Godly Sorrow vs

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Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow
by Sylvia Cochran - Staff Writer

The Good
Enter Zacchaeus! He was at professional tax collector with his hand wide open for gifts. Jesus called him and Zacchaeus was overjoyed at the opportunity to interact with Jesus. Before you know it, he had Jesus eating at his house and caught the vision of the God-fearing life Jesus gave him; in a public confession he admitted to his stealing and not only vowed to get rid of his ill-gotten treasures, but also made amends to those he had harmed¹.

The Bad
So you finally gave in and acted like a kid in a candy store. The moment your supervisor gave you the key to the supply room, you knew you might find some items you could use personally, but now, the light reflecting off the shining Sticky Note plastic wrappers, the as of yet unsharpened pencils beckoning unashamedly, and, who would have thought, the siren call of the electric pencil sharpeners! You stuffed as much as you could into your briefcase, and then it happened: on your way out the door you bumped into the boss, the briefcase opened, and the loot spilled out all over the parking lot! Woe is you.

The Ugly: Worldly Sorrow
At this point you probably wish you had never laid eyes on these things, wish nobody had ever offered you the blasted key, and what is your boss doing there at 5:30 anyways? In other words, you are afraid to lose your job, your reputation, your income, your mortgage...all over about $20 worth of free office supplies. Here we have a prime example of worldly sorrow. It, and $.25, won't even buy you a cup of tea, much less inspire you to change your life. You are sorry you got caught. Welcome to the club.

Godly Sorrow
Godly sorrow, on the other hand, brings about true repentance. Repentance is defined as a change of mind or state of changing any or all of the elements composing one's life; e.g. attitude, thoughts, behaviors concerning the demands of God for right living. It is done irrevocably, with earnestness, indignation and eagerness. It is never half-hearted, but always 100%².

Spiritual Fruit
Once godly sorrow leads to repentance, it also produces visible fruit. Now, fruit is not merely the talk about change, the promise of "I will never, ever [insert sin here] for as long as I live;" on the contrary, the fruits here are deeds and/or activities³. Many remember repentance as part of becoming a Christian; while this is true, it is also a vital part of continuing to live life as a disciple.

Are you a Fruit Inspector?
The litmus test of discipleship with regard to repentance is very easy:

If we call ourselves Christians, but are more deeply steeped in a variety of sinful behavior than a teabag in boiling water, yet see no reason to stop, we lack godly sorrow and therefore repentance.
If we call ourselves Christians, yet look back with longing at the good old days of sinful activities, we lack deep, personal convictions about sins and thus lack repentance.
If we call ourselves Christians, yet our Christian life is dry, unmotivated, bored, and lacks an overall vision for the things God has in store for us, we lack the deeds and activities that are the fruits of repentance, and, thus, lack repentance.
And, last but not least, if we call ourselves Christians but have ceased to become indignant about our sins, have started to make excuses, have begun to shift the blame for everything and anything to anyone else, whether living or dead, and have steadfastly refused to take full responsibility for what we have done to God and to others--in short: if we rationalize, justify and minimize our sin, and if our apologies summarily begin with if--then not only do we lack repentance, but we have started to die spiritually.

Do you want to get well?
Fortunately, God has a plan. Never mind the 12-Step programs, God had devised a very simple 4-Step approach to repentance⁴, which, if followed religiously, will get us to repent or our soul back!

1. Repent specifically. Repentance is never generic or aimed at others. We are called to repent, specifically, of sins that are in our own lives, such as lying, stealing, malice, immorality, etc. If I was never guilty of stealing, I do not have to repent of it. In order to repent I must know what sin has been (and is now) in my life.
2. To this end, we must find out what our specific sinful nature is. We can achieve this by reading our Bibles daily and allowing God to speak to us thusly, and we can also allow God to speak to us through others who see us more clearly than we can see ourselves. Once we hear the voice of God, we must follow through in obedience!
3. We must put on a new self. Repentance is not just about putting off something bad; it is also putting on something good. It is not only the turning away from sin (no longer being its slave) but it is also about turning to righteousness (being a slave to God). In fact, we are not really repenting until we are focused on doing the exact opposite of whatever sin we are repenting of. One cannot do a righteous and a sinful act at the same time. One precludes the other. So, if my sin is selfishness, I must run into the opposite direction and seek to serve as many people as I can, serve at church, help with the children's or song ministry, baby-sit a single mom's offspring; in short, do the exact opposite my sinful nature entices me to do.
4. Last but not least, we must make wise decisions about how we live. We must get away from living into the day, because the only thing that comes natural is to sin⁵. Instead, to stop sinning and start repenting, we must engage our hearts, minds, and our whole beings into this business of living righteously. This includes a commitment to no longer live in darkness, but to find out what pleases the God whom we profess and to actively and publicly renounce and confess our sins⁶. We must realize that sins are like cockroaches, and as such they hate the light! Once they are exposed they will scramble and leave us.

So, what are you saying?
In conclusion, it is natural for us to sin. What happens in our lives naturally, with very little help from us, is sin. We are sinners. Repentance is unnatural. It happens only through focus and effort, prayer and Bible study, confession and discipling.

(1) Luke 19:1-9
(2) 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
(3) Matthew 3:8
(4) Ephesians 4:25-5:7
(5) Ephesians 5:8-21
(6) James 5:16

Previously published at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/practical_christianity/105876

You can reach Ms. Cochran at: sylviacochran@ucd.net