out and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:74-75). This is the grief of David who was caught in adultery and wrote, I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears (Psalm 6:6).

Godly sorrow results from a heart-felt conviction that we have offended God and others by our sin. Such a burning conviction produces in our hearts a repentance that leads to our salvation. A person who has godly sorrow resolves within their heart to follow God wholeheartedly and to cease to do evil and learn to do good (Isaiah 1:16).

God offers great hope and restoration to those who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to follow Him wholeheartedly. Pray that the Lord would guard your heart and keep you from sin. Confess your sins to the Lord and ask Him to restore you. If you are doing wrong – stop. Deeds of darkness will eventually be exposed; and it would be better if you chose to repent of your own free will, instead of waiting for God to send someone along to expose it and convict you.