Pastor Barry’s “Chapter &; Verse” Day 310

November 6; 2 Corinthians 7:9; 156/260(III); ‘Sorrow & Repentance’

2 Corinthians 7:9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your
sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not
harmed in any way by us. NIV
Paul had sent a very corrective letter to the church at Corinth. Too often the world corrects with
only the idea of slamming someone for what they did. That brings condemnation that does not
help anyone. The things of the Lord are very different than the things of the world. Thank God
for that. Godly sorrow, which Paul’s letter to the church brought, causes repentance.
Repentance is an essential turning point in reconciled relationships. It means a turning away
from something and turning to God. Paul loved the congregation of the Corinthian church and
did not send the letter to hurt them, but to do exactly what the letter did, cause them to turn from
the behavior that would hurt them. How wonderful the Lord is. For the body of Christ to come
to a healthy place, often repentance, regret, confession and action are needed. It seems that that
is exactly what this congregation did. Notice, this verse says that the sorrow the church
encountered was the kind of sorrow God intended and the congregation was helped and not
harmed. Religion, which is such a tool of the devil, condemns and feels very justified in doing
so. It eagerly points out that we are sinners and deserve to be punished by the Lord. In reality,
the Lord wants us to steer clear of sin, because there are consequences of sin. The sin itself
punishes us, surely not the Lord. Know that the Lord will correct us, He has to. He never
corrects to harm us in any way. He loves you.