"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." 2 Corinthians 7:10

Those who choose to continue in sin will eventually become hardened. The parable of the fig tree in Luke 13 is my favorite Scripture to use when explaining that God is patient but He does not wait forever. Once God sees that a person is not going to obey Him and bear righteous fruit, He takes the Holy Spirit and then sends upon them a "spirit of delusion: that they may actually believe the lie they have chosen to receive.

 In Romans 1 we see the same thing - God gave the rebellious over to a depraved mind to practice the evil desires of their heart.. Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10 are additional supportive Scriptures. Paul warned that the fallen may experience a sorrow that cannot lead them to repentance.

Jude wrote of those who were "twice dead" or "doubly dead" - these are those who were once children of God but who later returned to the fallen world. This is a frightening truth and has always sobered me and caused me to examine the motivations of my heart.

 

Being a Pastor, I have seen this happen to people. When a person crosses over from the divine nature to the fallen nature he no longer loves God and the truth, or the ways of God. His heart has become ruined and apostate and desires the things of the world.

 This, however does not prevent his conscience from rising up in protest from time to time. He may experience sorrow and temporary guilt in his conscience which may move him to rise up against his fallen heart and temporarily suppress it’s desires - but eventually the heart prevails, because - "Out of the mouth the heart speaks" and "As a man thinks, so he is."

The heart is the real you, which is why God declares, -"My people always go astray in their heart" and why the spiritually weakened David cried, -"Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me, O’ God!"

Until a complete hardening takes place when the conscience gives up to the fallen heart, the person will experience inner turmoil and highs and lows. Because of a guilt-driven conscience he will be bothered by knowing that he is living a less than committed life. He may live a carnal life all week yet be commentarily pierced when he hears the Word of God read or spoken. This is why so many of the same people fall before the same altar week after week but obviously have no power to walk in Christ without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit unquenched.

"I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us." verse 9