byNon-believers have many reasons to regret what they do. It may be because it costs them a lot of money, time or even their dignity and not necessarily because it is a sin. As Christians, the only reason to regret our old way of living is because Jesus admonishes us to do so. I saw a post on Snapchat which read, “I regret what I did but I enjoyed it”. That is not genuine regret. True regret is absolute. It’s either you regret something or you don’t. There is no half-truth in regret. When you regret something, you do not wish to go back to doing that thing. You live your life and act in a way that is opposite to what you used to do.
In this article, I want to speak on what it means to regret your old way of living by first discussing what is meant by ‘old way of living’; then, we proceed to why we need to regret our old way of living, and finally, how to regret your old way of living.
The old way of living
To understand the necessity of regret, we must first define the old way of living. The old way of living has to do with the life the Christian used to live as an unbeliever. That consists of their way of thinking, speaking, and the things they used to do. It can even extend to the places they used to go and the kind of people they used to associate themselves with. 2 Corinthians 5:17 [(KJV) Boldface mine] states,
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Even how you used to do good things or relate with your friends changes because you have found a new and better way in Christ. That summarises the old way of living.
Why we need to regret our old way of living
For people to be saved, they need to repent. One of the significant elements of repentance is regretting your old way of living. As explained earlier, the old way of living may be evil or good. However, if you want to be saved, you must regret your past and embrace the new life in Christ Jesus. Isaiah preached this message of repentance to the Israelites (see Isaiah 1:10), John the Baptist did the same in Matthew 3:2, Jesus did the same in Matthew 4:17, and He admonished us to preach the same gospel.
What happens if you become saved and return to your old way of living? Look at it like this. A dirty person is assured to grow if he continues to remain clean. That person is then cleaned with expensive medical products and dressed in white apparel sprayed with costly perfume. This person then goes back to dirty himself in a refuse dump, doesn’t bathe for days, and does nothing to get clean again. Will this person grow? No! It is the same thing for the born-again Christian. If you do not regret and turn away from your old way of living, you will remain spiritually stagnant.
How to regret your old way of living
Sometimes, you remember your old life, and due to the circumstances you are facing, you wish to go back to your old life. That is the same thing that would have happened to the Israelites. But God intervened in Exodus 13:17, which says,
“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt”.
That means that each time you have a backward return in mind, it is the devil tricking you because God will not let you get tempted beyond what you can bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). If watching movies with sexual scenes makes you lust, then do not watch them. If associating yourself with certain friends causes you not to have time for God, disassociate yourself from them. If you used to be generous because it made you feel good, start doing it better because of Jesus. It is not easy to do this on your own, but with the strength of God, you can live a life of regret for your old life.
However, when you are in Christ, you are a new creation. That means that you have become a totally changed person. To stay that way, you must regret your old way of living. If you do not regret your old way of living, you risk falling back into sin and missing out on the transformation Christ offers.
In conclusion, genuine regret for one’s old way of living is essential for spiritual growth and transformation in Christ. Regret is not merely feeling sorry for past actions but recognising them as contrary to God’s will and choosing to live differently. The Christian journey is one of continuous renewal, where past habits, thoughts, and associations are replaced with a Christ-centered way of life. While challenges and temptations may arise, genuine regret and reliance on God’s strength enable believers to remain steadfast. Therefore, to truly walk in the newness of life in Christ, walk wholeheartedly, turn away from the past and embrace the righteousness found in Christ.
