Sorrow isn’t always a bad thing. Remorse can be good as well, especially if it leads a person to make a positive and permanent change in his life. This is what justice systems all over the world are about. Jail sentences and judicial punishments alike are systems of consequence created to bring a person to sorrow and ultimately, repentance. This is also what 2nd Corinthians chapter 7 is talking about when Paul speaks of a sorrow he rejoices seeing in the lives of the Corinthians. He isn’t proud of the conquests of legalistic righteousness-doing something simply to gain more brownie points with God-but of a genuine, heartfelt sorrow leading a person to do acts of righteousness simply because he realizes the gravity of his sin and craves a restored relationship with God. This sorrow is essential because it ultimately leads to salvation. It’s a sorrow of vindication, of freedom, because it brings with it the promise of a clean slate and renewed mercy. The passage explicitly states that this righteous sorrow directly coincides with the will of God. God wants us to feel and understand the same sorrow he experiences over our sin. It’s a sorrow without regret and comes from God Himself. This unrelenting, genuine sorrow brings us face to face with the heart of God and pulls us closer to Him. In our quest to be like our Father, sorrow is necessary because it brings with it an incomprehensible wholeness and completion. As Christians, we need to understand and practice the sorrow of true repentance in our daily lives so we, according to the will of God, may rejoice too, and not suffer any loss.
2 Corinthians 7:8-11
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%207:8-11
