CORINTHIANS
CHAPTER 7
Godly sorrow for sin leads to repentance—The sorrow of the world worketh death.
1 HAVING therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.
4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.
7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
8 For though I made you sorry with
a letter, I do not repent, [ After hearing that
one of his epistles had “made [the Corinthians] sorry,” Paul rejoiced
Why did Paul respond this
way to the Corinthians’ sorrow? ] though
I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry,
though it
were but
for a season.
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were
made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after
a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. [
If I made you sad, and you did something about it then it is really a
good thing - and therefore I am happy ]
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance [
What does it
mean to have “godly sorrow” for our sins? godly
sorrow brings one great unrest until they feel the tender mercies of a
pardon from the sin ] to salvation [
there is no salvation until one is fully repentant ] not to be repented
of: but the sorrow of
the world worketh death. [ What
are some of the sorrows of the world? sorry for
loss of possessions, lost friends, loss of power, loss of wealth, How
do the sorrows of the world bring death? We for
one stress causes a lot of damage to the body... What is the difference
between godly sorrow and “the sorrow of the world”?]
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
12 Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.
14 For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.