Godly Sorrow which worketh repentance And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). After you have accepted Christ as a believer and have been regenerated, you become Spirit because you were born of the Spirit (John 3:6) nevertheless; your Spirit man has not taken over complete rule over your flesh because control of the flesh by the Spirit comes with growth. You are a babe that must grow. You may do a few fleshly things but with growth must gain control by the Spirit. One who is grown in the things of God must instruct you and help you grow. A child when he is born might not have continence to control his urination and may wet himself / herself many times but as he grows, he gains control and is able to handle such things. Believers who are matured most often will condemn such a person which may bring extreme guilt, depression and sorrow of the world which worketh death. The Christian growth is a gradual growth in the spirit though one may be able to take leaps in the spirit. Condemnation should be unto godly sorrow which worketh repentance. The apostle Paul explained the purpose of his condemnation of the church at Corinth in 2 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. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Beloved of God, the matured believer must disciple the babe in Christ. In truth your maturity is dependent on those you have raised in Christ. In it is your crown. The Apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Colossians 1:28-29; Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. …To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: You that say you are matured in Christ, what will you present in that day if all you do is destroy those you helped save. And you that is saved, why will you not contact one with the word of His Grace, which will be able to build you up and give you an inheritance among the saints (Acts 20:32). Remember, growth is both longitudinal and vertical. Walk in this reality, Shalom!
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 10:43:51 +0000