Vital Signs: Wednesday, September 4, 2024

GODLY SORROW VERSES GUILT

“I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, there is guilt and there is godly sorrow. I would even say, godly sorrow is more of conviction of the Holy Spirit on our lives when we have chosen to go against the will of God. For the person who has never trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, guilt is brought on when we’ve done something that violates our conscience, when the spirit of God begins to draw us to salvation, or the way we were raised. I love the fact that Paul teaches us that guilt leads to conviction and conviction leads to godly sorrow and godly sorrow leads to salvation.

I pray today that God will reveal to each of us the idols that hang on our temple walls that need to be removed, and that we become obedient to doing away with such idols. And for those who don’t know Jesus, that the guilt will lead to salvation.