Godly Grief & Repentance
8/4/25 Bible Thought (2 Corinthians 7)
Repentance is an important part of the Christian life.
Sin continues to persist in the Christian life (see 1 Jn. 1:8-10) to some degree, and hence repentance and confession of sin remain relevant until we reach glory.
But what does it mean to repent?
Repentance in our English Bibles is a translation of the Greek word, metanoia, which means,
“a change of mind…also w. the nuance of ‘remorse’”[1]
Repentance is simply coming to terms with God concerning our sin. It is to change our minds so that we see our sin as He sees it, that it is indeed sinful. It is to have our hearts broken for what breaks His, not just in the world, but in our own lives!
With this, in 2 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul recounts how his harsh letter to the Corinthians brought about a genuine repentance. It hurt him to confront them, yet the results were worthwhile.
In fact, he rejoices! Not that he made them sad, but that their sadness resulted in genuine repentance (2 Cor. 7:9).
The apostle Paul describes this grief and repentance so powerfully in today’s reading when he writes,
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10).
To be truly sorry for one’s sin and grieved over it results in a change of mind that results in a change of action.
If someone is truly sorry for their sin, their mind will be made up and it will result in a change of action. Now, this doesn’t mean that suddenly that person will no longer struggle with temptation. Likewise, it doesn’t mean that they won’t trip up at one point or another—but if they are sorry, there will be some change.
Whereas, if a person is merely sad about how it makes them feel, this ultimately produces death. It’s not genuine repentance. There’s no change at the heart level.
Countless examples in the Scripture showcase people who responded improperly to God’s conviction.
Adam and Eve resorted to blaming after their sin. Likewise, when Saul, the first king of Israel, sinned by offering a sacrifice he wasn’t authorized to do, he blamed everyone but himself.
In countless examples, people weren’t sorry for what they had done. Rather, they were sorry they were caught! Their response wasn’t to rend their hearts because of the grief they caused to God; they just tried to spare themselves any of the consequences.
Contrast this with the apostle Peter.
He denied Jesus three times—a horrible, repeated sin. Yet, when Jesus came to him after the resurrection, Peter experienced a threefold restoration. Later, Peter was willing to undergo persecution, beatings, imprisonment, and ultimately death on behalf of his Lord.
His grief after he heard the rooster crow was genuine. He wasn’t just sad but grieved over what he had done. It brought about change. His grief led to repentance.
What about us?
When we find ourselves dealing with sin in our own lives, what is the response?
Do we blame others? Do we justify ourselves at all costs, believing that we acted appropriately? Or do we humbly kneel at the foot of the cross, grieving that we grieved Him with our actions?
This grief ought to then bring about a change of mind that results in a change of action. That is true repentance.
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 640.