“I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.”
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 NLT
Paul is known for introducing new ways to describe obvious things and systematizing them into easily digestible truths. Here he speaks of “Godly Sorrow.” Godly Sorrow is an interesting thing because of how counterintuitive it must appear to the world. The first instance we see of such a thing harkens back to Eden and the prophecies wherein Adam is told that he will have to toil for food. Ever since that moment, man has been seeking to find ways not to do so. Yet, what we find is that this type of labor is healthy for the human soul. Not only does it release our stress, but it creates a catharsis for us. There is something therapeutic about a hard days work. Likewise Godly Sorrow comes from the laboring to disicpline oneself against the standard of God. When we confess, in grief, the work to be done, potential for extreme moments of sanctification are imminent. We can either experience this sorrow as negative, like Cain, or positive, like David. David’s sorrow led to the establishment of an everlasting bond with God. Cain’s refusal to make his sorrow godly led to a bitterness that apexed in killing his brother. This choice is still true to this day. We can still choose, either Cain or David, and their consequences. We either make our confession and sorrow an instrument toward strengthening our covenant with God, or we turn it into a bitterness that breeds the worst sins.
JOSH McGARY. COM 