Regret is a word that comes from a combination of “to care about” and “after”. It is used to express being concerned about something after it has been done, which will result in a change of actions.
While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, the Chief priests and elders came to Him questioning by what authority He is teaching. He responded with a story concerning a man and two of his sons who he asked to go and work in the vineyard. The first one said, “No”, but afterwards regretted it and went (Matthew 21:29). He then rightly rebukes them for not believing the testimony of John the Baptist even though the tax collectors and prostitutes did (Matthew 21:32), for they did not regret rejecting John’s testimony even after seeing others accepting it.
After Christ was betrayed, Judas regretted what he had done when he saw that Jesus was condemned to death and returned the money he had made for betraying Christ to the Chief priest and elders (Matthew 27:3). His regret was not that they beat and imprisoned Him, but that He was condemned to death. This is what caused Judas’ to give care again about what he had done.
Paul expressed his regret for how the first letter to the Corinthians saint had to be written, although he did not regret what was written, only that it caused them grief. However, it was necessary for their benefit and to correct the wrongs they were involved in (2 Corinthians 7:8).
When it comes to the oath that God made with Christ to place Him as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, He has no regret (Hebrews 7:21). God does not regret His oath with Christ. Therefore, we have a High Priest who can understand our struggles, for He faces the same temptations we suffer with, yet He was without sin and can therefore advocate for us to the Father and He will remain into the ages of the ages because God will not ever regret what He has done.
Regret means to give care about something after the fact. It is not directly an emotional focus, for it is a concerning within the mind about one’s actions. It is not the same as being remorseful, which focuses on the feeling of sorrow or guilt; rather, it is more along the line of reconsider.
Since salvation comes through the acts of our High Priest – His death (sacrifice), and resurrection, we can be assured that God will never regret our salvation, for He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us, for He does not regret placing Christ as our High Priest. Therefore, let us put aside the failures of our past, even if they were just a few minutes ago, and get our mind set on the things above so that we line up our thinking with God and look to fulfill His desires over our own by using all that He has so graciously given to us in Christ.
