“Look at what this very experience of godly sadness has produced in you: such enthusiasm, what a desire to clear yourselves of blame, such indignation, what fear, what purpose, such concern, what justice! In everything you have shown yourselves to be innocent in the matter” (2 Corinthians 7:11 CEB).
Another quality that serves to identify genuine repentance is longing (NIV) or vehement desire (NKJV). We can associate this idea with the motivation to correct a wrong that has occurred. This conveys more than just an emotional response; it identifies a deep internal desire to do what is right.
This is closely associated with the next quality found in 2 Corinthians 7:11: zeal (HCSB), enthusiasm (ISV), or deep concern (NET). These words communicate an intensity of spirit or a fervent desire to act. We can illustrate this concept by looking at an event from Jesus’ life…
“The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen.
He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, ‘Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!’ And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:13-17 CSB).
The final quality is justice or a readiness to punish wrong (NLT). In certain contexts, this word can be translated “vengeance.” For many, this word is associated with someone who takes the law into his or her own hands to right an alleged wrong. However, this passage expresses the idea of meting out justice in a lawful manner for a wrong that has taken place. In the words of one commentator, “There is a hint in this that the Corinthians had turned upon their false teachers with the full anger and determination of men aroused to do God’s will and to remove the influence of all persons standing in the way of it.” (1)
These qualities lead to concluding thought of this passage: “You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right” (NLT). Not only had the Corinthians expressed their sorrow over what had gone wrong, they took positive steps to correct those issues. So even though the church at Corinth had many problems, this was an area where they were worthy of commendation. Because of this, they offer a good illustration of genuine repentance for every generation.
(1) Coffman, James Burton. “Commentary on 2 Corinthians 7”. “Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament”. <http://classic.studylight.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book=2co&chapter=007>. Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.