2 CORINTHIANS 7: 8-13 [GAINING PERSPECTIVE Series]
UNREGRETTED SORROW
[Luke 24:44-49/ Matthew 26:75-27:5]
Near the close of Paul's missionary career the apostle summed up his preaching around two points, as "repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ"(Acts 20:21), These two, repentance and faith, go together in thought and result since they are in fact inseparable. Where there is no true repentance in attitude and action toward God, faith is inoperative.
The tendency of our easy believism day is to say a great deal about faith and not nearly enough about repentance, The effect is to obscure the very idea of faith and cause many to preach Peace! Peace! When there is no peace. A gospel that talks about faith may seem palatable but it is also deprived of most its power [to make people godly].
But our God desires to bring about repentance so that we might be cleansed and not lose the blessings of our salvation. This repentance may not be instantaneous but may take time spent in sorrow. But, godly sorrow brings about repentance that brings new faith and new deeds and new zeal (CIT).
I. THE SORROW OF GOD, 8-10.
II. THE EARNESTNESS OF REPENTANCE, 11-13a.
Verse 8 reference the strong word spoken in love concerning a particular sin in the Church. ¡°For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, do not regret it; though I did regret it - for I see [perceive] that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while¡±
¡°My letter¡± could refer to 1 Corinthians but more likely to a lost third letter that Paul had written to the Corinthians. Paul's harsh letter had hurt them and it had hurt Paul too. He had not relished his role as disciplinarian, and in fact at one point wished he had not sent it with Titus. But genuine love cannot remain silent where it sees those loved in danger and therefore in need of warning. Yet genuine love also cannot but feel regrets at the necessity for causing sorrow even though that sorrow is temporary and directed for a beneficial end.
Paul is like a father who finds regret, not pleasure, in seeing his son temporarily suffer pain under the surgeon's knife, but grateful for the cure that the operation will produce. Or like a father who is grieved when he finds it necessary to punish his son severely but none the less goes through with the action because it is directed towards his son's welfare. Beloved, when I see no joy and rejoicing in the congregation on Sunday at what God's Word is saying I too am afflicted on every side for I know that the Lord has not yet brought about a deep repentance in us so that He might cleanse us and bring about the change that leads to the joy and the zeal of the Lord that godly sorrow desires to produce.
Verse 9 highlights that it is God¡¯s will that we become sorrowful to the point of repentance. ¡°I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.¡±
Now that Titus had returned and brought him the good news from Corinth (2:12-13) Paul's regretting the letter is turned to rejoicing. He didn't rejoice in their sorrow but in their correcting the wrong (2:6). They could have bowed their backs and become even more rebellious in their attempt at self vindication but they didn't. They took the letter to heart and became sorrowful for their sin and this deep sorrow led to repentance.
Repentance [meta-noia] means a change of mind that leads to a change of action. There is no way to continuously remain in full fellowship with the Lord Jesus without repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 5:32; Acts 5:31). As we grow in Christ, the Holy Spirit continually shows us areas where we are not right with God. To cleanse the godly guilt of the Holy Spirit's conviction we must repent and change our attitude in this area and accept God¡¯s standard. If not, our heart hardens to the Spirt¡¯s conviction, and it becomes more and more difficult to repent until we become just legalistic Christians going our own way with our own opinions, justifying ourselves with our own set of rules.
Am I saying that mature Christians need to repent? Most definitely. Jesus said that we do (Luke 17:3-4), and Paul agreed with Him (2 Cor. 12:21) Four of the seven churches of Asia Minor, listed in Revelation 2-3, were commanded to repent. .... Disobedient Christians need to repent, not in order to be saved, but in order to restore their close fellowship with God. [Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Com. Victor Books. Wheaton, IL. 1989. Vol. 1. p. 654].
Paul gives the result of repentance in the purpose clause ¡°so that¡± or in order that. Repentance under God¡¯s conviction is the way to God. It is the only way whereby we will not suffer loss. If Paul had not addressed their behavior and if they had not repented, they would have suffered loss, eternal loss. It was Paul's earnest desire that they should build with permanent material, with gold, silver and precious stones, not with perishable wood, hay and stubble, which would be consumed in the day of testing and cause them to suffer loss. This loss would not be salvation but of eternal rewards. Paul rebuked them so that if they repented they would not suffer eternal loss for believing the wrong thing and going the wrong way.
Verse10 describes two ways of reaction to pain and sorrow. ¡°For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation (deliverance) but the sorrow of the world produces death.¡±
When we reacted to conviction with godly sorrow [kata theon] it leads to repentance which produces or ¡°brings salvation.¡± But weren¡¯t the Corinthian believers already saved?¡± Absolutely. Then what does this mean? S¨t¨¥r¨ªa, the Greek word translated ¡°salvation,¡± means more than simply being born again. It means deliverance from evil. [Zodhiayes, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary. 1992. AMG Publishers. Chattanooga, TN. p. 1360.] God intends to save us from the power of our sin which He does through deep repentance.
There are two kinds of sorrow, godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. The sorrow that God brings is life changing, it's outworking brings repentance that leads to salvation. Here we have three stages for life-changing behavior, the root, the stem and the fruit. Godly sorrow causes the Christian to look at his sin and see its blackness and God's displeasure which brings about a change of mind and behavior. This is the sorrow God works into our lives. Repentance over sin is the resolute turning away from sin which leads third stage which is reconciliation and life
¡°But the sorrow of the world produces death.¡± Sorrow which is characteristic of the world is grief over the consequences sin brought rather than the sin itself, thus it leaves the person¡¯s heart unchanged, thus producing death. It is not sorrow because of the hideousness of sin as rebellion against God, but sorrow because of the painful and unwelcome consequences of sin. It is self-pity rather than a contrite turning to God for mercy and grace. If God had not created a moral universe where you reap what you sow, they would experience no grief.
Cain was sorrowful over what his sin cost him, not for killing his brother. Esau was bitter and intensely sorrowful with many tears over the loss of his birth-right but that did not bring about repentance (Hebrews 12:16-17). David too suffered extreme sorrow because of his sin but his sorrow was directed to God in deep repentance, acknowledging his guilt and unworthiness he cried out to God for forgiveness (Isa. 51: 12-14).
Perhaps the difference is best seen in Judas and Peter. Judas ¡°repented himself¡± (was full of regret) and went and committed suicide, while Peter wept and repented of his fall and awaited His Lord¡¯s restoration (Mt 26:75-27:5). There are plenty of people who are sorry enough when sin has worked its course and its bitter fruits have been produced. The man lying in the hospital, a wreck with the sins of his youth that are stripping him of the strength of his life is often sorry that he did not live more soberly, morally and retrospectively in his past. Or the fraudulent deceiver who got debt free but lost his reputation and cannot regain anyone¡¯s trust. The consequences of sin set many a man's teeth on edge. Men are often sorry for their conduct without thinking of it as sin against God. Sin is more than a wrong, a broken law, a failure, a transgression, it is an affront to a Holy and Righteous God.
The true means of evoking true repentance is the contemplation of the cross. The great power of Christ's love and sacrifice should melt the heart into true repentance as you wonder how a righteous God has not already thrown you into Hell. For "the goodness of God lead to repentance.¡±
[What is the connection between repentance and salvation? You cannot get salvation without repentance. You do not get salvation by repentance. It is no use to preach faith, faith, faith. Unless you also preach with it, break off your iniquities. But you cannot get salvation by repentance, for it is not repentance but Christ's death that is the ground of salvation. Yet repentance is an indispensable condition of salvation. May God open the world's eyes to this. That repentance clasping hands with faith in Christ's death and resurrection leads the guiltiest soul into the forgiving presence of the crucified Christ, from whom peace flows into the darkest heart.]
A small boy dialed "0" and asked THE OPERATOR to call a number for him. He didn't speak clearly, so she couldn't understand him. After repeating it four times, he blurted out, "You operators are dumb," and slammed down the receiver. Hearing this, his mother was shocked.
She called the operator and made the boy apologize. Later when his mother left the house, the lad got on the phone again. "Is this the same operator I talked to a little while ago?" "Yes," came the reply, ¡°well," said the boy, ¡°I still think you're dumb!"
That boy¡¯s apology reminds me of a missing element in the lives of many Christians -genuine repentance. Facing up to sin is often force on us by getting caught or by embarrassing circumstances. But there is not a change of mind, no new action, no new motivation.
For Christians, repentance is an attitude of life. Daily we ask God's Spirit to show us our sin Then we work on overcoming it. May the ingredient of godly sorrow never be missing from our lives!
When was the last time you were sorry for words you'd spoken, something you'd done, or a wrong attitude you harbored? Did you repent, or do you need to do some confessing right now? To repent is to be so sorry for sin that you are ready to give it up.
II. THE EARNESTNESS OF REPENTANCE, 11-13a.
Verse l1 uses the Corinthian¡¯s church¡¯s sorrow as an example of godly sorrow. ¡°For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you; what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
The exclamation ¡°behold¡± carries the apostle's ring of exultation to the Corinthians response to the conviction of God. The genuine sorrow produced seven or eight characteristics of repentance. Each of the following nouns conveys repentance's fruit in stark contrast to their former carelessness and indifference.
First was an earnestness or concerted effort to make amends. They were eager to vindicate or exonerate themselves. They rose up to give an account of themselves concerning their actions where previously there had been an apathy and inactivity because the sin mattered little them. There was indignation against Paul' s opponents (2:5-11) because of the scandal they had permitted to continue unchecked in the church and the consequent affront to the holy name of God. They now feared God¡¯s judgement (1 Cor 4:21) instead of being lulled into passivity. What zeal they now had. They enthusiastically applied themselves to the cause of Christ. What avenging of wrong. They were seeing that justice was done by bringing the guilty person before the church and putting their house in order (1 Cor. 5:5,13).
In everything the church as a whole was demonstrating godly action and proved themselves no longer part of the affair. They now proved their innocence. They had sinned not so much by doing wrong as by failing to do right (Jas. 4:17) and of this they had not repented.
Verse 12 relays that the principle aim of Paul¡¯s severe rebuke was to help the Church repent and again follow God¡¯s leadership. ¡°So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made know to you in the sight of God.¡±
Paul assures them that his primary motive in writing the letter (2:34) was to benefit the church. Paul did desire that the discipline restore the offender but also that their being moved to action would help them to again become zealous or earnest before God. [The offender is probably the incestuous relationship of a son with a step mother and an outrage father the offended - This is what the early church understood]. But punishment was not his primary concern, the well being of the church was. The church's spiritual and moral integrity was at stake.
From the beginning of verse 13 we learn that their zeal for God and joy in the Lord had been restored by their repentance. ¡°For this reason we have been comforted¡±
Paul had suffered a great deal because of this situation but he was now comforted and found it worth all the suffering because the problem was now solved. They had repented and their actions had proved it. Relationships and ministry could now be rebuilt.
¡°One of the most difficult things to do is to rebuild a shattered relationship. This Paul tried to do in 2 Corinthians, and especially in chapters 6 and 7. Unfortunately, there are many"shattered relationships today - in homes, churches, and ministries - and they can be repaired and strengthened only when people face problems honestly, deal with them biblically and lovingly, and seek to get right with God and each other.
As you and I examine our own lives, we must determine to be a part of the answer and not a part of the problem. We must show appreciation, practice separation from the world, and encourage reconciliation if God is to use us to restore broken relationships." [Wiersbe, p. 655].
IN CLOSING
What about you, what kind of sorrow have you experienced? Have you seen your sins in God's light and wept over them? He will not change His mind about it. Has your sorrow led you deeper into salvation or to further your sanctification? Has it affected your attitude and action to vindicate yourself of sin?
A man may have regret but the question is, does it make any difference in his attitude. After the tempest of sorrow has swept over him is his face set in the same direction as before or has it whirled him completely around and set him in the other direction?
Has your sorrow been seen in light of the brightness and purity of God and because of Him you hate your evil and have torn yourself from it? Or has your sorrow passed like an empty wind and left no change to show that it was there?
Godly sorrow works a change of purpose, attitude and mind. The sorrow of the world leaves man standing where he was. Ask yourself the question; with which of the two are you familiar?
If by God's grace my poor words have touched your conscience, I beseech you do not trifle with budding conviction. Take care that you do not let it pass with simple sorrow or impotent regret. If you do you will be hardened and near to the sorrow the world works which is death. Do not wince from the knife before the cancer is cut out. The pain is merciful. Better the wound than the malignant growth. Yield yourself to the Spirit that would convince you of sin against God, and listen to the voice that calls you to forsake your unrighteous ways and thoughts and trust in the Lord who died on the cross for you, whose death for you, whose life for you will be your deliverance from sin. And you will have a salvation which will leave no regrets in your heart, the sinful sweets of the world will turn to ashes and bitterness and will delay you no more and you will walk in precious fellowship with God and His children. [MacClaren, Alexander. Expositions of Holy Scriptures. Corinthians, Vol 14. 1978. Baker Book House. Grand Rapids, MI. p. 19.]
