NOTES for Co2 7:10-16

An important point for us in this passage is Paul’s distinction between “worldly sorrow” and “sorrow for God.” We understand very well what “worldly sorrow” is. But how does sorrow for God differ from it, and do they have anything in common at all? How can this be combined with Paul’s call to “rejoice always” (where is that from)? How can we understand the difference between the repentance God desires from a person and self-torment, “self-abasement worse than pride”? Paul proposes one possible criterion: their fruits. Where does sorrow ultimately lead; is there any way out of it? Does that way out correspond to the Gospel?