Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow
2 Corinthians 7:10-11 “ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done…”
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, wishing that suffering would end and the unkindness, injustice, and cruelty of this world would be brought to justice? Is your heart ever heavy over the damage sin causes? Friends, that is mourning over sin and it’s Godly. If those things don’t bother us, then that’s cause to question our hearts and our alignment with God’s principles. But when they DO bother us, it’s not a guilt over our own sin, but a sorrow in our hearts over just how lost this world is... they don’t know Jesus. We need to encourage our sons and daughters with these words. There is the danger that the grief of this world could steal our joy and dominate our thoughts. Take every thought captive.
Perhaps the greater question is, what does that sorrow motivate us to do? Do we spend time arguing our principles with others, trying to solve things here and now with politics and other divisive arguments? Maybe we struggle with a compulsion to make it clear to others that we are right and they are wrong (yeah, that always works well….) 2 Tim 2:23 “Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” Friends, that’s a worldly attempt to solve a spiritual dilemma.
We need to take a step back to see the bigger spiritual picture and understand this is all headed in the direction God ordained… at some point, things here will all unravel. Sin is a terminal condition. It leads to death...and everyone is afflicted. We cannot infuse enough ‘good’ into this world to reverse what God ordains as the end result. That’s not to say we abdicate any responsibility to effect change, but it is a checkpoint to ask ourselves, what kind of change are we trying to bring...and how?
We can and must share the hope we have in Christ. I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” We have to remember, this world is not our home, we are not destined to live here for eternity.
Maybe we should ask, “do we even have godly sorrow?” If we can’t answer that with confidence, it’s time to take inventory in our lives and check our hearts and our priorities. If we’re truly possessing godly sorrow, it will manifest itself in an eagerness to purify ourselves- to ensure we are blameless in how we live. If we have godly sorrow, we will be indignant…not pleased with ourselves and how well we argue our points, but frustrated at the lack of reverence and obedience to the Lord and we’ll be moved to share how He can redeem. We’ll be alarmed, having a true fear for the eternal condition of those who don’t know the Lord. We’ll be motivated with a deep longing to see others come to Christ. We’ll act with a zeal and fervor that indicates our lives are committed to something more than what this world can offer and we’ll have a burning desire to see God work justice against those who have done evil against others and scorned God and His Lordship. Do we long for God’s justice or are we hesitant?
Friends, we need to pray for our sons and daughters. They’re living in a world that pressures them to compromise their values and that would steal their joy and passion for Christ. Let’s pray that they would have a true, godly sorrow that would bring repentance in earnest. Pray that they would be eager to live in such a way as to strongly defend their beliefs. Pray that they would be indignant, alarmed at what they see this world doing and would have a longing and concern to see God’s justice done. Pray that they stand strong in their faith and would defend the gospel effectively.
Pray without ceasing.