Godly Sorrow Vs Worldly Sorrow

2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

New Living Translation
For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Contemporary English Version
When God makes you feel sorry enough to turn to him and be saved, you don’t have anything to feel bad about. But when this world makes you feel sorry, it can cause your death.

Good News Translation
For the sadness that is used by God brings a change of heart that leads to salvation–and there is no regret in that! But sadness that is merely human causes death.

This world has a lot of pleasure and happiness. But in this world also, we have pain and disappointment. This sinful world has pleasure and pain. God’s plan was that we will never experience pain. The choice of Adam and Eve to sin brought about the pain we go through. Therefore pain and disappointment are now part and parcel of life. It is immature to be shocked at pain and disappointment.

In this sinful world we must surrender to the fact that, even when all is going on well, something will go wrong and cause us pain and disappointment. When it happens, we shouldn’t be too shocked. It is life! That is how life in a sinful world is. What makes us happy will bore us. Good friends will betray and/or lose interest. People whose company we enjoy will leave us by moving elsewhere or dying. What we projected to be a trip of happiness will surprise us with unexpected pain. Good relationships will not always be good. The living will someday die. The hopes and plans we had will sometimes fail. Life in a sinful world is like that. Life is like that!

Be mature and brave life. Deal with the good and bad that comes. Cry and move on, because worse things may still be coming and we must continue living. Unfortunately, that is how life is in a sinful world. That is why God has prepared eternal life for us. The eternal life of happiness without pain and disappointment. Until then, God’s grace will cover those who belong to God.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” NLT

I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world. CEV

I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”

Those are the words of Jesus on the reality of life in this sinful world. To ignore these words and only select Bible texts that promise sweetness and happiness is to poorly read the Bible. When we only promise people good and not tell them a reality, we set them up for deep pain and doubt when the reality of life brings pain and disappointment. This world will hurt us and disappoint us.

The Bible in our main text today tells us that there is sorrow that God allows to come and there is sorrow that is from the world. God allows sorrow like He allowed Job to suffer but in the end, He saved Him and made Job’s life better. God allows sorrow like He allowed Daniel to be thrown in a lion’s den and He saved Him. God allows sorrow like He allowed Lazarus to die and He raised him from the day four days later. God allows sorrow like He allowed Stephen to be stoned and James to be beheaded. Godly sorrow has hope!

If the pain and disappointment we are going through have been allowed by God, there is hope. God allows pain to build our faith and to lead us to repentance. With God, it will not always be painful. Godly sorrow comes with hope in it!

Worldly sorrow is sorrow too. Worldly sorrow is as painful and as disappointing as Godly sorrow. The difference is, worldly sorrow is what we deserve out of foolishness and bad choices. Worldly sorrow is what we experience when we are still far from God. God’s people can never experience worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is for those who are outside the will of God. Those who are not saved. Those who are not baptized.

Worldly sorrow of Cain when his prayers were rejected by God. Worldly sorrow of people during Noah’s time who died in the flood. Worldly sorrow of losing firstborns in Egypt during the ten plagues. Worldly sorrow has no hope of anything better coming. Hellfires will be the climax of worldly sorrow.

If you live a healthy life, sickness may come as Godly sorrow, you may recover or die in hope of eternal life. If you live a life that does not care about God’s principles of health, sickness comes as worldly sorrow, you despair and die a bitter person. Same disease same prognosis, but Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow make the whole difference. When the economy collapses, there is Godly sorrow and there is worldly sorrow. When relationships turn bitter and even end, there is Godly sorrow and there is worldly sorrow.

When sorrow comes my way, will it be Godly sorrow with hope or worldly sorrow with no hope? The choice is mine! Godly sorrow is supervised by God. When it is too much, God creates a way of escape for me, 1 Corinthians 10:13. Worldly sorrow is not supervised by God, when it is too much we suffer all the way to the bitter end with no relief.

Sorrow will and must come to each one of us in this sinful world. Godly sorrow will help us repent of our sins. Godly sorrow will draw us closer to God. God will ensure Godly sorrow is not too much for us. Worldly sorrow is hopeless. Instead of repenting and seeing ourselves as wrong, worldly sorrow will blame others and even blame God. Worldly sorrow seeks revenge. Worldly sorrow despairs and can be suicidal. There is no God involved in worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow has no regrets. Worldly sorrow is the culmination of all regrets. The choice of which sorrow to experience is the choice to be saved or not. The choice of which sorrow to experience is the choice of following the will of God or not.

Dear God, save me from sorrow, but if it must come my way, let it be Godly sorrow, supervised by You and leading me to repentance and a better relationship with You. If sorrow must come my way, let it be managed by God so that when it is too much, You make a way of escape for me. Save me completely from worldly sorrow, in Jesus’ name, Amen!