Good afternoon, Zane.
Good to see you and Jessica yesterday. Hope you can get that little old play house modified and functional for your chickens to play in…and lay in.
Have a blessed day. Love and prayers—Tua/Ray.
Does your Christian perspective offer any allowance for God-intended sorrow? Paul clarifies the value of this quality of sorrow in the next verse: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (v. 10).
Perhaps synonyms for “sorrow” as used here could be GUILT or CONVICTION or REMORSE. Can you imagine where we would be and how we would likely behave if it were not for the functions of conscience that lead us into right relationship with our Sovereign? Confession and repentance are absolutely crucial to real conversion—transitioning from “lostness” to “savedness”—from darkness to light. And once that transition is made (or being made—since it is more of a process than an event), listen again to Peter’s word of encouragement: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). And on this note, Paul affirms, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
Here’s the contrast in simple form: (1) GODLY SORROW—REPENTANCE—LIGHT—LIFE. (2) WORLDLY SORROW—SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS—DARKNESS—DEATH.