2 Corinthians 7:11 Commentary and Bible Study

Here Paul gives us seven marks of godly sorrow. Number one – ‘what carefulness it wrought in you.’ The Greek says, what haste: what haste it brought about in you. They yielded to the reproof of the apostle in 1 Corinthians quickly. They did not wait; they did not push it aside. A true believer who is earnest with the Lord, who commits some sin in word or deed or thought, if convicted of that sin does not defend himself or herself. He immediately says, ‘I must repent, and I must repent soon, and I must yield, and I must set about correcting this and quickly.’Number two – ‘What clearing of yourselves’, which means, how quickly you moved to own up fully and say to yourself or to whoever reproved you, ‘Yes I did it, I am guilty, and I have no excuse.’ What readiness to see all the sin and to enter that plea of guilty.Number three – the very terms that Paul uses, he adds one thing to another. ‘Yea,’ even more he seems to say, ‘what indignation,’ what anger. Not at Paul, but at yourselves, at the offence and the hurt and the scandal. ‘Oh, I am angry with myself, we are angry with ourselves and what we were capable of and how it hurt somebody.’Number four, ‘Yea, what fear’ comes next. Fear of blessing being taken away, fear of sin growing worse, fear of doing it again or saying it again or something similar. Fear of the punishment of God and blessing being withdrawn, because it matters and God does deal with me, to reprove me or to bless me.‘Yea, what vehement desire,’ number five. What longing for cleansing, for the forgiveness of God. What longing to get past this and over this. What longing to be released from the apathy in me that ever allowed it to happen or allowed the sin to go unchecked. What longing for God’s glory, for the offended person to be compensated and put right. What determination and strong feeling.And number six – ‘Yea, what zeal.’ It adds to it. What burning effort to achieve purity and to get back to Christian service. And after that, number seven – ‘Yea, what revenge.’ What forwardness to correct or compensate the wrong, and make good the damage and honour, the mission, and to return to the work of the Lord as allowed.When we sin, we must face it and deal with it. We need help in our own repentance, and here it is, and it is wonderfully instructive.