II Corinthians 7:9-10

That is the exact wrong direction to go. If you are sorry about something, you want to produce something good like life, but the world's sorrow does not do that because it does not produce change. Not the right kind of change. And when it does not produce the right kind of change, it will not lead to the right kind of goal, like salvation.

Now as we think about this, think about Paul's description of repentance here, recall that the Greek word for repentance is metanoia. It means a change in thinking, a change in mind—the -noia part of the word has to do with the mind—a change in thinking that spurs a change in behavior. It goes beyond just the change of mind. It goes to what that mind produces. And the mind produces good thoughts—if it is going in the right direction, if there is been a true change—the mind changes so it produces good thoughts, good intentions, good motives, and those things work out in action, in good behavior.

II Corinthians 7:9-11

Does not Paul say that godly sorrow produces repentance? That is II Corinthians 7. Let us look at that, just three verses. I am not going to spend a lot of time here, but I want you to note what Paul says this produces. Once God forgives you, once you have repented in dust and ashes and tears and all these things, what actually godly sorrow produces in the person, how it changes from sorrow to something else. So starting in verse 9, Paul writes,

And so this is the kind of thing that David is longing for in Psalm 6. He knows that if he sorrows in a godly way and that he changes, there is going to be a great benefit on the other side, and he wants those things. He wants the clearing. He wants the vindication. He wants the zeal. He wants all of those things because that is a far better place to be than in this burdensome position where sin is just weighing down on a person.

II Corinthians 7:9-11

So the remorse of our sins or failing to keep our words should lead to change in behavior. Many people only regret the consequences of their sin or broken word or being caught, similar to worldly sorrow. Compare Peter's remorse and repentance with Judas' bitterness and suicide. Both denied Christ. One repented and was restored to faith and service. The other took his own life.