Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation and life; worldly sorrow works death.
Les Feldick does not explicitly quote 2 Corinthians 7:10 in these clips, but he teaches the difference in practical terms. Believers can mourn with hope and joy because they trust in Christ, while the world mourns without hope and is carnally minded, which ultimately leads to death. This aligns with Paul's contrast between the sorrow that produces repentance and the sorrow that produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:10 — This verse directly answers the question by contrasting the outcome of godly sorrow (repentance to salvation) and worldly sorrow (death).
Romans 8:6 — Les's teachings on carnally minded death versus spiritually minded life and peace echo this foundational contrast.
The Bible draws a sharp line between two kinds of sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul writes: "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." The sorrow that comes from God produces a repentance that results in salvation, and it is not something to be regretted. The sorrow of the world, by contrast, produces only death—spiritual death and eternal separation from God. The same contrast appears in Romans 8:6: "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." A mind set on the flesh and its material pursuits leads to death, while a mind set on the Spirit leads to life and peace. In 1 Corinthians 5:2, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church because, rather than mourning over the gross sin in their midst, they were "puffed up." True godly sorrow would have moved them to mourn.
Les does not directly teach on the phrase "godly sorrow" in these clips, but the distinction clearly emerges from his teaching. He explains that believers are free to mourn the loss of loved ones, but they do not mourn like those who have no hope—the world wails because it will never see the departed again, while believers know they will be reunited through Christ. This is the practical shape of godly sorrow: mourning tempered by the hope of resurrection. Les also identifies joy as a spiritual attribute, separate from the happiness that depends on material circumstances. A believer can have deep, inner joy even in sorrowful situations. He further points out that a genuinely saved person who falls into sin will be miserable deep down, because the Lord deals with him—this inner unrest is the working of godly sorrow calling him back. At the same time, Les warns that a carnally minded person, consumed with material priorities and blind to spiritual truth, is headed for spiritual death, while a spiritually minded person has life and peace.
Yes. Les explicitly says that believers can lose a loved one, suffer loss, and mourn, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. He even criticizes believers who try to put on a bold front and pretend they don't need to cry. However, the believer's mourning is different from the world's: Paul says believers do not have to mourn like uncivilized people who weep and wail for days because they know they will never see that person again. Believers mourn with hope, knowing they will see their loved ones again in Christ.
Les explains that happiness is the result of our material surroundings, while joy is a spiritual attribute. The world is bent on being happy, but very few talk about joy. Paul hardly uses the word "happy" because it depends on circumstances; instead he says "rejoice, and again I say rejoice." A believer has eternal life and the joy that is unspeakable, regardless of whether he or she is happy in worldly terms.
No. Les teaches that if a person has been genuinely saved, even if he goes into sin, way down deep he is miserable. He cannot be happy because he knows he is doing wrong, and the Lord is dealing with him. This inner misery is part of the godly sorrow that brings a believer back to fellowship. Les also notes that if fellow believers begin to shun him, that misery deepens, which is God's way of calling him home.
Les says the world today is totally unconcerned about spiritual things. People are focused on salary, homes, cars, boats, and other material goods. These things are not wrong in their rightful place, but when they become first priority and blind people to spiritual truths, they will be sorry someday. To be carnally minded is spiritual death and eternal doom without end; to be spiritually minded is life and peace—eternal life.
Mourning Over Sin
Les uses the Corinthians' failure to mourn over gross immorality as an example of the absence of godly sorrow; they were puffed up instead of sorrowful.
Joy as a Spiritual Attribute
Les teaches that joy, unlike happiness, is a spiritual attribute rooted in eternal life, which is why believers can experience joy regardless of earthly circumstances.
Mourning With Hope
Les contrasts the world's hopeless grief with a believer's hope-filled mourning; believers can weep at death but know they will see their loved ones again in Christ.
Hope Makes Believers Not Miserable
Les responds to the world's "eat, drink, and be merry" philosophy by showing that believers are not miserable because we have the hope of resurrection.
The Sinning Believer's Misery
Les teaches that a genuinely saved person who falls into sin cannot be happy; deep down he is miserable because the Lord is dealing with him, which reflects the working of godly sorrow.
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God doesn't expect the unsaved world to drop that lifestyle, but He expects His own to shun it. So come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, in other words again her lifestyle, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Oh listen, God is patient tonight, and I've said it on this program before.
Carnal vs Spiritual Mindedness
Les explains that making material priorities first and being blinded to spiritual truth is carnal-mindedness, which leads to death, while spiritual-mindedness leads to life and peace.
2 Corinthians 7:10: For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
This is the core verse directly contrasting godly sorrow with worldly sorrow and their outcomes.
Romans 8:6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Shows the same contrast between carnally minded death and spiritually minded life and peace, which Les teaches.
1 Corinthians 5:2: And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for being puffed up instead of mourning over gross sin, showing what a lack of godly sorrow looks like.
Romans 5:11: And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Les uses this to show that believers have joy in God regardless of happiness in earthly circumstances.
No. Les says it is actually wrong to put on a bold front and pretend you don't need to mourn. Believers will mourn loss, but they do not mourn like the world, which has no hope of ever seeing the departed again.
No. Les teaches the opposite: a saved person living in sin is miserable deep down because the Lord is dealing with him, but a believer who walks in spiritual-mindedness has life and peace, with a joy that is a spiritual attribute independent of circumstances.
Scripture says the sorrow of the world works death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Les associates the world's mindset with being carnally minded, which he says leads to spiritual death and eternal doom, while spiritual-mindedness produces life and peace (Romans 8:6).
Watch the Teaching: Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow — 2 Corinthians 7:10 Explained