“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (v.10)
Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience: 1) the sorrow of the world, a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary change of heart, but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness and; 2) Godly sorrow, which is accompanied by conviction of sin, through the work of the Holy Spirit. This stems from the realization of offending a holy God and leads to genuine repentance by piercing the heart (Acts 2:37).
Here in chapter 7, Paul references his former “letter” (v. 8), which many believe to be 1 Corinthians, an epistle where Paul pulled no punches on divisions, immorality—even turning the Lord’s Supper into a drunken feast. From our reading today we see that Paul did not relish his prophetic role. He genuinely cared about this church, and Paul makes clear that he did not rebuke them merely because he was angry or disappointed in them, Paul made them “sorry” in the hopes that it might produce godly repentance (vv.8-9)
God’s heart towards sin is that none should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 2:9). He seeks to move us beyond the worldly sorrow that leads us toward spiritual death. He desires to show mercy, for us to be reborn, and to have the hope of eternal life through His Son, Jesus. Therefore, repent and be saved.
The Truth: But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13)
Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience: 1) the sorrow of the world, a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught. This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary change of heart, but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness and; 2) Godly sorrow, which is accompanied by conviction of sin, through the work of the Holy Spirit. This stems from the realization of offending a holy God and leads to genuine repentance by piercing the heart (Acts 2:37).
Here in chapter 7, Paul references his former “letter” (v. 8), which many believe to be 1 Corinthians, an epistle where Paul pulled no punches on divisions, immorality—even turning the Lord’s Supper into a drunken feast. From our reading today we see that Paul did not relish his prophetic role. He genuinely cared about this church, and Paul makes clear that he did not rebuke them merely because he was angry or disappointed in them, Paul made them “sorry” in the hopes that it might produce godly repentance (vv.8-9)
God’s heart towards sin is that none should perish but all should come to repentance (2 Peter 2:9). He seeks to move us beyond the worldly sorrow that leads us toward spiritual death. He desires to show mercy, for us to be reborn, and to have the hope of eternal life through His Son, Jesus. Therefore, repent and be saved.
The Truth: But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13)
