“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
While its not unusual to hear someone express their sorrow over an inappropriate action or behavior, it may sometimes be helpful to ask what that person is sorry for. For instance, consider the difference in the following statements:
“I’m sorry I did something wrong.”
“I’m sorry I was caught doing something wrong.”
You see, a person who expresses his or her sorrow regarding an inappropriate behavior might not be sorry about the behavior itself. Instead, he or she might be sorry about the consequences that will come as a result of being apprehended. We can associate this kind of response with “the sorrow of the world” referenced here in 2 Corinthians 7:10. It refers to a type of sorrow that carries little internal significance or a perfunctory expression of sorrow that results from the negative consequences of an action rather than the morality of a behavior.
On the other hand, “godly sorrow” is something that produces a God-honoring internal response. We can illustrate this concept from an event in the life of Israel’s king David. Following his sexual indiscretion with a woman named Bathsheba and his murderous attempt to conceal it, David wrote the following…
“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment” (Psalm 32:3-6 NLT).
Consider also the words of Proverbs 28:13-14: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble” (NIV).
While an expression of sorrow might hide an attitude of indifference, godly sorrow should prompt us to respond in a manner that acknowledges our guilt when we’ve done something wrong. If we choose to deal with such things by running away from God, trying to convince ourselves that nothing is wrong, or being dishonest about our actions, we are sure to experience the same kind of unhealthy consequences that David recorded in the passage quoted above.