Articles
Godly Sorrow
Sorrow is inescapable. It has been and will continue to be experienced by every man as a consequence of his sin, and although it is a part of life, this grief elicits different reactions from all people. Sorrow drives some people into deep depression, while it causes bitterness and anger to take root in others. Reactions such as these should be resisted. There is a better way to react to the grief and sorrow brought on by sin.
How we respond to the pains and sorrows we feel helps define our character. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul describes two distinct types of sorrow that bring about specific consequences: “Godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” These two sorrows, godly and worldly, are polar opposites in their value and their outcomes.
With only a cursory reading of the previous text, we see that worldly sorrow should be avoided. However, worldly does not so much describe what causes the grief, rather how we respond to that grief. Sin, to the tender heart, causes grief, pain, and regret. What makes this grief worldly is our response that leads to death. That is, a reaction that leads us further from God, further from holiness. Consider Judas: after betraying the Lord Jesus, he obviously felt a kind of sorrow. His reaction, however, was worldly. He took his own life and died in his sin. This does not mean worldly sorrow always leads to physical death, but it does not lead to correction.
We must respond appropriately to the painful things in life. Godliness should always be what we seek – especially when we realize how far we are from God because of our sin. As painful as it may be, we should appreciate the sorrow we feel when we sin; not because we enjoy it but because we are reminded that we need God. In the old law, yearly sacrifices were a reminder of the sorrow sin brought. Today, we do not have a physical, tangible reminder like the Israelites did. Yet we do have our memory. We do feel that burden. Perhaps one of the most powerful motivators to avoid sin is the memory and guilt we feel about past sins. We know that God forgives us completely, but the tinge of sorrow from our past sinfulness should remind us not to sin again.
Our lives should not be full of sorrow. Christians have more to rejoice about than anyone else! Godly sorrow not only brings us earnestly to repentance but is cause for rejoicing and thanks. May we consider the way we respond to our grief so we can always return to the Lord. “Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord” (Psalm 105:3)
