Joy and affliction seem like an impossible pairing, unless, of course, you’re some kind of sadist or weirdo who enjoys interpersonal conflict or asceticism. Paul reminds the Corinthian church that God comforts the downcast, and that grief can lead to needed change in a person’s heart or to reconciliation with one another. This kind of grief, which Paul highlights as “godly grief” leads to repentance. But there is another kind of grief, which Paul identifies as “worldly grief.” The person who remains unrepentant and continues to persist in sin has “worldly grief” and this leads only to death.