Godly Sorrow
Godly sorrow is grief over sin that is shaped by reverence for God and leads to repentance. Scripture contrasts it with worldly sorrow, which does not produce spiritual life.
At a Glance
Godly sorrow is grief over sin that is shaped by reverence for God and leads to repentance. Scripture contrasts it with worldly sorrow, which does not produce spiritual life.
Description
Godly sorrow is the Spirit-used grief a person experiences over sin in relation to God’s holiness, truth, and mercy. Paul’s clearest statement is that “godly grief” or “godly sorrow” produces repentance leading to salvation, while worldly sorrow produces death (2 Cor. 7:10). This does not mean sorrow itself saves, but that true repentance includes a real, God-centered grief over sin and its guilt. In conservative evangelical understanding, godly sorrow is more than regret over consequences, embarrassment, or loss; it is sorrow that acknowledges sin as sin before God and turns toward him in confession, repentance, and renewed obedience. Believers may experience this sorrow in ongoing sanctification, and those coming to faith may experience it in conversion, but in either case the safest conclusion is that Scripture commends sorrow that leads to repentance rather than despair.