For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death]. 2 Corinthians 7:10 AMPC
The Context:
The church in Corinth was quite a diverse one. From Paul's letters, you find that it had people of different social standings, as well as slaves, freeborn, the rich, poor, Jews, Gentiles, prominent women as well as fervent men. It was a mixed pot of so many people, and considering that the message of Christ was a new one to many of them, there were quite a lot of things that Paul needed to address. It was in this church that the difference between Paul and Apollos was highlighted; it was here that Paul had to clearly distinguish between the requirements of the law and faith in Christ Jesus; it was here that Paul had to rebuke the man who went into his own father's wife. We see here that Paul had cause to again write to the church on another matter, and the chapter before spoke about the dangers of being unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
There were quite a lot of issues to contend with, and as we know, Jesus came to save that which was lost. His life on earth, his death on the cross and his resurrection all point to the fact that we all need help. Nobody deserves salvation, but all men earn it by faith. We come to the knowledge of Christ when we come to the realisation that sin causes separation from God and if not forgiven, it can lead to hell and eternal separation from God. That is why Jesus came, and is the focus of today's extract.
The Message:
Paul wrote some pretty hard words, and it must be pointed out that we must view sin the same way. You must not excuse or belittle sin, and it must be addressed wherever it is found in the body of Christ. It does not leave room for pride in the life of the one who has to address it, and it must not breed self-condemnation in those in whom it has to be addressed. The reason why Christ was manifested was to destroy the power of sin in man. As God works in me, I must recognise the huge price that Jesus paid for my new standing and make every effort to repair whatever is damaged. I do that by faith in the finished work of Jesus.
As I recognise the huge price paid, it should raise grief on my heart. The person who did not sin paid the price for the ones who did, with His own Father unable to look at him as he hung on the cross. This is huge: sin made God look away from His own son as he paid the price of sin with His own blood. If God would treat His own son this way, what makes it different for me? What makes me think that God will treat me differently because of anything special I have done for Him?
I have to realise that sin will not allow me inherit the life promised in and through Christ. It is not enough to just be sorry; the grief I feel about sin must lead to repentance that then leads to salvation and deliverance from sin. It is a repentance that never brings regret, because it is repentance that leads to the birth of the life of God in a man.
There is another kind of grief that ends in death, and it must be avoided at all costs. We remind men of their wrongdoing, but we offer no way out because we ourselves do not know the way out. We are quick to point out other people's faults but have no knowledge or insight on how to point them in the right direction. We know all the right words, but not the right person. Only a personal knowledge of and total surrender to the One who defeated sin can help a man live above sin. Two men, two disciples who walked with Jesus all through His earthly ministry: Peter and Judas. Both did wrong, even with the advance warning of Jesus, but how each handled grief led to eternal consequences. One went out and wept bitterly, but was there when Jesus rose from the dead. The other went out and hanged himself, and lost his position.
The Response:
Do you feel sorry for the wrong you have done? Please don't let a man like yourself drive you to suicide or depression; the love of Jesus can forgive, cleanse and totally restore you. There is nobody so far gone that s/he is beyond the grace of God. As long as I make the approach, I will always have God's open arms to run into. However, I need to note that all of the earthly life is finite, with its expiry date sometime in the nearest future. God promises that all I see today will be destroyed by fire and only that which cannot be shaken, which is of Him, shall remain.
That which I am holding on to now, of what eternal value is it? Can it stand the fire that is coming? As I take stock of my life's choices, is there anything I need to repent of or turn away from? Is there something God is asking me to address and is causing me some grief? It is a good thing to feel the grief; it means that God can still touch your heart and move you to repentance. Make sure it leads you down the right path towards God, not away from Him. Make sure the grief makes you hold tight to God's mercy and never let go. Make sure the grief for sin makes you hate sin, so that you can live right and end well. Your eternity will be glad you did. His time of favour is here.
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