Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Genuine, spiritual sorrow for sin is the work of the Holy Spirit. True repentance is too rare and precious a flower to grow in the garden of human nature. Pearls may form naturally in oysters, but repentance never appears in the heart of a sinner unless God’s grace produces it there. If you have even the smallest amount of real hatred for sin, it is because God has given it to you, for human nature alone—like a thornbush—can never produce good fruit. As Scripture says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.”

True repentance always looks to the Saviour. When we repent, one eye must be fixed on our sin and the other on the cross—or better still, both eyes should be fixed on Christ, seeing our sins only in the light of His love and sacrifice.

Real sorrow for sin is practical, not just emotional or theoretical. No one can truly say they hate sin while continuing to live in it. Repentance makes us see sin’s evil through experience—just as a burned child fears fire. We become as cautious toward sin as a man who has recently been robbed is wary of thieves. We avoid it completely—in both great and small things—just as people avoid little vipers as much as great serpents.

True mourning for sin makes us careful with our words, lest we speak wrongly. It makes us watchful over our daily actions, lest we offend in anything. Each night we end the day with humble confession of our failures, and each morning we begin with earnest prayer that God would keep us from sinning against Him.

Sincere repentance is lifelong. Believers repent until their final breath. This well of godly sorrow never runs dry. Every other sorrow fades with time, but this precious sorrow grows as we grow, and though it is both sweet and painful, we thank God for allowing us to experience it until the day we enter His eternal rest.