“For godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and does not lead to repentance; but worldly sorrow produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Being self-centered makes it harder for us to feel Godly sorrow, and so we find it harder to repent of our sins in any lasting way. By definition, godly sorrow is a repentance that expresses sorrow over the cost of our sins. God, And if our thoughts are mostly related to our thoughts own Gain and loss, then whatever we mourn will be worldly, not divine. To turn decisively from sin, we must focus on things higher than ourselves.
Divine sorrow is a stronger force than worldly sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul describes how it affected the church in Corinth: “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what sincerity, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what resentment, what anxiety, what longing, what anxiety, what readiness to see judgment done” (NIV). Grief powerful enough to cause these things is much more than a mood. It is a deep disturbance in recognizing what is truly wrong in sin, and this recognition continues to control one’s conduct long after the painful effects of sin have subsided (1 Corinthians 15:9,10).
The quality of someone’s character is determined by what bothers that person. As long as their own conditions are comfortable, most people are not bothered by anything. However, some people have a higher character than that. Although their own situations may still be comfortable, these people are troubled by the evil that exists “out there” in the world, and they make the world a better place by campaigning against social injustice, etc. But more than this, a higher character is found in those who are most troubled by the evil of their own sins. And what they are worried about is just the fact of sinning against God, whether or not that sin caused them any other pain! These people are selfless, God-centered people who, once they realize they have made a mistake, will mourn the wrongness of their sin, not just the pain of it. The world’s self-pitying sorrow leads to death, but Godly sorrow causes it. . . God himself!
“It is one thing to mourn over sin because it leads us to hell, and another thing to mourn over it because it is an eternal evil; it is one thing to mourn over it because it is hurtful to us, and another to mourn over it because it is wrong and offensive to God. It is one thing to be afraid; it is another thing to be humbled” (Gardiner Spring).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
