II Corinthians 7
II Corinthians 7:1-2:
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. |
In contrast to spiritual leaders who are unworthy to be in the hearts of God’s people; leaders who take advantage of those they lead; who corrupt the Word of God and corrupt the people they should be helping, Paul and Timothy could truthfully claim: We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. They had been faithful to God; faithful to the Word of God; faithful to those they ministered to. Paul and Timothy were indeed worthy of their love and devotion. -Rabbi Loren Jacobs
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Sometimes complex attitudes towards fear can be found within the very same passage. For example, 2 Corinthians 7 opens with an exhortation to make “holiness perfect in the fear of God.” Yet a few verses later, Paul recounts how the arrival of Titus (along with news of the church at Corinth) was a means God used to console Paul and his companions from “disputes without and fears within” (v. 5). Similarly, in 1 Peter 2:17 we find a series of staccato commands: “Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” Of course, this fear of God is contrasted in the next chapter with more common forms of fear: “Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord” (3:14-15). -Firebrand
II Corinthians 7:3-7:
3 I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.
6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
7 and not only by his coming, but also by the [consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
3 I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.
6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
7 and not only by his coming, but also by the [consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
II Corinthians 7:8-10:
8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. |
Worldly sorrow might be fleeting regret or a desperate wish that we hadn’t been caught. But it doesn’t lead to real repentance or change, so the person continues on without being forgiven and still being guilty of sin and worthy of the death penalty.
Godly sorrow is real and commits to change. Godly sorrow works repentance or repentance is brought about by Godly sorrow. The repentance is toward God...not man. Though it might produce it sometimes, it is not something which occurs as a result of getting "caught" with your "hand in the cookie jar" or something like that. It is brought about by truly recognizing that what we did wrong was wrong before God. Whereas "godly sorrow" brings about repentance, worldly sorrow brings about death. Godly sorrow leaves no regret. Repentance is the decision a man makes toward or away from salvation.
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A person may cease a sinful practice without repenting. A person may admit an act was wrong without being sorry. But a person may be sorry yet still not forgiven because it is improper sorrow. So let us consider the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow requires true remorse, sincere acknowledgment of error, and determination not repeat the sin. We must grieve for the harm done to our relationship to God and other people, truly wishing we never had done it. -The Gospel Way
Look at Peter and Judas. Both disciples experienced two different types of sorrows and regret and they did the same wrong thing. Judas actually was the one who was quick to renounce what he did. The moment his conscience was roused, he went immediately to return the money exclaiming, “I’ve betrayed innocent blood, take it back!” But Judas could not trust the love of God for himself. His sorrow was a worldly sorrow and it remained so on that same level, never developing into godly sorrow. Peter on the other hand, remembered that the Lord prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Though his faith also failed, it didn’t fail completely, and it was enough to restore him. In his moment of deep deep sorrow when he denied even knowing his friend and teacher Jesus, he wept and wept. Then he remembered Jesus’ words, and Jesus’ love for him and his deep deep human sorrow developed into godly sorrow. He trusted Jesus’ love and forgiveness, repented and met the Risen Christ. The difference in these two men’s grief was one sorrow led to suicide and the other led to life. -Triton World Mission Center
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![]() So repentance begins with an intellectual recognition and confession of sin, but it does not end there. There is also a “change of heart”—an emotional component in which the genuine believer mourns over having sinned against the God whom he loves. That is why in the classic psalm of repentance, Psalm 51, David says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
The person who is truly repentant is not unmoved by his sin, as if it was just no big deal. “Oh, I broke the law of God again. Sorry God! So glad you’re so gracious!” No! If you are truly repentant, you apprehend the offense your sin is to God—a God so good as to deliver His only begotten Son to death in your place, a God so patient with you despite the fact that, even after He has saved you, you sin against Him still. When you understand that you have sinned against that glorious God, the only proper response is sorrow—to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. It is that broken spirit and contrite heart that motivates you to change course and return to God in faithfulness. John Calvin writes, “This is carefully to be observed, for unless the sinner be dissatisfied with himself, detest his manner of life, and be thoroughly grieved from an apprehension of sin, he will never betake himself to the Lord” (274). One Puritan famously said, “'Til sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” -Mike Riccardi; The Masters Seminary |

Godly sorrow is concerned with God. We are told there is a godly sorrow, which “produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.”
This is the sorrow that recognizes the enormity of what has been done, because this sin has been committed against God. That is the very heart of godly sorrow, as penitent David cried, “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight;” and as the prodigal said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight.”
Any hypocrite is sorry for sin that hurts his own interests, or which may damage his reputation among men. But men do not generally trouble much about wrong done to God. A crime is usually a wrong done to man, so we think it is a horrible thing. But a sin, inasmuch as it is against God, is something many people don’t care about at all. -Charles Spurgeon
This is the sorrow that recognizes the enormity of what has been done, because this sin has been committed against God. That is the very heart of godly sorrow, as penitent David cried, “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight;” and as the prodigal said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight.”
Any hypocrite is sorry for sin that hurts his own interests, or which may damage his reputation among men. But men do not generally trouble much about wrong done to God. A crime is usually a wrong done to man, so we think it is a horrible thing. But a sin, inasmuch as it is against God, is something many people don’t care about at all. -Charles Spurgeon
II Corinthians 7:11-16:
11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.
13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true.
15 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.
16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.
11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.
13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true.
15 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.
16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.