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. (2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

All men and women are sinners – they are born this way. The Bible tells us that, although they are too foolish to perceive the full truth about it, and although they are too dishonest to admit it, in their hearts they realize that there is a righteous and powerful God whom they have offended by their transgressions, and who would punish them for their sins, for being who they are and doing what they do.

The Christian faith declares that people must trust Jesus Christ to save them or face the wrath of God themselves. Sinners, being evil, refuse to depend on the mercy of God, and so they look for alternate ways to assure themselves, and to alleviate the dread that holds them in bondage day by day. Thus they tell themselves that they are good and wonderful. They attempt to convince themselves that they do not need to change, and to change so much that they become new creatures. The issue, they say, is not about sin and conversion, but about acceptance.

Against this delusion, the Christian faith proclaims the truth about mankind. It teaches that all men and women are sinful; they are repugnant and unacceptable in every way. But change and salvation can come only by the power of God through Jesus Christ. The non-Christian doctrine of self-acceptance without repentance is spiritual loser-talk. Instead of overcoming wickedness by faith in Christ, unbelievers simply pretend that they have already won. And instead of attaining self-mastery, or the fruit of the Spirit, they practice self-acceptance, or surrender. But even if they manage to convince themselves, God remains unconvinced.

When God converts a person, he directly works in his soul and alters his basic disposition from one that favors wickedness to one that favors righteousness, and one that hates God to one that loves him. Even so, a Christian is still imperfect in this life and continues to sin. Yet the basis of his confidence is never self-acceptance as such, but the knowledge that he is accepted by God because of Jesus Christ. Guilt – whether the objective obligation or the subjective feeling – is purged not because sin is ignored, but because it has been resolved. The proper way to deal with guilt is not to smother it and move on, but to repent and receive forgiveness for our sins.

The Corinthians were in the wrong, and so Paul previously wrote a letter to them that caused them hurt and sorrow (v. 8-9). This was possibly not what we call First Corinthians, but another letter that was more severe. The apostle’s main intent was not to cause them sorrow, but it was a means to an end, and since the desired purpose was achieved, he did not regret writing it. Now as he admires the result that the letter effected, he distinguishes between two kinds of sorrows – godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. He says that the former brings repentance that leads to salvation, but the latter does not bring repentance and leads to death.

A biblical ministry of the word, therefore, should sometimes inflict emotional injury on the audience. Whether we are talking to unbelievers or believers who are in disobedience, our conversation and preaching ought to make transgressors unhappy. We ought to upset sinners. Whenever it is needed, and when speaking to non-Christians it is always needed, we should cut deep. Do not hesitate. Just do it. It is the right thing to do, and it might save their lives.

Again, there are two kinds of hurt, and two ways to react. It is somewhat cliché to say that worldly sorrow refers to being sorry for getting caught in sin. This is certainly included, since worldly sorrow would embrace any sorrow over sin that does not lead to Christian repentance; however, the idea is broader and more complex than this, because there are other ways of sorrowing over sin without repentance. Worldly sorrow can denote a genuine indignation over sin, but the standard by which the sin is measured is never God’s holiness and majesty, and his rights over all creation, but the reference point is always something else.

A non-Christian might be a perfectionist, and so feels a measure of dissatisfaction when he cannot live up to his own idea of perfection. This sorrow has nothing to do with reverence toward God. Or, some people are competitive. They feel frustrated when they fall behind in courage, generosity, and self-control, but they have no sense of accountability toward God and no respect for his commandments. There are many other possibilities, and it is unnecessary to list all of them, because as long as it is not a sorrow that arises from a God-centered perspective, it is a worldly sorrow and a sinful sorrow, and one that leads to death.

There are many ways that a person experiencing worldly sorrow may react. Perhaps he will attempt to vindicate himself by denial or by argument. He may adopt a hostile posture toward his accuser. He may try to right the wrong by self-effort, by making compensations and by improving himself according to the standards of this world. Or, if someone either by speech or example has exposed his shortcoming, he might lash out against him. Cain was displeased that his offering proved deficient, and inferior to that of his brother Abel. God told him to do better, but instead he murdered his own sibling. Worldly sorrow can lead to murder. In the case of Judas, it ended in suicide. Again, it is unnecessary to consider all the ways that worldly sorrow might express itself, because anything other than Christian repentance comes under it, and leads to death.

Godly sorrow can come about only when one sees from God’s perspective as revealed in Scripture. When he realizes that his beliefs, thoughts, desires, motives, and actions have transgressed or fallen short of God’s standard, the result is an intelligent recognition of the wrong. Godly sorrow can exist only when the person looks at himself relative to God’s teachings and commandments, and when there is a sense of accountability to God and a sincere desire to please him. For this reason, it occurs only in someone who has been converted or who is being converted. Both Christians and non-Christians can feel sorrow when rebuked for their sins, but in Christians there is an entirely different perception, and also a different response.

Christians are also eager to vindicate themselves and to right the wrong, but for them this takes on a different meaning. Paul says that godly sorrow produces earnestness, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, and also punishment. Suppose a church has been harboring a troublemaker or immoral man in its midst. What happens when it is confronted, and the rebuke produces godly sorrow? The Christians would become alarmed about the situation. They understand that they have been wrong to put up with it, and now they are eager to clear themselves. Thus righteous indignation arises, and the congregation punishes the wrongdoer by some form of church discipline or even by excommunication. By this they would show themselves willing to repent of their spiritual laxity and stand up for what is right. Where there is no godly sorrow, righteousness is supplanted by tolerance. As Paul writes later in the letter, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (11:4). Evidently, the Corinthians needed another reminder.

Paul was willing to inflict hurt and cause sorrow, so that there may be true repentance, a repentance that is toward God and that ends in salvation. Some preachers disagree with this approach. Their guiding principle is to make people feel good regardless of whether they have a biblical basis to feel good. Their ministries are engineered to prevent sorrow, even godly sorrow. The effect is that people become hardened against the gospel. Now when we speak the truth to them, they say, “How dare you speak to me like this? Where’s the Christian love? That other pastor never condemned me or made me suffer so much guilt.” And this is because that other pastor never really preached the Christian faith to them. Without digging up his sinfulness and pressing for repentance, and without telling him to abandon all to follow Jesus Christ, who alone can save his wretched soul, you can convince a sinner that God loves him, that God has a great plan for him, and that there is nothing that he has to change. You can feel good about yourself, that you have been so loving, that you have been such an encourager. But after not many years this person will be sent to hell. As he burns there, he will curse your name.

We are here to preach the truth about the righteousness of God, the depravity of man, and the saving work of Jesus Christ. If people do not repent and believe, they ought to feel guilty. We are not here to make people feel good about themselves. They can feel good after they repent and believe in the gospel. Christians, especially, should feel terrible when they have sinned. If people will not become happy for the right reasons, then let no one be happy under our ministries. Nevertheless, the feeling itself is not repentance. Some Christians tend to identify spiritual virtues with emotions and feelings, but this is just another attempt to replace the real thing. Christian repentance is not measured by the amount of tears shed – it is not founded on feeling, but on intelligence. It is based on an understanding of holiness, of sin, of judgment, and of salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, repentance is measured by one’s relation to truth, by the doctrines that he knows and how he responds to them.

If our preaching is designed to prevent sorrow, then how can it ever produce godly sorrow? And if our preaching never produces godly sorrow, then how can it bring repentance and lead to salvation? A ministry that cannot produce hurt and sorrow over sin is a powerless and useless ministry. When it comes to this, perhaps we should experience some godly sorrow of our own. If you have compromised the faith, and backed off from proclaiming it with a fierce and unrelenting courage, now repent and assert it stronger than you ever dared to before. If you have been too non-judgmental, now seek out that person who slipped through your fingers and declare to him his sins, so that an overwhelming sorrow may drive him to repentance.

As a church, if you have put up with an immoral person, now take hold of him and throw him out of your church. Or, if you have partnered with heretics against Christ because, even though you reject their errors, you wish to derive some benefit from their teachings, it is time to do the right thing – break with them and denounce them in public. Become alarmed with your own sins and the sins that you have allowed to fester all around you. Do something about this. Become dissatisfied with a ministry that practices tolerance rather than righteousness. Become indignant. Become concerned. Become eager to vindicate yourself, to show that you are not a spiritual jellyfish, someone without spine or principle, but a man of God and a true preacher of the faith of Jesus Christ.