Conflict, Grief, and Holiness
2 Corinthians 7:8-11
To be holy means to be separate, or set apart. In a culture that calls us to affirm everything, we must remember that God calls us to be holy. God will even allow confrontation to bring about holiness, and this relational conflict causes immense grief for everyone involved. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul had written a severe letter to the Corinthian church to confront their sin. This letter grieved both Paul and his recipients, but its end result was Paul’s joy and their holiness. How do we know that our grief is godly grief, and how does God use it to grow our holiness?
Take Home Message: God uses our grief to grow our holiness.
Godly grief produces…
- Holiness through remorse.
- 2 Corinthians 7:8- For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.
- Holiness through repentance.
- 2 Corinthians 7:9-10- As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
- Holiness through righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 7:11- For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
Simple. Authentic. Jesus.
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