Godly Sorrow Study #1

2 Corinthians 7:8-13a

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—  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. 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. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 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. By all this we are encouraged.

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Godly sorrow brings repentance. Godly sorrow is not repentance.

Godly Sorrow is:

1. Earnestness
2. Eagerness
3. Indignation is a strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; a righteous anger. Now, I thing of a righteous anger, well, really just any kind of anger, and knowing that this passage means I have to be angry, enraged at my sin. I would have to think that Godly Sorrow has to have some form of anger toward the sin, especially since the sin itself consists some sort of attraction to it or even a form of love towards the sin. To actually repent, the love has to change to anger (indignation) for it to work and stick.
4. Alarm
5. Longing
6. Concern
7. Readiness

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More to come tomorrow.