Matthew 5:4 (ESV)
⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

What makes you sad? We all experience sadness from time to time. Some events even put us in a state of mourning. So, what kind of things cause you to mourn? The answer to these questions can say much about where you are spiritually. In this beatitude, Jesus tells us that we are blessed when we mourn. Of course, He is not speaking of mourning in general, for many people mourn and never experience relief. Our mourning is only blessed when we mourn over the right thing. So, over what should we mourn?

Jesus was speaking about mourning over sin. To mourn over sin is to be filled with godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). There is not enough of this today. We need more godly sorrow, that is, more genuine sadness over the sinful state of this world. One problem we increasingly face, even among Christians, is a conspicuous lack of sadness over the sin that surrounds us. We have become desensitized to it to the point where we no longer mourn. Now, there are three things for which we should mourn concerning sin:

We Should Mourn over Our Own Sins

Do you realize that it is because of your own personal sins that Jesus had to die on the cross? We should all remember this truth regularly. James tells us that it should cause us to mourn and weep (James 4:8-9). He was not talking about mourning over sin in general, but rather being afflicted because of our personal sins. We should love and care for Jesus enough to feel great sorrow when we disappoint Him, knowing that He died for our sins, paying the price that we ourselves deserved to pay (Romans 15:3). Certainly, this should make us sad. Since we all sin from time to time, we should contemplate how we break God’s heart when we do so, and our minds should be filled with sorrow.

We Should Mourn over the Sins of Brethren

Paul wept at the thought of his brethren being overtaken by sin (Acts 20:31). Should we not mourn when a brother or sister in Christ falls away from God? It is a sign of spiritual immaturity if we are unaffected by the sins of our brethren. When we demonstrate a stoic, uncaring attitude towards our brothers who have fallen, God is just as displeased with us as He is with those who have sinned (Ezekiel 9:1-6). Our love for our brethren, and the sadness we feel because of their plight, should cause us to try to help them (Galatians 6:1-2).

We Should Mourn over the Sins of the World

We should mourn when we see what a mess the world is in because of sin. Crime rates, divorce rates, abortion rates, etc., all tell the tale of our society today. We live in a world dominated by sin (Psalms 51:5). In many circles one would have to search long and hard to find any semblance of respect for God, and you can be sure that this grieves Him. Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem because of her transgressions (Luke 19:41). We should have the mind of Christ.

Does sin make you sad? I wish I could say that someday sin will disappear from this world, but it will not. However, in heaven it will be no more (Revelation 21:27), and we will be comforted.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.