Godly Sorrow
Some sorrow is good for the soul. It’s not often something we seek, but sorrow can work something in us that is highly desirable. But we must experience the right kind of sorrow to reap a benefit. The wrong kind can destroy us.
Paul had written a particularly pointed and hard letter to the Corinthian believers regarding some particularly grievious sins. They took heed to what he said and it brought about good results. In his next letter Paul wrote:
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:9-10 KJV)
Godly sorrow brings about results we would not want to change even though the process to get there was unpleasant. But there is another kind of sorrow: the sorrow of the world.
The sorrow of the world seeks to condemn and destroy. The sorrow of YHWH seeks to point us in the direction of His open door to forgiveness. And that is in order to build us up in His righteousness. The world’s sorrow seeks our destruction and defeat, godly sorrow seeks our deliverance and victory.
When we feel godly sorrow our discomfort is in knowing that we are out of step with the Spirit and He is calling us to return. The door has been left wide open for us to do so whenever we are willing:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 KJV)
That is a promise. He doesn’t maybe forgive us and sweep away a bit of unrighteousness. The text says He is “faithful” and “just” to forgive us. It goes on to say He cleanses us from “all” unrighteousness. The promise if based on the character of YHWH. You can bank on it. But we must confess our sins. And how are we led to the point of repentance and confession? Godly sorrow works wonders in that area!
Worldly sorrow, on the other hand, leaves no room for hope. Only despair and depression. At best, worldly sorrow offers only a shadowy glimpse of imagined forgiveness at the end of self-flaggelation (beating) and complicated acts of atonement. But at the end of that road is more sorrow and still guilt remains.
Are you experiencing guilt about something in your past or present? Turn it into godly sorrow by allowing it to move you to repentance. “Repentance” means to change your thinking, which results in a change in action. Sorrow is not repentance. It just leads us there.
Godly sorrow (a feeling) leads to repentance (an action) and brings about results we would not want to change (peace with YHWH and being placed back in step with the Spirit).
Having repented (making the decision to turn away from the sin), we confess our sin to YHWH. He has already promised we will be forgiven. We now put aside sorrow with the knowledge, by faith, that we have been forgiven and cleansed from our sin.
We are then usually led by the Spirit to make restitution of some sort, physical or verbal. We follow through on that, not as a means of attaining forgiveness, but as a way of following the Spirit in acts of righteousness to work the will of YHWH in the world.
There is no sorrow left at all after responding appropriately to godly sorrow. Only grace, mercy, righteousness, peace, and rejoicing. And that is a result, as Paul wrote, not to be repented of!
Father, we thank you for the sorrow that comes rightly from you as we know that it is meant for our good and to produce a harvest of righteousness in our lives. We ask that you would search our hearts and reveal to us those areas and activities that we should repent from and seek forgiveness from you. Grant us the sorrow over those issues that will lead to repentance and rejoicing in righteousness. Protect us from worldy sorrow as we know it is a tool of the enemy to imprison and make ineffective your servants. We thank you for your continued and boundless mercies and grace in our lives. We ask that your Name and your Kingdom would be glorified in us. And we ask that in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.
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Copyright 2010 Jim Zboran. All rights reserved.
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