Holiness and Godly Sorrow

2 Corinthians 7

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

We know we are progressing in Holiness when we have sorrow for ugly attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, but we rejoice in the Spirit of Christ and when others live for Jesus.

• Encouragement to live a life of Holiness.
• Troubles come against Holiness externally and internally.
• Jesus Christ gave us the Comforter and He will be coming back.
• Godly sorrow leads to repentance and a closer walk in Holiness.
• Godly sorrow brings diligence, indignation, and vindication.
• Holiness is not an arbitrator of conflict, but a Comforter among Believers.
• We are the apple of God’s eye when we walk in the Spirit of Christ.

Encouragement to live a life of Holiness. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1 Some of those promises include the remission of sin, sanctification, and eternal life. God cleanses us from all of the ugliness in the flesh and the spirit, and because He is Holy, we can live the life of Holiness. “Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.” 2 Corinthians 7:2 Our heart should be open to those who live for Jesus, which also means our heart should be open to the teachings of the Bible written by people living the life of Holiness.

“I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.” 2 Corinthians 7:3 Encouraging others to live a life of Holiness is not a condemnation, it is the love we have for our neighbors as ourselves. “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.” 2 Corinthians 7:4 There is no greater pride and joy than for someone to live for Jesus, and in that joy, we encourage Holiness. We gladly endure affliction for Jesus Christ and those who live for Jesus.

Troubles come against Holiness externally and internally. “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.” 2 Corinthians 7:5 Living the life of Holiness can be affected by the afflictions we face externally and the feelings we have internally. The thing that has the ability to form what we think, what we feel, and our emotions can make us feel very insecure within the Spirit of Christ. They synchronize people to the mark of the beast, who give us trouble on every side with their uncanny knowledge and heightened intuition, to bring verbal afflictions and physical intimidation. Healthcare is troubling, there are safety insecurities, there is social ostracization, disrespect, and a total attack on identifying as a Christian.

Jesus Christ gave us the Comforter and He will be coming back. “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,” 2 Corinthians 7:6 Occasionally, we may come across someone else who lifts up the name of Jesus, but most importantly we are comforted by knowing Jesus Christ will be coming back. Global warming is here (Revelation 16:8-10), the global government is here (Daniel 8 as well as Revelation 17), and the mark of the beast is here, meaning that the global tribulation is progressing forward, then Jesus returns.

“…and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.” 2 Corinthians 7:7 Other Christians comfort us and bring us joy, but when Jesus Christ comes back, the comfort we will have far exceeds all the hardships we face in this life. Today, He has given us the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who lives in us as long as we live on this earth. He enables us to walk in Holiness to overcome the ugliness of the flesh and spirit which is in this world. We earnestly desire Jesus, mourn for the destruction of the things of God, and desire to spread His testimony.

Godly sorrow leads to repentance and a closer walk in Holiness. “For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.” 2 Corinthians 7:8 There are things that we say and later we feel sorrowful for saying. As time passes, we don’t feel sorrow for saying it because we realize what we said needed to be said. The thing that is able to form what we feel in our emotions can make us loathe ourselves for speaking words of Holiness to correct an unrighteous behavior. There are many things written in the Bible, and many things which Paul wrote, that makes people feel sorrowful about an ugly spirit or fleshly behavior. We grow in Holiness from sorrow over our ugliness.

“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.” 2 Corinthians 7:9 When we feel sorrow for ugly spiritual or fleshly attitudes and behaviors it leads to Godliness. Sorrow in a Godly manner works Holiness within us. When our words can cause someone to regret sin and move closer to God, that is something to rejoice about. As followers of Christ, we rejoice for the Holy Bible, but those who live for the mark of the beast are tossing the Bibe from their “democratic” society. They believe self-esteem and self-confidence are more important than being made sorrowful by realizing sin.

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 We want people to feel sorrow for sin so that they can come to Jesus for the remission of sin and be saved. Sorrow of this world only leads to death because sin leads to death. Worldly sorrow comes from financial problems, sorrow over not having enough possessions, or not having enough sensual pleasures, etc. Worrying over money, possessions, physical comforts, and social acceptance will never bring reconciliation with God. Those sorrows separate us from God and makes us dead to Christ.

Godly sorrow brings diligence, indignation, and vindication. “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:11 When we live our life in the Spirit of Christ, the Godly sorrow keeps us diligent in rejecting the mark of the beast. Godly sorrow maintains us with a clear conscience, even though the thing with power over physiology makes us loathe ourselves. We feel indignation at the blatant blaspheme towards God, the attacks on Jesus Christ, and the constant ugliness in society. We have a vehement desire for people to come to Jesus and for continuing in our walk of Holiness. We have a zeal for the word of God and have an amazing vindication of sin through Jesus Christ.

Holiness is not an arbitrator of conflict, but a Comforter among Believers. “Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.” 2 Corinthians 7:12 Encouraging people to live a life of Godly sorrow and Holiness has nothing to do with being a judge in other people’s conflict. It’s about putting the love of God and Jesus Christ in plain sight for everyone to see. When the Spirit of Christ lives in us, there is no desire for the ugliness of the spirit nor of the flesh. The Spirit of Holiness is a wet blanket on human conflict. “Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” 2 Corinthians 7:13 Holiness enables us to be comforted by each other.

We are the apple of God’s eye when we walk in the Spirit of Christ. “For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true.” 2 Corinthians 7:14 If there is anything worth boasting about in other people it is there walk of Holiness. They are people who live by the Spirit of Christ and shun the wrong,

 “I Know the Lord Will Make a Way for Me.
If I Live a Holy Life,
Shun The Wrong and Do the Right.
I Know the Lord Will Make a Way for Me.”
(Church Hymn)

“And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.” 2 Corinthians 7:15-16 Let our confidence be in those who live in obedience to Jesus Christ. God’s affection is towards those who receive Jesus and live in obedience to the Spirit of Holiness.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1