5 differences between worldly sorrow and godly repentance

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:21-24)

As Jesus is wrapping up the “Sermon on the Mount,” he is repeatedly heightening the contrast between true and fake believers. We saw this contrast over the last two weeks and we see it again in today’s passage.

In his exceptional devotional book on the Sermon on the Mount, my friend Skye Jethani says, “For me, this is the most frightening passage in all of Scripture.” I concur. Because Jesus says “many” of us will do this. It is very possible to “declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’” but declare with your actions that you are (see Romans 10:9).

So, how can you tell if you are a true follower of Christ? How can you know if you are truly saved? 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” One of the most practical signs of true salvation is that you’ve traded worldly sorrow for godly repentance.

• Worldly sorrow hates the consequences of your sin. Godly repentance hates the sin itself (see 2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
• Worldly sorrow grieves how sin makes you feel. Godly repentance grieves how your sin makes God and others feel (see Psalm 51:4).
• Worldly sorrow hides sin until you get caught. Godly repentance confesses sin before you get caught (see Proverbs 28:13).
• Worldly sorrow makes no plans to change. Godly repentance actively and practically wages war against sin (see Acts 26:20).
• Worldly sorrow leads you to commit the same sin over and over again. Godly repentance leads you to sin less over time (see 1 John 3:9).

With that in mind, I want to challenge you to pick one sin you need to repent of at work today. Not a dozen. Just one. And do three things in response to today’s devotional:

1. Confess your sin to God and (if appropriate) others
2. Thank God for the forgiveness he has already given you through Christ
3. Define one practical action you will take to prevent this sin in the future

But do not wait on this. As Randy Alcorn says, “Nothing is more fleeting than the moment of conviction." Repent of your sin now—not to earn your salvation, but because the Savior who already secured it for you is calling you to walk in freedom today.