Only Godly Sorrow Leads to Repentance 2 Corinthians 7:8-16
I’ve got two questions that have been on my mind all week as I have spent time taking a look at 2 Corinthians 7 again this week. Here they are: “Why is it so difficult to admit that we are wrong?” Have you noticed this tendency in yourself? The second question is: “Why is it that when others admit they are wrong, they confess they have made a mistake, that we are inclined to mouth the words “I forgive you,” but what we are really doing is dismissing them and not allowing the Lord to truly restore the broken relationship?” We will talk more about these questions as we make our way through the last nine verses of 2 Corinthians 7 this morning, but first, let’s read our Scripture, beginning in verse 8, and then we will see what we can learn.
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. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you. (2 Corinthians 7:8-16 NIV)
We need to go back and set the context of these verses for us to understand what is taking place in the relationship between the Apostle Paul and the people of Corinth. If you will remember, Paul had planted the church in Corinth. He spent 18 months with the people there in his initial visit, but when he left to travel to Ephesus some people in the church, as well as false teachers who had infiltrated the church, began to turn against Paul and spread the word that Paul didn’t amount to much when compared to the powerful philosophers and teachers in Corinth. They questioned Paul’s integrity and his authority as their “father in the faith.” Paul received news from Timothy, who had visited Corinth, that things weren’t going well and that Paul really needed to head to Corinth as soon as he could. When Paul visited Corinth he found things worse than Timothy’s report. While Paul was in Corinth a member of the church had publicly humiliated him in front of the whole church, the church he started and served so faithfully, and nobody spoke up, no one defended him, and Paul left the city demoralized and dejected. When Paul got back to Ephesus he sat down and wrote a letter to the church. We don’t have the letter in our Bible, God has not preserved that letter for us, but Paul speaks about it in 2 Corinthians 2. Bible teachers have called it the “painful letter,” the “tearful letter,” or the “severe letter.” Paul described it this way, in 2 Corinthians 2:4,
4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. (2 Corinthians 2:4 NIV)
It was a bold letter. Paul didn’t want to be confrontational, but he saw where the church was heading and it required him to speak plainly and truthfully to the church. How would they receive it? Would the letter harden them so that they would never want to see or speak to Paul again? Paul couldn’t bear the thought, but he knew he had to write the letter to try and wake them up, to turn them around. What happened? When Titus arrived in Corinth with the letter from Paul, the tearful letter from Paul, how did the people respond? Would they recognize the error of their ways or would they dig in and double down? That was the question of the day for Paul and it is still a huge question for you and me today. Will we recognize the error of our ways, the sin that separates us from God and from one another, and respond with godly sorrow or will we dig in and spend an exorbitant amount of time formulating our arguments and justifying our actions? What is it about us that makes it so difficult for us to admit we’ve messed up, to own, truly own what we have done? Do you know what I mean? There’s much discussion today about the ills of social media and its effect on kids as well as adults, but we can’t blame our reluctance to admit we are wrong on social media. T.S. Eliot is best remembered for his poetry. He is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s most read poets. Eliot was also a playwright and his greatest success in the theater was “The Cocktail Party.” In the play, one of Eliot’s characters, Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly, who was a psychiatrist, was determined to help an estranged couple repair their marriage. He said, “Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important…they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.” T.S. Eliot was no Bible teacher, but I believe he had his finger on the pulse of the human predicament. We do everything in our power to convince ourselves that we are better than we truly are and one of the ways we support this belief is to never admit that we are wrong. Even if we know deep in our hearts that we are not right, we fight like crazy to justify our actions or minimize our misstep. And that is what makes our Scripture this morning so powerful, so beautiful. Paul wrote a tough, tough letter to his friends in Corinth. He had no idea how they would receive what he had to say, but God used Paul’s letter to produce a godly sorrow in the hearts and minds of the people in Corinth. Look at verses 10-11 with me. Paul writes,
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. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11 NIV)
Those who had closed their hearts to Paul, as he writes about in 2 Corinthians 6:13, were now opening their hearts as they had Paul’s letter read to them. They were willing to listen to what Paul had written with an open mind and an open heart and that is a lesson of incredible importance for you and me. When God convicts us of some sin in our life or when someone who loves us points out something that doesn’t reflect the character of Jesus, that experience places us at a crossroads. Will we listen with an open mind and heart or will we dig in and begin to form our argument, justify our actions, and dismiss them because they don’t know what they are talking about?Because the people of Corinth were willing to hear what Paul had written they gave the Holy Spirit room to do His work in their lives and the result was nothing short of amazing! Paul writes in verse 11,
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. (2 Corinthians 7:11 NIV)
In verse 10, Paul said, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…” Godly sorrow leads to repentance and if you and I are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to convict us, and then own our sin, we will never regret taking that step. There is a powerful contrast that Paul mentions in these verses that I want us to focus on for the next few minutes. What is the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow? Scott Hafeman writes,
People feel guilty for all kinds of reasons. The reason the Corinthians’s remorse led to repentance was because they had ‘become sorrow as God intended’ – that is, experiencing the kind of genuine remorse that leads to a real change in one’s way of life. Being sorrowful as God intended is feeling the deep grief that comes from knowing that our attitudes and actions have harmed our relationship with God. ‘Godly sorrow’ feels bad because it is missing out on God. (Hafeman, Scott. 2 Corinthians. pg. 312)
In Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible, The Message Bible, he translates the phrase for “godly sorrow” as “distress that drives us to God.” What had happened between Paul and the Corinthians that eventually led to their experiencing distress that drove them to God? Plain and simple it was sin. It was not a misunderstanding, a lack of communication, a momentary lapse of sanity, or their inability to simply agree to disagree on some matter–it was sin. The people of Corinth who were causing the problems had sinned, but their sin was not ultimately against Paul, it was against God. That is Scott Hafeman’s point in saying, “our attitudes and actions have harmed our relationship against God.”As I was studying these verses this past week I was reminded of an old, old book written by Dr. Karl Menninger. Dr. Menninger was the founder of The Menninger Clinic and has been called the greatest American psychiatrist. In 1990, Life Magazine published an article naming the 100 most significant individuals of the 20th century and Dr. Menninger was on the list. In 1973, Dr. Menninger wrote a book titled, “Whatever Became of Sin?” In the book he writes,
The very word ‘sin,’ which seems to have disappeared, was a proud word. It was once a strong word, an ominous and serious word. It described a central point in every civilized human being’s life plan and lifestyle. But the word went away. It has almost disappeared—the word, along with the notion. Why? Doesn’t anyone sin anymore? Doesn’t anyone believe in sin?” (Menninger, Karl. Whatever Became of Sin? pg. 14)
Dr. Menninger believed that there was a growing effort in the academic community and popular culture to remove the word sin from the vocabulary of our society. Now, that was fifty years ago. We’ve made great progress in removing all remnants of the word sin…and how has that worked out for us? Dr. Menninger was concerned that society was divesting itself of an understanding of sin, of taking personal responsibility for the behaviors that harm ourselves and others, but what about the Church? Surely, the Church, the followers of Jesus, could never lose our grip on the importance of understanding how our sin grieves the heart of God and damages our relationships. A few years ago Dr. Cornelius Plantinga was speaking at a Faith Angle Forum about a study he had conducted about the American Church and its fading out of any references to sin. An interesting segment of his study had to do with the changing emphasis in American worship. He writes,
Of course, what strikes me about evangelical worship, emptied of sorrow over sin, is that it brackets and sets aside a big biblical emphasis on sin and grace, a creedal emphasis on the forgiveness of sins, and the historical profile of evangelical and reformed churches in America. They used to be champions of the holiness of God, of contrition for sins against God’s holiness, and, therefore, of grace that justifies sinners. A whole lot of that has dissipated. (Plantinga, Cornelius. Faith Angle Forum. 2014)
You and I must regain our understanding that our sin is first and foremost sin against God. Most people would emphasize how important it is to regain an understanding of how our sin hurts our relationships with others, but I am convinced that our greatest need is to regain an understanding of our sin being against God. King David is a prime example of what I am talking about. Some of you may know David’s story. He was King of Israel and he committed some atrocious sins. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and when he found out she was pregnant he then plotted a plan to cover up his sin. David’s army was at war and Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, was on the battlefield. David’s initial plan was to have Uriah come off the battlefield and take a couple days of “R&R” back home with his wife. That way everyone in Jerusalem could celebrate Uriah and Bathsheba’s announcement of a new baby being on the way. Uriah told David he couldn’t enjoy some alone time with his wife while his men were fighting in the trenches. So David went to plan B. He would have Uriah put on the frontlines and when the battle got hot, David told Joab to have the men pull back so Uriah would be killed. When the announcement was made that Uriah had been killed, Bathsheba and everyone in Jerusalem grieved the loss. David took the poor widow into his home to care for her…Wasn’t that nice of him? He had fooled everyone, or so he thought. God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David with his sin. Nathan told David a story about a rich man who stole a poor man’s only ewe lamb and asked David what should be done to the rich man who had committed such a crime? David was indignant and said, “That man must die!” Nathan said, “You are the man!” Then it all became crystal clear to David. We can read David’s response in 2 Samuel 12:13,
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. (2 Samuel 12:13 NIV)
Wait a minute. David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah didn’t he? Absolutely he did, but first and foremost his sin was against God. It was God who had created David in His own image. It was God who chose David to be king of Israel, who had given him responsibility to shepherd the people, and to be a blessing and not a curse. David had sinned against God. After Nathan confronted David with what he had done, David sat down and wrote Psalm 51. Let’s read verses 2-5 together.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:2-5 NIV)
As it was for David, so it is for you and me. God has created us in His image. He has claimed us as His very own. He has forgiven us, cleansed us, and called us to be His ambassadors. What has He not done for you and me? That we could then bring shame to His name by treating others differently than He has treated us is sin against the One who has loved us with an everlasting love. Godly sorrow which leads to repentance is so different from the worldly sorrow that Paul writes about in our Scripture for today. Godly sorrow is a deep, deep sorrow that is experienced because we have grieved the One who made us and loves us. Worldly sorrow is a sorrow experienced because we have convinced ourselves that we have suffered in some way. John Piper writes,
Worldly regret is when you feel sorry for something you did because it starts to backfire on you and leads to humiliation or punishment. It’s the reflex of a proud or fearful ego. Pride will always regret making a fool of itself. And fear will always regret acts that jeopardize comfort and safety. So feeling sorry for something we have done is in itself no sign of virtue. But godly regret is the reflex of a conscience that has wounded God’s ego, not its own. Godly regret grieves that God’s name has come into disrepute. The focus of godly regret is God. (John Piper)
When the Holy Spirit convicted the people of Corinth of what they had done, as they listened to Paul’s letter, their hearts were pierced, they became sorrowful, and they repented, they changed their hearts concerning Paul. The fruit of their godly sorrow and their repentance was evident to Paul. Look at what he writes in verse 11.
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. (2 Corinthians 7:11 NIV)
Oh my friend, there is something much more powerful than being right, than digging in and defending our position, and doing everything in our power to make sure we protect our reputation. The relationship between Paul and the people of Corinth was changed by the power of godly sorrow and love. Think about what had happened…
They had loathed Paul, but now they longed to see him.
They had rejected Paul’s authority, but now they were embracing him.
They had joined in with the false teachers, but now they were rejecting them.
They had denied their sin and pointed fingers of accusation at Paul, but now they were weeping over their sin and expressing their love for Paul.
In Acts 3, Peter told the crowd, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” (Acts 3:19 NIV) Is there refreshment from the Lord waiting for us on the other side of repentance and godly sorrow? You better believe there is! And yet, there is that voice within us that screams at us, “Don’t do it! Stand your ground! You are right! They are no more innocent than you! You wouldn’t have done what you did if they wouldn't have said that! You were right to say what you said! You were right to respond in the way you did!” I’m here this morning to tell you don’t believe it. That voice will lead you to destruction whereas repentance and godly sorrow will allow you to experience refreshment from the Lord. Let me close by sharing an illustration with you. In Greek mythology there was a dangerous island inhabited by three Sirens who were half bird and half human. The Sirens sang songs that passing sailors could not resist. When the passing sailors would hear the songs of the Sirens they would drive boats onto the rocky shore and drown. The Sirens, like the temptation to refuse to admit we are wrong, to confess our sins, lured the passing ships to their death and destruction with their hypnotic songs. There was a captain, Odysseus, who knew the danger and found a way to escape the lure of the Sirens. He filled the ears of his sailors with wax so they couldn’t hear the Siren’s songs and then he had himself tied to the mast and instructed his men that under no circumstances were they to untie him, no matter how much he ordered them to do so. It worked that time, but who's to say what would happen the next time? There was a second captain who escaped the lure of the Siren’s songs and lived. His name was Jason of Jason and the Argonauts. Jason had heard about the irresistible, captivating songs of the Sirens, but he also knew about Orpheus, the legendary Greek superhero who played the lute unlike anyone who had ever lived. The story was told that when Orpheus played his lute all of those who listened could hear nothing else. Jason took Orpheus along with him on his journey past the Siren’s island. As soon as Jason’s ship came near the island of the Sirens, the crew assembled on deck in the shadow of the mast and Orpheus began to play the most beautiful, enchanting melodies on his lute. The Siren played their songs, but all aboard Jason’s ship were so captivated by Orpheus’ lute that they could hear nothing else. Jason and the Argonauts had discovered melodies far more beautiful than the songs of the Sirens. Oh my friend, the Sirens are singing their song all across our land today. It’s a song being heard and sung by the masses. It is the song of defiance, the song of self-justification, the song of standing your ground. You can sing along and people will applaud you, they’ll approve of your strength and resolve, but let me assure you…you’re going to end up empty and on the rocks. There is a much sweeter song and it’s the song of the Savior who calls us to humble ourselves instead of defending ourselves. The song of the Savior calls us to see how we have grieved the One who has loved us with an everlasting love and to be broken with godly sorrow. The song of the Savior is the path to repentance, deliverance, and reconciliation. It is the song of the Savior that sings that sweet melody of forgiveness for sinners who sin again and again. What you and I need is godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Won’t you allow Him to search your heart and reveal your sin to such a degree that godly sorrow drives you into His arms of grace this very morning?Mike HaysBritton Christian Church922 NW 91stOKC, OK. 73114May 28, 2023