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Paul’s rebuke in his letter accomplished what was lacking in them and caused them to be “sorry”: 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

In the Bible, the terms “salvation” and “death” do not always refer solely to the salvation of the soul or the second death in hell. Sometimes, they relate to the physical body being spared or perishing. A clear example of this is Judas. Although he repented, his sorrow was not godly but rather “of the world”. As we read in Matthew 27:3–5, his repentance was marked by despair rather than true godly sorrow, and it ultimately led to death: “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

Some put fear and pressure on believers using this scripture to teach they must have sorrow in order to come to Jesus and be saved. Of course some may shed tears but emotion is not required for salvation only belief (John 3:16, Romans 10:9, Acts 16:30-31). Many Biblical accounts don’t record any sorrow or tears associated with salvation:

1. No mention of sorrow or tears, instead joy: Acts 8:39 “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

2. No dramatic display, just a humble request: Luke 23:42-43 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

3. The response was radical restitution, no visible sorrow: Luke 19:8-9 “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house…”

4. Moved from fear to then belief and rejoicing, no sorrow mentioned: Acts 16:33-34 “And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”

In Luke 7:47, Jesus reveals that the “godly sorry worketh repentance” can lead to different emotional responses, some love more than others and some will show sorrow but others won’t. “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”. An individual who has walked in deep darkness and repents will often experience a profound joy and love sometimes expressed through tears, as we see in the woman of Luke 7:38 “And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”

Furthermore, this passage is better understood as referring not to eternal salvation, but to salvation from divine chastisement or discipline. The context supports this view, as Paul is addressing believers, the Corinthian church. He makes this clear in the previous chapter, stating, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6:15; see also 6:14;19–20). In 2 Corinthians 7:11, Paul commends them, saying, “what clearing of yourselves,” indicating that their repentance has restored their right standing before God.

1. In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul urges the Corinthians not to receive God’s grace "in vain," implying that their salvation should produce practical fruit in their lives. This sets the stage for 7:9-10, where repentance ensures their salvation is not "in vain" but bears fruit through godly living.s

In conclusion, these believers were in the wrong, Paul called them out and made them sorry for their sin. This produced godly sorrow in them and restored their fellowship with God. It led to their repentance and “salvation” which means it spared them from potential divine chastisement (as in 1 Corinthians 11:30-32). The sin they repenting of was most like what is recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

Their godly sorrow produced a tangible and good change. Contrast this with Judas and his change of (repentence) that resulted in death as we learned above. Instead, we see here with the Corinthians it resulted in a list of good things. Paul then states “ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter”. In other words, their actions demonstrated they were no longer guilty and had taken the necessary steps to make things right. This is the “salvation” Paul refers to in the previous verse. No longer would they be headed towards God’s chastisement (Hebrews 12:5-11).

If Paul were speaking of eternal salvation in verse 10, the list he presents in verse 11 would not make sense. Instead of detailing their response to sin, he would likely be welcoming them into their new identity as sons of God and outlining the blessings of that identity, similar to what he does in Ephesians 1. However, Paul says nothing here to imply eternal salvation. Rather, he emphasizes their repentance of a particular sin and highlights how their transformed actions now testify to that change.