What is the difference between worldly and godly sorrow?

Anthony Mathenia explains in this video that individuals who show godly sorrow are sorrowful because of offending God because He is holy and good. Individuals who show worldly sorrow merely show sorrow because of the consequences that they are suffering because of the wrong that they have done. They do not sorrow because they have rebelled against the commandments of God. 

Worldly sorrow will not produce a change of direction. Godly sorrow will. It will result in a change of life and a change of direction. We will make the necessary changes in our lives so that we do not continue walking in those ways. 

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV) - "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."



Distinguishing between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow can be summarized as Godly sorrow is when we are affected in our inner being, we're sorrowful, as a result of wronging God, offending him because he's holy, he's righteous, and he's good. Whereas Worldly sorrow tends to be just a sorrow as a result of the consequences that we are suffering due to the wrong that we've done. Not only that, a worldly sorrow will not produce a change of direction, which is repentance, which is real biblical repentance, but godly sorrow will result in a change of life, a change of direction. We will not only be sorrowful for those things that we've done, but we will make the necessary changes to our lives so that we don't continue walking in those ways.