Sorrow to Repentance 2 Corinthians 7:9

Paul the apostle told the church members in Corinth “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent:”, and he went on to tell them, “for I perceive that the same epistle has made you sorry, though it were but for a season.” In chapter seven and verse nine of Second Corinthians, Paul shared with the church members about how they, “sorrowed to repentance” where we read:

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

The verse begins, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance:” Paul began with the word, “now” which means “at this present time” “I rejoice” which refers to “Paul was glad, well and thrived”, “not that you were made” which means “not in the idea of the Corinthians being, affected and caused to be” “sorry” which means “grieved, offended or sad”, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated “that you sorrowed” which means “that the church members were grieved, offended and saddened” “to repentance” or “to a change of mind, purpose or turned away from something they did”. Paul “rejoiced” because he made the Corinthians “sorrowful” enough to “alter” their ungodly direction.

The verse goes on to say, “for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing.” Paul added the word, “for” which means “even as, indeed, seeing then, no doubt, verily and therefore” “you were made” or “the church members were made” “sorry” or “grieved, offended and sad” “after a godly manner” which refers to “according to any respect like unto God which resembles him in any way”, “that you might” or “so the church members could” “receive” which means “be affected with, sustain or suffer” “damage” or “cast away, loss or injury” “by us” which refers to “Paul and his companions” “in nothing” or “not in one thing”. Paul knew the church members were influenced in a “godly” way so well they would not experience any “loss or injury” from Paul and his companions.

When we meditate upon words of Paul, we see how he and his companions had the church members best interest in mind. They could do no better than to receive correction after a “godly manner”, and rather than just receiving the correction from Paul, they were “disciplined” by God. Jesus Christ desires to have a relationship with every person who will believe and trust in Him. Afterwards, the Holy Spirit begins to bring about “correction” and discipline within that person's life so they may function according to God's ways. There is no better repentance than a “godly” one, and when correction comes our way, let us be “sorrowful unto repentance”, and align with Almighty God's perfect plan for our lives.

Next time Paul shares with the church members about how, “godly sorrow works repentance to salvation”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then,

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.