What does godly sorrow produce in a person's life?
Godly sorrow produces repentance—a change of mind—that leads to salvation and is never regretted. It also works carefulness, clearing of oneself, indignation, fear, strong desire, zeal, and a readiness to see the matter corrected. By contrast, the sorrow of the world, without saving grace, produces death.
Les explains that 2 Corinthians 7:10 says godly sorrow, or a godly regret over something wrong, works repentance—a change of mind—to salvation not to be ever sorry for. He notes no true believer ever says he is sorry he became a Christian. The context deals with an individual sin situation that had to be corrected; this was a salvation of the time or situation, not the eternal saving of the soul. The sorrow of the world works death if no saving grace is involved. Those who sorrowed after a godly sort looked at the situation as God would, realized its sinfulness, and dealt with it. This wrought carefulness, clearing of themselves, indignation, fear, desire, zeal, and revenge, and they approved themselves clear in the matter.
For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
More Questions
What does it mean that they sorrowed after a godly sort in 2 Corinthians 7:11?
To sorrow 'after a godly sort' means they looked at the whole situation as God would look at it and realized the sinfulness of it, and that it had to be dealt with.