Godly Sorrow Study #2

Today is October 13, 2011 and for what it is worth, I am really bummed about not sleeping. It’s just not healthy.

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.

Earnestness means a serious intent, so if I was earnestly seeking ‘Godly Sorrow’, then you would be able to tell be how serious I was in trying to get Godly Sorrow. Here’s the thing, if I wanted to have Godly Sorrow in regards to something, I would have to have a serious intent, probably to the person I sinned against would make the most sense. If I took a casual or lazy attitude toward whomever I sinned against, that would make attaining Godly Sorrow extremely difficult.

In my restoration process, I lack the earnestness quality. I think having a serious state of mind is difficult, at least for my character and the health challenges that I face. I also think that if I commit myself, my state of mind to being earnest and serious, then I can be repentant and restored to God’s church.


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Godly Sorrow is:

1. Earnestness is having a serious intent toward something or someone. 
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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