“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time— yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:8-10 BSB)
“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” (James 4:8-10 NLT)
“That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.” (Joel 2:12-13 NLT)
Probably the most widespread understanding of repentance within the Body of Christ (the Church) is that it is a deep sorrow for sin. It is common to think that feeling sorry for what I have done (or neglected to do) is repentance. However, that is not what scriptures teach.
Bawling and squalling over sins does little more than release emotions and give a temporary sense of well-being. It may make me feel better but it does very little to change anything. While “Godly sorrow” leads to repentance it is not actually repentance. Feeling sorrow is a way in which God gets my attention so that he can bring me to the point of repentance. Godly sorrow is a pathway to repentance, not repentance itself.
My emotions are the gateway to my heart. The Holy Spirit will use my emotions to bring me to the place that I need to be. My enemy wants nothing more than to deceive me and keep me fixated on the emotions so that he can keep me from repenting. He will get me to replace true repentance with an emotional experience in order to keep me from reaching a point of personal salvation. If he can keep me walking aimlessly on the Path of Godly Sorrow then he can keep me from ever passing through the Gateway of Repentance.
The “Godly sorrow” described in scripture is a deep awareness of my current personal condition. When I sin and fall short of God’s glory, Godly sorrow helps me to see just how much I am in need of change. While the sorrow itself doesn’t change me it does bring me to a point of willingness to consider the needed adjustment to my life. The focus of the Path of Godly Sorrow is on my weakness in comparison to God’s strength. It makes me aware of my imperfection in comparison to God’s perfection. It points out my sinfulness in comparison to God’s righteousness, and my wickedness in comparison to God’s holiness.
While this is the most talked about path, it is not the only path to repentance. In my opinion it is the inferior path. It is a path that is man-centered and sin-conscious. It is needed at times due to the current condition of this world. However, there is a better way.
We will look at what I believe is the superior path tomorrow. For now, keep walking…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 464: Pathway to Restoration – Part 4