Christian Living
‘ I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner … for godly sorrow produces repentance; … but the sorrow of the world produces death’
2 Corinthians 7:9-10
This week, I write on what I consider a simple but profound issue – godly vs. worldly sorrow and their impacts at producing the repentance that leads to salvation.
Our fear of God and commitment to live for Him often creates in us a sensitivity that triggers the ‘red light’ when faced with certain temptations. Sometimes however, the threat to salvation that comes from ‘self’ are overlooked. We are alert and violent in resisting satan and the very obvious temptations but are often less reactionary when the enemy is the one ‘within’. This week’s topic draws attention to one of those ‘self’ areas.
2 Timothy 3:16 showcases the manifold ministry of the Word of God. It teaches that all scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
As Christians, we are often more receptive of the Word that comes to exhort and encourage rather than the Word that corrects. And there is nothing wrong with that given the pressure we face daily. But we need to open up our hearts to the Word for reproof and for correction; for this is also good as it stirs us up to let go of the things that can hinder our relationship with God.
But the reproving and correcting ministry of the Word is sometimes hindered because we are often hostile and unreceptive to it. Most are often offended at it. We need to remember though that the Word of God is not sent to condemn but to save. Jesus affirmed this in John 3:17 when He declared that He (the Word) was not sent to condemn the world but to save it.
To reject a part of the ministry of the Word is to hinder the Word from producing God’s intended wholeness in our lives.
In Matthew 11:6, Jesus said ‘Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me’ (The Word). We deny ourselves of God’s restorative blessings for the repentant when we get offended at a Word which convicts us of the wrongness of our thoughts or actions.
Most of us resist correction or reproof; maybe because we hate being corrected or because it forces us to look inward, confront our flaws and admit that we are wrong about the way we handle things. This process can be painful and sad irrespective of whether we are receptive to or offended at the Word of reproof.
Of great importance though is why we are sorrowful. Is our sorrow a result of knowing that we have sinned against God or is it because we have been found out and hate being corrected? The former is described as godly because it stirs up within us a hunger to turn away from our ways to God’s ways. The latter is described as worldly because it does not lead to a turning away from sin.
Godly sorrow is usual with those who are receptive to the Word of reproof or correction. They are genuinely sad that their actions have displeased God or grieved the Holy Spirit and are eager to obey God.
Worldly sorrow on the other hand is usual with those who are offended at the Word of reproof. The man whose heart produces worldly sorrow is often unwilling to accept that he has done wrong; he takes no responsibility for wrongdoing but rather gives reasons or excuses for doing what he did. He is not conscious of how his sins grieve God or His Spirit. And because he justifies his actions, he often lacks the zeal to turn away from them. This kind is said to produce death as the lack of turning away further separates him from God.
Must I feel sorrow at offending men just like me? Is every sin I commit against men also against God? Yes to both questions for the simple reason that every sin we commit is against God – Psalm 2:4. When we accept this truth, we are more prone to making an effort to deal with sin in a manner that restores us to the will of God. The New Living Translation of 2 Corinthians 7:9 states:
‘For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin
and results in salvation…. But worldly sorrow which lacks repentance,
results in spiritual death’
Being sorrowful is not as important though as that we allow our sorrow to bring us to the place of repentance. What God requires of us is to respond to the Word of reproof with a broken (humbled) and a contrite (repentant) spirit. It is for our sorrow to provoke us to change to doing what is right in His sight.
In 1 Samuel 13, we see how Saul’s worldly sorrow led to non- repentance and ultimately to his separation from God (death). In the first of his disobedience, rather than humbly admit to his sins (as did David in 2 Samuel 12:13), he seeks to justify why he did what he did. And because his sorrow was not borne of a deep distress at offending God, it produced no repentance and it was not long afterwards that he found himself disobeying God again in a move that led to his rejection (I Samuel 15).
Compare this with that of Israel in Ezra 9 and 10. Here, the people had, while in captivity, taken wives from tribes God had commanded them not to marry from. And though marriage would seem like a seemingly cannot-turn-away-from situation, nevertheless, after that the people had mourned greatly for their sins, they chose to do God’s will and separated themselves from their pagan wives. That is godly sorrow. They were not offended at the Word of reproof/correction, they took no steps to justify why they did what they did; they simply acknowledged their sins, mourned for having sinned against God and showed their sorrow by turning away from that which was sin in God’s eyes.
When we are receptive to the Word for reproof and correction, the Holy Spirit (who convicts men – John 16:8) would, as we study the Word or listen to a sermon, often convict us of our sins and give us the opportunity to turn away from it in private, without the sometimes public humiliation or shame that comes when hidden sins are exposed.
I pray that God would give us all a heart to respond to the Word for reproof and correction in a manner that not only produces godly sorrow, but provokes us to repentance.
Shalom!
Chi Onwuchekwa
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 809 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Chi Onwuchekwa or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 809 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.