For Godly Sorrow Worketh Repentance To Salvation

2nd Corinthians 7:8-10, “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

The word “salvation” here in 2nd Corinthians 7:10 is not referring to the moment when you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Within the context of this passage the word “salvation” here refers to your daily life.

In Paul's first letter to the carnal church at Corinth (1st Corinthians 3:1), the apostle rebukes them for allowing open sin to exist in the church. In this case, a man and woman were shacking up together. The woman had previously been married to the younger man's biological father. This caused much gossip and disgust in the community, even reaching Paul's ear hundreds of miles away in another city.

So here in the epistle of 2nd Corinthians, Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth, we see that the church elders did in fact deal with the matter. But Paul was concerned about the man, which I love about Paul. Dear friend, you are no better of a Christian than how you treat the INDIVIDUAL PERSON. You can tell a man's true character by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). 1st Peter 1:17, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”

When I first moved to Pensacola, Florida in July of 2021, I chose to attend Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC). I was saddened when their senior pastor, Jeff Redlin, took offense after seeing my website ministry. He criticized my work, falsely accusing me of finding “weaknesses” in preachers. The truth is that I am faithfully obeying God's command in the Bible to “REBUKE THEM SHARPLY” that they might be sound in the faith (Titus 1:10-14). It disturbs me greatly as a Bible preacher that another pastor would be so theologically incompetent and perverse in his walk with God, that he would be so spiritually blind as to see my contending for the faith as a bad thing. Go figure!

Dear reader, the smallest Bible in the world is the one that we live! Jude 1:3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” I am wearied with professed Christians, church pastors, selectively cherry-picking the Scriptures, only focusing on what matters to them. It is sinful. I love what Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) said:

"When the honest, sincere Christian is faced with the decision regarding whether a thing is right or wrong, he should ask, does it agree with all that the Scripture has to say on the subject?" —Pastor Curtis Hutson

Pastor Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928) said this:

“It is important to know the mind of man. It is absolutely essential to know the mind of God. The place to discover the mind of God is the Bible. This is the Book in which God reveals His mind.” —Pastor R.A. Torrey

Sadly, Jeff Redlin thinks he is wise, but he is actually foolish. I say that kindly. God said the same thing about the apostate Laodicean church in Revelation 3:15-17, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” The Pensacola Christian College (PCC) camp are blind to their own apostate direction. PCC sinfully bids Godspeed to Bob Jones University (BJU), which over the past 50 years has deteriorated into a Satanic cesspool of Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation). SHAME on PCC leaders for supporting this evil, which the Bible says makes them partakers of their evil deeds. 1st John 1:11, “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Sorrow is Not Repentance

I have a little Gospel tract titled: “God's Way Of Salvation,” which I cherish. It was authored in the 1920's by Evangelist Alexander Marshall (1846-1928). The original Gospel tract that I have set before me is nearly a century old. It is a little 31-page booklet, which could easily fit into a man's shirt pocket, and it's as thin as a dime. This excellent Gospel tract was originally published by Moody Press in Chicago, back when Moody Bible Institute and Moody Church could be trusted doctrinally. Alexander Marshall rightly teaches:

“I HAVE NOT REPENTED ENOUGH”

What do you mean? “I am not sorry enough for my sins.”

And if you were very sorry, would God be more willing to save you than He is now? “I think so.”

Then you are completely mistaken.

“But does it not say, unless we repent we shall perish?”

Yes; but what do you think is the Scriptural significance of “repentance”? If you say “sorrow for sin” you are wrong. It does not mean sorrow for sin: it means a CHANGE OF MIND (Matt. 21:29). This change will doubtless produce sorrow; but sorrow and repentance are two very different things (Heb. 12:17. margin, and II Cor. 7:9). When God calls on you to “repent, and believe the Gospel,” He wishes you to lay aside your wrong thoughts, and believe the glad tidings that He proclaims to you. Formerly you may have imagined that you were required to feel very sorry before being saved. Change your mind. You may have supposed you must first “feel” some great change in order to know you were saved. Change your mind. First believe in God's great love to you, as revealed in His gospel, and you will KNOW that you have eternal life (John 5:24). SOURCE

Yes, that is excellent. Mr. Marshall is 100% correct! Brother Marshall plainly says that sinners are saved by BELIEVING THE GOSPEL, that is, he says, “to lay aside your wrong thoughts [Repent], and BELIEVE the glad tidings [Gospel] that He proclaims to you.” Amen and amen!

2nd Corinthians 7:8-10, “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

In our text passage from 2nd Corinthians 7:10, the Word of God contrasts the sorrow of the Christian versus the sorrow of the world. The heathen world:

1. The world will tell you philosophically that people are good at their core. We know this is untrue. Simply take a look at the daily news and you'll be horrified. Humanity is vile to the core (Romans 3:10-23). If there be any good thing in me, it is God's presence (1st John 3:24). The daily news is SHOCKING!!! The only thing that you or I have ever done with any merit, makes us completely deserving of being punished in the fires of Hell forever!
2. The world will tell you that your own happiness is important. The world says your happiness is all you really need. Consequently, people eventually end up becoming miserable and defeated because they cannot keep them self happy. You'll sorry when you realize that happiness doesn't last forever! Without Christ a person will never have joy! No one can keep them self happy. Happiness doesn't last forever!
3. The world will tell you that to be happy you must live your best life now, follow your dreams and live life to the fullest. But someday you will sorrow in the fact that your BEST LIFE has come and gone, you cannot fulfill your dreams and experiencing the fulness of life comes with grave consequences.
4. The world will tell you (example article) that in order to be happy, you must surround yourself only by people who make you happy. Jesus' disciples caused Him much grief. They fought frequently. Judas betrayed the Lord whom he followed. Peter three times publicly denied knowing Jesus, cursing His very holy name. All of the disciples abandoned Jesus during His darkest hour of need before being crucified. By surrounding yourself with only friends who make you happy and bring you joy, they will one day leave you as they seek their own self-gratification as you have done.
5. The world will tell you that you must do whatever you can to make as much money, and bring stability and pleasure to your life. Money causes division! Nothing divides families like money! if you don't believe me, go attend the funeral of a rich person and talk to their adult kids. Money is a great divider!!! The heathen world seeks HAPPINESS in entertainment, sports, booze, 401k plans, marriage and adultery, prescription medicine and/or illegal drugs, no cellphones and clothes, gambling, blowing all the money you possibly can, going into debt, attaining status among friends and peers at work and church and society, having kids or not having kids, making money, studying philosophy, going to work or retiring, events or staying home, recreation and relaxation, having friends or no friends, hobbies, parties, gossip, explicit TV shows, tattoos, gym, traveling the world or going nowhere, video games, affairs, et cetera. WHETHER GOOD OR BAD, NONE OF THESE THINGS WILL BRING LASTING HAPPINESS TO YOUR LIFE. The Devil is a beautiful liar (John 8:44; 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15). The reason why is because you are looking at this list through the lens of your own selfish eyes. But if we will take off the lens of self and look at everything through GOD'S EYES in the Holy Bible, then we can find true meaning and peace along the journey.

The “salvation” spoken of by the Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 7:10 deals with our daily life, not getting born-again. As Evangelist Alexander Marshall rightly teaches, sorrow leads to repentance but is not repentance. The great need of the hour is for God's children everywhere to get right with God. Sadly, the sheep are scattered. Jeremiah 23:2, “Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.” God was upset with the incompetent pastors because they just didn't care, like Jeff Redlin at PCC's Campus Church didn't care about me as a hurting divorced man. He might as well have drove over me with his car! Redlin is full of lame excuses why he is too busy to care about others, which is really pathetic for a pastor.

The Bible says that godly sorrow worketh repentance. That is, when a person experiences sincere sorrow in the Lord, they will change their thinking (repent) about how they behave and treat other people. Pastor Jeff Redlin is a cold-hearted selfish person, and he isn't going to change his mind because he has no godly sorrow. Pastor Jack Hyles wisely said this:

“The pastors have destroyed the churches, and they've been trained by people that have never built churches, and they have no compassion.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Many Pastors Have Destroyed My Vineyard”

This old dying world is getting more sinful and sick by the hour. 1st John 5:19 teaches that the world has always been a messed up and wicked place. However, modern technological advancements, and the population explosion from hundreds of millions of people in the 1800's to billions of people in the new millennium, has allowed mankind to plummet steeply down the deadly road to destruction that he was already traveling. The world is set on a crash course with disaster!