Standing In the Clearing - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 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 7:10-11

    There is a distinct and fatal difference between sorrow produced by worldly fear and that produced by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. One is induced by fear of worldly recompense and, as Paul says, “produces death;” the other is produced by the indwelling of God’s Spirit acting in His capacity to transform us into creatures of light rather than darkness. Worldly sorrow is that which picks at us to seek excuse, subterfuge, and evasion. We try to hide ourselves as Adam tried to hide from God . . . to no avail. Ultimately, both Adam and Eve stood “in the clearing,” naked before the Lord. Godly sorrow is always manifested in our nakedness, in our humbling, our humiliation, our conviction, and total desire for true forgiveness.
    Worldly sorrow is insincere; it is disingenuous. Such sorrow seeks to avoid consequence. And while we may think or believe we have evaded God’s justice for the time being we have only succeeded in storing up for ourselves His holy wrath. Whereas true Godly sorrow is evidenced by sincere and genuine repentance. We must recall the words of David in Psalm 51: 3-4 - “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”
    David “acknowledged” his sin before the Lord. He hid it not nor did he excuse it nor evade it. He stood “in the clearing” . . . before the Lord. It was David’s desire to come clean with his God, to be “clear in this matter.” But the Psalmist didn’t stop there. He went further. He went to the place that God desires all of us to go-
“Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.” - Psalm 51:11-12.  David plead for the continued comfort and strength of God’s Holy Spirit because the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the real evidence of our true saving faith. Where the Spirit does not reside there is no Godly sorrow. Where the Spirit does not reside there is no salvation.
    Godly sorrow manifests itself on three distinct avenues, all leading to the same destination: we are sorry to God, our Holy Father, for our stubborn disobedience to Him as our Creator and Sustainer. We are sorry to Jesus Christ, our Savior who suffers torture at our hands and dies upon the cross, over and over again with each of our transgressions. We are sorry to the Holy Spirit whom we grieve with our prideful eviction of His presence in our hearts. We are sorry to our God, our Redeemer, and our Comforter. This is Godly sorrow. No running; no hiding; no excuses. We stand in the clearing. May God keep you and comfort you.