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.
In the first letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers he actually gave them a warning about a man who was in sin and needed to be corrected. The letter had a positive affect on the church, as they corrected the man's behavior. That letter and pressure from the body caused the man to repent. That repentance, like all repentance, yields fruit. In the above passage Paul outlines what true Biblical, Spirit lead repentance looks like. Note the following fruit of repentance:
1. Earnestness - There was a desire within the repentant soul, a zeal, to return to God and serve Him.
2. Eagerness - There was a strong desire to seek God's forgiveness to clear their conscious of their sin. The word used here for clearing yourself is the Greek word that we get "apology" from.
3. Indignation - Those who have sought repentance ought to show a hatred for the sin they have sought repentance.
4. Fear - this is Godly fear .. they type that you find when you are in deep respect for God. When we seek God in repentance we find respect and honor for Him.
5. Longing - Repentance away from sin causes a hunger for God ... a longing for Him.
6. Zeal - Repentance produces a zeal for God ... for righteousness ... for holiness
7. Punishment - The zeal and longing that the repentant heart brings is toward sin and toward any act of sin. Samson, after falling into sin and having his enemy take him captive, destroyed them all by knocking down the temple.
True repentance bears fruit. The fruit is very specific. It produces a hatred for sin, a desire for God and a zeal to make sure God is honored. Repentance is not simply an, "I'm sorry." Repentance produces fruit worthy for God.
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