Bible Truth #332 - 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

8  Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while--

9  yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.

10  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Let us discuss the difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow - or more specifically, the source of each.

The cause of Godly sorrow is God. Just as a man can’t repent in a way pleasing to God (Romans 8:8) unless God grants him repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), neither can he be truly sorry over a matter unless God causes a man to be sorrowful. This is what Paul meant when he wrote “sorrowful as God intended” in verse 9, and what God intends, occurs (Ephesians 1:11). How can I write that with certitude? Because if Godly sorrow leads to repentance and man can’t repent unless God grants it to him, then the only source of Godly sorrow is God! That is why Paul identified it as Godly sorrow.

Worldly sorrow is simply the way the flesh feels, a sorrow initiated by the flesh when a man is caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. If a man did something he shouldn’t have done but isn’t caught, he is thrilled he got away with it, or relieved. Very rarely will he feel guilty. But if he does, that is not even worldly sorrow, much less Godly sorrow. But if he’s caught, he may be sorry because the consequences will hurt him, either physically, emotionally, financially, etc. But since this sorrow was initiated by his flesh, it is not pleasing to God and it counts for nothing (John 6:63).

Does anyone actually think that a lost man, in the flesh, can generate Godly sorrow? If so, please explain how. I believe God’s Word says a lost man can’t, of his own volition, initiate Godly sorrow because he is spiritually dead and every imagination and thought he has is ONLY evil, CONTINUALLY (Genesis 6:5), he can NOT change (Jeremiah 13:23), he hates the Light and will NOT come into it (John 3:20), he can’t hear (understand) Jesus’ words because he is not of his Father God but of his father the devil (John 8:43-44), he is hostile toward God (Romans 8:7), he can NOT please God in any way, shape, matter, or form (Romans 8:8), he can’t understand ANYTHING from the Holy Spirit (Romans 3:11; 1 Corinthians 2:14).

Would generating Godly sorrow be considered a righteous act? If so, then a lost man can’t do it (Romans 3:10). How can a man who is not righteous, do anything that IS righteous? He can’t, all because a lost man is demon-possessed (Ephesians 2:2).

Based on that understanding, verse 10 is as clear as a bell, so LET IT RING!! Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.