2 Corinthians 7:10: “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

June 3rd, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

God has created each of us, hardwired us, to be able to experience God-given sorrow, which is designed to lead us into real heart-felt repentance that results in lasting changes in our hearts and minds. Paul’s point is that being depressed or sorrowful alone doesn’t accomplish any lasting changes in a person. Peter and Judas contrast this perfectly. Peter wept and was sorry that he had denied Jesus, and as a result, he truly repented; on the other side, Judas was sorry and depressed that he betrayed Jesus, but instead of repenting, he tried to turn off the pain by suicide. Real repentance yields a desire to turn away from the sin and restore a personal relationship with God.

The Greek word translated “repent” means “to change the mind or purpose.” The Greek word translated here as “regretted” means “to carry a burden of sorrow over the past.” One word promises a change in the future while the other just promises despair. Peter repented but Judas regretted. The Apostle Paul warns that there is a “sorrow of the world [that] produces death.” This is not godly sorrow, only remorse or regret, which was the sorrow Judas experienced. And it did lead to his death. Missionary Oswald Chambers (1874–1917) profoundly describes the difference with this warning: “Never mistake remorse for repentance; remorse simply puts a man in hell while he is on earth.”

There is an unverifiable story about President Aaron Burr’s granddaughter, who gave her heart to Jesus Christ at an evangelistic meeting. After the meeting, she reportedly went home and said to her grandfather, “I wish you were a Christian, too.” He replied, “When I was a young man, I went to an evangelistic meeting. I felt my need of God’s mercy and forgiveness and knew that I should give my heart to Christ, but I walked out without doing it. I stood under the stars and looked toward heaven and said, ‘God, if you don’t bother me any more. I’ll never bother you.’ Honey, God kept His part of that bargain. He has never bothered me. Now it is too late for me to bother Him.” How tragic that this man misunderstood the heart of God and refused to surrender to Him.

“LORD, we have tasted and found that You are truly merciful and anxious to forgive all who come to You repenting. Thank You for Your forgiveness this day, in Jesus’ name.”