What is Restitution? By Babatunde Olugboji
It is a concept rooted in the Bible, with passages in both the Old and New Testaments that express God’s perspective on this matter. In the OT, the Israelites were governed by the Law, which outlined restitution in various situations: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and either slaughters it or sells it, he is required to repay five cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. . . . A thief is certainly obligated to make restitution; however, if he lacks the means, he must be sold to compensate for his theft. If the stolen animal is discovered alive in his possession -be it an ox, donkey, or sheep -he must repay double. (Exodus 22:1, 3-6,)
Leviticus 6:2-5 addresses additional circumstances in which stolen property must be returned, along with an additional one-fifth of its value. It is also significant to note that in this passage, restitution was directed to the original owner of the property (rather than to the government or any other third party), and this compensation was to be accompanied by a guilt offering to the Lord. Thus, the Mosaic Law served to protect victims of theft, extortion, fraud, and negligence by mandating that the offending parties provide restitution.
The amount of compensation could range from 100 to 500 percent of the loss incurred. Furthermore, restitution was required to be made on the same day that the guilty party presented their sacrifice before the Lord, indicating that reconciling with one’s neighbor holds equal importance to achieving peace with God.
In the NT, there is the remarkable example of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Jesus visits his home, and those who recognize the chief publican as a wicked and oppressive individual begin to murmur about His association with a sinner (verse 7). “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus replied, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost’” (verses 8-10). From Zacchaeus’s declaration, we can infer that 1) he had indeed defrauded individuals, 2) he felt remorse for his previous actions, and 3) he was dedicated to making restitution.
From Jesus’ response, we learn that 1) Zacchaeus was saved that day and his sins were forgiven, and 2) the evidence of his salvation was demonstrated through his public confession (see Romans 10:10) and his willingness to relinquish all ill-gotten gains. Zacchaeus repented, and his sincerity was clear in his immediate intention to make restitution. Here was a man who was penitent and contrite, and the evidence of his faith in Christ was his determination to atone, as much as possible, for his past sins.
The same applies to anyone who genuinely knows Christ today.
True repentance results in a desire to rectify wrongs. When an individual becomes a Christian, he will experience a desire, stemming from profound conviction, to perform good deeds, which includes making amends whenever feasible. The concept of “whenever feasible” is critically important to keep in mind.
There are certain offenses and sins for which adequate restitution is impossible. In such cases, a believer should strive to provide some form of restitution that reflects repentance, while also not feeling guilty about the inability to achieve complete restitution. Restitution should be a consequence of our salvation -it is not a prerequisite for salvation. If you have obtained forgiveness for your sins through faith in Jesus Christ, all of your sins are absolved, regardless of whether you have been able to make restitution for them.
Have a great week.
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