Genuine Love and Genuine Repentance

As an introduction to this study, please read the 1-minute devotion A Common Misunderstanding About Love. It explains that confession and repentance are important aspects of genuine love.

In 2 Corinthians 7 (see below), Paul speaks about immorality in the Corinthian church and describes their genuine repentance.

With prayer and pen, pull the principles from this passage:

↪ What characterizes godly sorrow (genuine repentance)? 
↪ What are the characteristics of worldly sorrow? These are not listed in this passage, but understanding characteristics of genuine repentance helps us recognize characteristics of false repentance.
↪ I encourage you to do this before looking at my lists below. 

2 Corinthians 7:8-16: "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. 14 I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. 15 And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 16 I am glad I can have complete confidence in you." 

Genuine apologies (accompanied by true repentance) are healing to all relationships. We think we "save face" by not apologizing, but we actually make ourselves look worse. 

And it's never too late to apologize. The Lord convicted me of some offenses I'd committed against my parents and in-laws many years after they were committed. Most of them were long forgotten. But I took the time to genuinely ask forgiveness for each specific detail God had given me. I believe it blessed my parents and in-laws, and I know it blessed me. 

So ask God to guide you...are there people who need to hear a sincere apology from you?

copyright 2013, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated 2020

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