GODLY SORROW AND THE SORROW OF THE WORLD
2 Corinthians 7:10
Preparatory Sermon
Sermon by:
Rev. J. Overduin
Published by the
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA
Rev. J. Overduin - 2 Corinthians 7:10 XXX
GODLY SORROW AND THE SORROW OF THE WORLD
Sermon by: Rev. J. Overduin
Liturgy:
Opening Psalter: 235
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 7
Text: 2 Corinthians 7:10
Psalter 143
Sermon
Psalter 386:1,7
Psalter 384: 1,4,5
Doxology: Psalter 351:1
Text: 2 Cor. 7:10
Beloved Congregation:
The apostle Paul had a warm place in his heart for the church at Corinth. The Lord had used him as an instrument in His hand to found that church when on his second missionary journey he stayed there for eighteen months. Exactly because of his special love for this church Paul had written to them his first epistle, in which he exhorted them to unity and brotherly love and reproved them for their divisions. There were some unhappy differences among the believers in Corinth. But therefore his joy was also so great, now he had heard that they had repented. This good news was brought to him by Titus, while Paul was laboring in Macedonia in the midst of much struggle and fear. How comforting was the arrival of Titus to Paul, not only because Titus was to him a beloved brother and fellow worker, but above all because he brought such good tidings from Corinth. And for that reason I don’t feel sorry for it, says Paul, that in my first epistle I made you sorry. Yes, even though I might have felt sorry, now I don’t feel sorry anymore. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance! So you have received damage by us in nothing; in nothing you have suffered loss through us or harm for what we did. On the contrary, it has been a great blessing to you. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
In these words the apostle Paul speaks about two kinds of sorrow namely,
Godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.
And I would like to point you to:
1) The nature of these two kinds of sorrow
2) The Result of these two kinds of sorrow
3) The End of these two kinds of sorrow
I. The nature of these two kinds of sorrow
First of all then: what is the nature of these two kinds of sorrow? There is a great difference, distinction between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.
Godly sorrow is a sorrow “after a godly manner”, or: “a sorrow according to God.” It is a sorrow which is pleasing to God. That is why it is called a godly sorrow. This sorrow is also a fruit of the working of the Spirit of God. But that is not mentioned here. In our text this expression “godly sorrow” means that it is a sorrow which is pleasing to God.
What is the nature of this sorrow?
It is a sorrow not only at the results of sin, but in the first place at sin itself.
The Corinthians had realized the sinfulness of their wrong doings. That known adulterer in the church of Corinth had realized the sinfulness of his life. And together they had sorrowed over it before the face of the Lord. A deep grief had come over the heart of the adulterer; but it was also noticeable in the whole church. What a glorious sight! In them was fulfilled the admonition of the prophet Jeremiah: “Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God.” (Jer. 3:13) Or that promise in Ezekiel 36:31: “Then shall ye remember your own evil ways and your doings, that were not good, and shall loathe (that means abhor) yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.” And that is still true of godly sorrow. A Christian can and may also sorrow over outward misery. He can and may also mourn over the outward consequences of sin. But especially pleasing to God is the heart-felt grief over the inward misery; over sin; over our sinful deeds; over our sinful being. O, that sight can fill the heart of one who has been truly uncovered by the Holy Spirit, with deep sorrow. He considers himself as a transgressor of all God’s holy commandments. He considers himself as a rebel against that holy and glorious God. He painfully feels that he has been unthankful towards a gracious God and Father, who has not stopped to follow him with His favor. Yes, he also takes a glance inside; and then he sees that inward corruption; that woeful source of all his crimes. And that makes him testify with David: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me.” That makes him cry out with the same David: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
Yes, also this last petition. Godly sorrow also leads to God! It is true, that the soul is often filled then with fear and respect for the holiness of the Lord but yet it is not a sorrow without hope. Desperation is not pleasing to God. And He never lets a soul, which is filled with this sorrow, fall to utter despair. To the contrite sinner the Lord never says: “Flee from me,” no, but: “Flee to me!”
For who works this sorrow? Is it not a God who is good and kind and ready to forgive? Is it not the Spirit of Christ who is a Spirit of holiness, but also a Spirit of grace? When that Spirit of Christ convicts us of sin, He is pleased to humble us to the dust; to fill us with bitter sorrow and shame. But yet He does not leave that sorrowful heart without hope, as a prey to despair. We see that even in David, who had to humble himself because of such terrible sins. But in his dejection he still lifted his eyes to God’s tender mercies. Yes, the Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy, in and through the Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
In our text Paul also speaks about the sorrow of the world. What is the nature of that sorrow?
The sorrow of the world is mostly a sorrow at the results or the consequences of sin, and not at sin itself, which is the cause of all misery.
The sorrow of the world sorrows over the loss of worldly good of honor and respect; or also over the loss of dear relatives and friends. It sorrows over earthly afflictions and disappointments and adversities. With some people it manifests itself in a soft sentimental sorrow; with other people more in rough murmurings against God and men. Sometimes this kind of sorrow goes away like a morning cloud. Sometimes it shows up as a sorrow, which, just like Rachel, refuses to be comforted.
Such a sorrow may still be pleasing to the world, especially in our days of fatalism and gloominess.
Sometimes the sorrow of the world is grieving at sin. There may be very strong pangs of conscience and anxieties. But they do not lead to the true comfort in the blood of atonement. They vanish again, as they have come. Yes, even though the sorrow of the unconverted is sometimes grieving at sin, it is mostly a grieving at the consequences of sin, which they experience or which they fear. For as soon as the feeling of that fear is gone, their sorrow is also gone.
Cain was afraid that everyone who found him would kill him.
Ahab was afraid that the terrible judgements, announced to him by Elijah, would be brought upon him.
Judas repented himself when he saw the consequences of the betrayal of his Master. And what must we think of those who are in the place of outer dankness? Would they feel concerned about their sins, if they did not have to endure every moment the terrible consequences of those sins? In a word, the sorrow of the world is not a sorrow at sin as such as sin against God. The sorrow of the world seeks its comfort with the world. And therefore it is rightly called: “the sorrow of the world.”
II. The Result of these two kinds of sorrows.
Now as far as these two kinds of sorrow are concerned, there is not only a great difference or distinction in their nature, but also in their results in this life.
Our text says: “godly sorrow worketh repentance not to be repented of.” That means: repentance that brings us regret. This expression does not, in the first place, refer to a change of conduct, but to a change of the heart; an inward renewing of the heart, which results in different thoughts, different desires and affections and also in a different conduct. Godly sorrow is a converting, sanctifying sorrow.
The world does not want to hear of that. No change of mind! No true conversion or turning to God! An outward religion that may pass, honoring God with the lips; but not a change of the heart; not a true inward and outward conversion to God, as a result of which the earnest question arises: “Lord, what will thou have me to do?” No, the world does not want to have anything to do with that canting. It is hateful in its eyes. Even the worst ungodliness can be better tolerated than such a true conversion.
But it is indeed a fruit which is pleasing to God and desirable to the upright. How they rejoice, when they may have the assurance of their true conversion to God. It is called here in our text: “a repentance which does not last for a moment, or which is of short duration; a conversion which does not stop half-way and retraces its steps, but which goes on and on “converting the soul” deeper and deeper!
And what about the result of the sorrow of the world in this life? What does it work out? In answer to that question the apostle Paul only says: “but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” The result of the sorrow of the world here and hereafter can be expressed in one word: death. The sorrow of the world does not work repentance not to be repented of. It is not a life-giving, sanctifying sorrow. It leaves a man as he is by nature: dead in trespasses and sins. Men like Cain and Ahab and Judas, who seemed to repent of their sins, still remained the same impenitent people.
Sometimes this sorrow of the world, whether it is occasioned by adversity or by bad conscience, does not work out anything at all. For a moment the sorrow has touched a person’s mind, but soon he (or she) is recovered from the shock and life continues in the same insensibility, without change of heart and conduct. Sometimes this sorrow of the world works out some improvement; namely some kind of outward obedience. Through a striking accident or through pricks of conscience a man’s sinful nature is somewhat tamed. A few of the largest branches of the tree of sin are broken off or will be broken off. But the ax is not laid to the root of the tree. There is no true conversion to God, but a conversion to virtue, at least to some virtues, and then still as long as it lasts.
In the cases mentioned the sinner seems to remain the same, or even to become a little better. But in many cases the sorrow of the world produces results, which are much worse, and plunges a man, as it were, still deeper into his spiritual state of death.
The sorrow of death leads many a one to a pining away, which undermines the vital strength; or to a somber daydreaming. Or it leads a person to blasphemy and hatred of mankind. It also often works up indifference and causes a man to take refuge in all kinds of drugs. And who doesn’t know, that it is often also the mother of despair, which seeks a way of escape in suicide; a way of escape which ends in eternal perdition. The sorrow of the world worketh death.
So far then, about the result of these two kinds of sorrow; godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world.
III. The end of these two kinds of sorrow.
We still have to pay our attention to the end of these two kinds of sorrow, which is closely connected with their result.
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. To salvation - that is the end of repentance not to be repented of; that means: repentance, which never brings regret. When you turn with your tears, with your sorrow to God, you have turned to life; to salvation. No doubt what Paul means here is: eternal salvation, after this life, in the perfect kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
O what a glorious end: to salvation! - I don’t have to say that this sorrow or this conversion is not the ground of that salvation. No, the apostle Paul always preached Christ and Him crucified as the only ground of our salvation. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36). But God’s Word also teaches us that true faith is inseparably connected with true conversion. Only in the way of conversion the believer is saved.
Moreover, who will be willing and able to understand the gospel, to love and receive it, who else but he or she who is sorrowing with a godly sorrow? Faith takes root and grows only in such a soil of true sorrow for sin. This godly sorrow then, this repentance not to be repented of, leads to salvation!
Some are of the opinion that the words, “not to be repented of,” here in our text should be connected with the word, “salvation,” and not with the word “repentance.” And indeed no one will ever feel any sorrow or regret because of that glorious end: salvation! The redeemed of the Lord will rejoice in that salvation forever and ever. With hearty thankfulness they will look back on the way in which the Lord has led them. As far as the way of conversion is concerned, sometimes it can be so difficult, also as a result of the wiles of the devil, that the soul, as it were, says to herself: “What am I doing?” But when that salvation will be fully received, then there will be eternal praise and thanksgiving for the perseverance on the way which led to this end. A salvation not to be repented of; for it will forever satisfy the redeemed of the Lord. It will give them boundless joys of which they here, even in their best moments, could still feel only small beginning in their heart.