The Sorrow of Repentance
—2Corinthians 7
The chapter for this lesson, (2Corinthians 7), is about repentance, sorrow, and joy. It follows from chapter 2, where a member of the Corinthian church had openly opposed Paul, and the congregation at first failed to discipline the offender. That matter was settled, albeit stressfully, but Paul had more to say about repentance.
1 Perfect Holiness
2Cor 7, verse 1
Paul began this chapter with this call:
"Therefore beloved, having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
The promises Paul mentioned were those that he had just quoted at the end of chapter 6:
"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, And you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
They were old promises but still true. So Paul told the Corinthians to cleanse themselves of sin, "perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Without diminishing God’s grace, Paul saw that the Corinthians needed to turn body and spirit away from sin, and turn to holiness completely.
2 Changed Hearts
2Cor 7, verses 2-3
Paul understood repentance to involve a change of heart on many issues, one of which was the Corinthians’ attitude toward Paul and his companions. Paul had called out the error of the Corinthians who became upset, accusing Paul of treating them badly. He denied this. His heart was committed to them in life and death.
Paul wanted the Corinthians to make room in their hearts for him and his ministry, instead of shutting their hearts against him. Fortunately this change of heart was underway, and Paul was confidently looking for its completion.
3 Overflowing Joy
2Cor 7, verses 4-7
Paul felt comforted and "exceedingly joyful" when he saw the church’s repentance. Repentance causes delight both on earth and in heaven. Jesus said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10 NKJV).
Paul was not the only one joyful for the Corinthian church. Titus had visited the brethren, and rejoiced at their zeal. He brought this good news to Paul. Paul was not shy to spread the news around. He called it boasting. Many others shared in the delight of Paul and Titus and their companions.
Paul and his companions needed comfort and joy, to help them bear the tribulations they suffered: internal fears and external foes.
4 Godly Sorrow
2Cor 7, verses 8-10
Having written about the joy that repentance causes, Paul next wrote of the sorrow that causes repentance. A letter from him caused much sorrow in the church. Paul wasn't glad about that, but he had no regrets because that was a godly sorrow that produced repentance. The godly sorrow wasn't repentance itself, but was the cause of repentance.
Paul said, "Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation". By that maxim, it's no wonder that Paul’s regret at making the church sorry was short-lived.
5 Fruitful Sorrow
2Cor 7, verses 11-12
Paul was careful to call the sorrow "godly sorrow" because worldly sorrow produces death (such as sorrow for being found out, rather than sorrow for being offensive to God).
Godly sorrow produced fruit from the heart. Paul made a kind of poetic list of these fruits:
What earnestness! What defense! What indignation! What fear! What longing! What zeal! What justice!
Together, these qualities demonstrated that the Corinthians’ repentance was genuine.
6 Genuine Sorrow
2Cor 7, verses13-16
The church's godly sorrow led to genuine repentance, which was accompanied by several positive fruits:
- Comfort of Paul and the church;
- Rejoicing of Paul and his companions especially Titus;
- Refreshing of Titus by the Corinthians;
- "Boasting" of Paul in truth to Titus;
- Affection of Titus for the church;
- Obedience of all the church;
- Fear and trembling of the church;
- Confidence of Paul in the church.
Thus Paul ended the chapter where true repentance leads: sorrow transformed into joy, restored relationships, renewed confidence among God’s people, and their salvation.