For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
– 2 Corinthians 7:10, ESV
God’s grace, offered through Jesus Christ, can transform your response to your sin. That’s the big idea of this next chapter of Finally Free. Rather than feeling worldly sorrow, you can begin to feel godly sorrow. “Worldly sorrow is concerned about losing stuff … while the focus of godly sorrow is God himself” (pp. 34-35).
For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
– 2 Corinthians 7:11
Consider Lambert’s marks of Godly sorrow drawn from the above passage:
- Godly sorrow is earnest.
“Biblical remorse over sin extends far beyond a momentary wince of pain and a fleeting twinge of conviction” (p. 36). - Godly sorrow leads to an eagerness to clear yourself.
“Godly sorrow longs to be clear of pornography and eagerly pursues ways to eradicate it” (p. 37). - Godly sorrow leads to indignation.
“Worldly sorrow hates the consequences of sin …Godly sorrow hates the sin itself” (p. 38). - Godly sorrow leads to alarm.
“Godly sorrow doesn’t fear that people will find out about your sin. Rather, you fear that God—the only person who ultimately matters – always knew” (p. 39). - Godly sorrow leads to longing and concern for restoration.
“Your sorrow leads you either deeper inside yourself (worldly sorrow) or toward God and others (godly sorrow)” (p. 40). - Godly sorrow leads to a desire for justice.
“An immediate and critical test for whether your sorrow is godly or worldly is whether you’re willing to accept the consequences of your sin” (p. 41).
I’ll leave you with Lambert’s closing exhortation:
Whether you are plagued with an absence of sorrow or the presence of worldly sorrow, the solution is the same. You need God’s forgiving and transforming grace. You need forgiving grace for having the wrong kind of response to your sin and you need transforming grace to have the kind of broken heart that honors God. (p. 43)
Check back next week for a post on Chapter 3: Using Accountability to Fight Pornography.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
– Psalm 51:4
