Worldly Grief

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. - 2 Cor. 7:10

DISAPPOINTED IN YOURSELF?

What is your immediate reaction after you have sinned? Do you beat yourself up? Tell yourself that you’re better than that? Are you disappointed in yourself? Are you distraught because you never thought you would do such a thing? Are you afraid because others may find out? 

The problem with all of these reactions is that they stem from worldly grief, rather than godly grief. Read over that list again, it describes a person who thinks very highly of their own ability to walk in holiness. One might even say that the attitudes above are what Paul is talking when he asks the Galatians, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh” (Gal. 3:3)?

DO YOU NEED GRACE?

We are a people saved solely by grace. We needed God to save us because we couldn’t save ourselves. If this was the beginning of our faith, why do we abandon this mindset as we continue in our faith. The truth is, we need Christ to save us every second of every day. We are in constant need of His grace and His sanctifying power provided by the Spirit. 

If we are honest with ourselves, we are really far worse than we could ever believe, not far better. When we sin, we get an insight into how much in need of a Savior we are rather than into how poor of a savior we ended up being. 

If worldly grief is the wrong way to respond to sin, how are we supposed to respond to sin? What is godly grief? Paul provides some insight when he examines the fruit of godly grief in the lives of the Corinthians: “For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter” (2 Cor. 7:11).

THE FRUIT OF GODLY GRIEF

Godly grief yields godly fruit. When we sin, we are not letting ourselves down, as worldly grief makes you think, we are disobeying a God whose love we cannot even comprehend. Godly grief should be marked by grieving, rather than disappointment! By our sin, we have hurt and turned away from the One who has loved us the most and done the most for us! 

Thus, godly grief leads to repentance. We are motivated, not by disappointment in ourselves, which can never lead to lasting repentance, but by love. When we dwell on the love of God Who has given all for us, our new hearts and our new nature desires to fall in line with His will, to agree with Him that our actions were wrong and to covenant with Him to change by His grace, by the power of His Holy Spirit Who is working within us! 

Godly grief is earnest, not wishy washy or emotionally unstable. It sees it’s goal and it’s prize and strives toward that. Godly grief longs for the heart of God, to walk in obedience to Him, to cherish Him and do what He has said is good, not to please Him, but because He is already pleased with us and loves us enough to tell us what is right and what is wrong.