Godly Sorrow

What is godly sorrow?  It is facing up to the truth, it is hating the sin that we were involved in, plus hating the fact of what our sin is doing to the Lord!  Everyone who is a born-again believer needs to know that God loves us so much that He made a way for us to escape the chains of sin in our life and set us free.  He also has made a way that we can escape practicing sin and falling into it.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”   

Sin is so offensive to the Lord that He cannot tolerate it or even look at it.  Read what Jesus said just before He died in Mark 15:33-34, “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Because God is so pure and holy and can’t even look at sin, from my understanding, God turned His back on the sins that Jesus took upon Himself His only begotten Son who had no sin and not on His Son.  

Now think of this, every time we sin it separates us from the God who loves us.  If we truly love the Lord, we will not practice sin, and if we do sin, we will be quick to repent and ask Him to forgive us and eagerly desire to make things right with the Lord by true, godly sorrow which leads to repentance unto salvation which need not to be repented of which leads a person into fellowship with the Lord once again without any separation.

Read 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Worldly sorrow is quite different, it is trying to get away with something or just being sorry you got caught at it.  It is more about oneself and passing the buck, so to speak, or looking for a way out of the dilemma instead of facing up to it.  Godly sorrow leads to salvation and eternal life, but worldly sorrow leads to spiritual death, eternally separated from God!!  

Think of Adam and Eve, for instance, Eve was deceived and chose to sin, but Adam sinned by eating the fruit with his eyes wide open, in other words, Adam chose to rebel against God when he sinned.  But what was Adam’s response when God found him and spoke to him in the garden, read Genesis 3:10-12, “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Adam said the woman gave it to me (how could I not take it), my paraphrase.  I didn’t read anything about repentance whatsoever from either party and they died spiritually.  Worldly sorrow brings spiritual death.

Now take Peter’s example when He denied the Lord three times.  He went out and wept bitterly and he was forgiven and restored.  Godly sorrow brings forth forgiveness and restoration and relationship, praise the Lord!!  

What does it say in the Lord’s Word in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  Godly sorrow God hears and forgives and restores and heals!!

Now think about Judas, he had worldly sorrow and went out and hung himself.  Another case of worldly sorrow that brought forth spiritual death.

Let me give you one more example: King David, when Nathan the prophet confronted him over his sin with Bathsheba in Psalms 51:1-19, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.”  

This was true godly sorrow which ended up in true repentance that brought forth forgiveness and restoration and life, praise the Lord!!

I have seen people go to the altar when there was no meaningful explanation of repentance or godly sorrow.  People may have no clue of their condition before the Lord or any idea of what repentance means.  Then they are told to repeat this prayer after me, or the pastor prays for them.  Where are the fire and brimstone preachers that were not afraid to confront sinners with their sins for fear that might offend them?  Hog- wash some people will be offended no matter what you tell them because the gospel is an offence to those that are lost but it is a means of salvation to those that are being saved.  So preach the cross, the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the death and resurrection and what Jesus Christ accomplished for mankind.  

Read 1 Corinthians 1:17-19, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”    

Enough said, I think you all got the point and I hope this message was a blessing and a help to all that read it.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a blessed day!!  And don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!