2 Corinthians 7:8-11 - Godly Sorrow
- Chad Werkhoven
- Mar 19
- 5 min read
Guilt is a gift from God - but don't wallow in it!
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 (NIV)
CONTEXT: Paul begins today's passage by referring to earlier letters he had written to the Corinthian church in which he called out their sins and for them to repent.
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 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. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Articles 1-11
Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People
Romans 5:12-14 - Mis-Markmanship
Deuteronomy 28:15-20 - Not A Tame Lion
Luke 15:11-16 - Prodigious Deprivation
Psalm 143 - Aggressive Prayer Pattern
Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love
Zephaniah 3:14-17 - The Mighty Warrior Who Saves
Lamentations 3:19-23 - Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel
1 Timothy 2:1-7 - God Our Savior
Rom 10:14-17 - The Power of Preaching
1 Cor 1.23-24 - God's Foolishness
Psalm 93 - Mightier Than Chaos
Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel
John 6:37-40 - Tensegral Theology
John 12:42-50 - Buffet Theology
Article 5: The Sources of Unbelief and of Faith
James 1:13-18 - The Devil (didn't) Make You Do It
Ecclesiastes 7:25-29 - Many Schemes
Ephesians 2:8 - The Gift of God
Psalm 95 - The LORD is OUR God
Article 6: God’s Eternal Decree
Ezekiel 36:24-27 - A Whole New Reality
Romans 9:15-21 - God's Mercy, Not Your Effort
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - Love The Truth
Article 7: Election
Ephesians 1:3-6 - Before the Foundation
Deuteronomy 7:1-10 - Set Apart
John 17:1-5 - Sovereign Submission
Psalm 115 - God Does What He Pleases
Article 8: A Single Decree of Election
Romans 4:1-8 - One and the Same
Romans 4:9-17 - Chicken or Egg?
Romans 4:18-25 - Faithfully Face the Facts
Hebrews 11:39-40 - Promises Kept
Psalm 33 - God's Control, Authority & Presence
Article 9: Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith
2 Timothy 1:7-10 - Passive & Powered
Deuteronomy 9:4-6 - You're Not That Awesome
Psalm 91 - The Shelter of the Most High
Article 10: Election Based on God’s Good Pleasure
Luke 2:13-14 - Christmas in March
Galatians 4:1-7 - From Slave to Son
1 Peter 2:9-10 - You're The Best Thing God Has!
Article 11: God’s election is unalterable.
Malachi 3:6-7 - Keep It Simple
Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchanging Anchor
Hebrews 13:1-8 - Keep On Loving
Hebrews 6:13-20 - Unchangeable Blessing
Psalm 110 - Victory in Jesus
Article 12: The Assurance of Election
Assurance of their eternal and unchangeable election to salvation is given to the chosen in due time,
though by various stages
and in differing measure.
Such assurance comes
not by inquisitive searching into the hidden and deep things of God,
but by noticing within themselves,
with spiritual joy and holy delight,
the unmistakable fruits of election pointed out in God’s Word—
such as
a true faith in Christ,
a childlike fear of God,
a godly sorrow for their sins,
a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on.
Summary
It can be hard to call out sin, especially for us who live here in the Upper Midwest. We'd certainly never condone sins in other people, and we're far too quick to gossip about other people's sins behind their back, but we'd rather sunbathe in a blizzard than confront a Christian brother or sister directly when they're in the thick of sin. It's none of our business, or so we tell ourselves. To do so might cause them sorrow, and that's about the last thing we ever want to cause!
It's interesting to read here that we're not alone in this apprehension. Even Paul writes that after he sent them a strongly worded letter, he regretted it, since it quickly became obvious to him that his letter hurt them. Yet whatever regret he felt, he quickly got over. In fact, as he pens this current letter, he writes that I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.
What Paul learned, and now conveys to us, is that there are two different types of sorrow. The first and most common type is worldly sorrow. Everybody - people from every tongue, tribe and nation, both Christians and pagans, - experiences worldly sorrow after doing things they know to be wrong. We more commonly call this type of sorrow guilt. Not only does this worldly sorrow make people miserable here and now, but it ultimately brings death.
But the other type of sorrow, Godly sorrow, is quite different, though at first glance it might not look very different at all. Its initial symptoms of guilt, grief and distress look and feel very much the same. But godly sorrow comes with an exit ramp that allows you to escape it: repentance, a word which literally means to change your thinking.
Dig Deeper
Paul explains exactly what repentance - this new way of thinking - looks like in v11. Godly sorrow produces earnestness, an eagerness to clear yourself. It causes indignation, alarm, and a longing concern regarding your sin. It brings about a readiness to see justice done in order to make things right. Ultimately, this repentant change of thinking and behavior leads to salvation as you come to rely more and more on Jesus Christ.
The Canons today remind you that although all people generally feel guilty after doing wrong (except for a very small percentage of people with pathological psychiatric problems), the godly sorrow for your sins that you experience is above and beyond what others feel, and is actually one of the fruits of election! This means that as you feel bad, not just for hurting yourself and others in your sin, but even more so for sinning against God, you are being assured that He chose you to belong to Him as God uses this sorrow to bring you to repentance.
Sadly, many today, both in the world and even in the Church, would rather normalize sin than cause sorrow in sinners. Doing so not only degrades all of society as more injurious behavior becomes acceptable, but even worse it keeps sinners from experiencing godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Be grateful for this godly sorrow in your own life, and seek to wisely and appropriately allow others to experience it and so be led to salvation.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who intends to make us sorrowful when we sin against Him;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the sorrow that He's brought about in your life that leads you to repentance and salvation;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Hebrews 12
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