Conviction of Sin
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10
Paul makes a distinction between godly sorrow for our sins and worldly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:9-11. Worldly sorrow can be due to a faulty conscience, the guilt trips we put on one another, or the accusations of the devil. We may feel guilty due to worldly sorrow, but that cannot change the fact that we are forgiven before God.
We all feel guilty when we violate our conscience. Our conscience is a function of our mind and will always be true to itself, but not necessarily to God. Our conscience was formed before we came to Christ as we assimilated values from our home, school and social environments. Observing role models and learning right from wrong from others shaped our conscience, but human resources and role models are not infallible. When we come to Christ, our conscience changes as we are transformed by the renewing of our mind. Letting our conscience be our guide is not the same as letting the Holy Spirit be our guide.
Nonbelievers come under the conviction of sin and turn to Christ. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Should we sin as born-again believers, we will also have a sense of sorrow for what we have done. That is the convicting (not condemning) work of the Holy Spirit.
Worldly sorrow may feel the same as godly sorrow, but the end results are radically different. Many people are sorry they got caught sinning, but such sorrow seldom leads to repentance. Others may feel sorry for their sins and have an emotional catharsis and confess their sins to others. However, if there is no genuine repentance, they may regret this action later. Godly sorrow leads to repentance without regret. People don’t regret finding their freedom in Christ through genuine repentance. They are thankful for their newfound freedom and sense no shame.
In a moment of crisis, Peter denied Christ three times (see Luke 22:60). However, he came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repented and became the first spokesperson for the Early Church (see Luke 22:61-62; Acts 2:14-41). Judas also betrayed Jesus, but succumbed to the sorrow of the world and hung himself (see Matthew 27:1-5). His actions did not demonstrate God-centered sorrow over the wickedness of sin that leads to death, but a self-centered sorrow over the temporal consequences of sin that had negatively affected him.
If you have been honest with God and yet struggle with condemning thoughts, rest assured that is not God convicting you of sin. You first should consider by what standard are you evaluating your actions. Feeling guilty because you didn’t carry on some family tradition is due to a faulty conscience. You also could be paying attention to a deceiving spirit. Paul wrote, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
On Good Friday, one thief hung on a cross by Jesus and experienced the sorrow of the world and died, but the other “became sorrowful as God intended” (2 Corinthians 7:9) and joined Jesus in paradise (see Luke 23:40-43).
questions to consider
What is the distinction between godly sorrow for our sins and wordly sorrow?
What is the function of our conscience before we come to Christ? How does that change after we come to Christ?
Why are there no regrets after genuine repentance?
In what ways do you struggle with a guilty conscience?
Have you ever felt the conviction of sin and failed to repent? How did that work for you in the long run?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.