God is always ready to bless. However, if we wish to receive His blessing and answers to our prayers, we must obey His commands to us, including making restitution for the wrongs we have done.

Restitution is a Bible doctrine. It is God’s law and as much a part of the Gospel as conversion. God’s standard of righteousness has always been high, and it has always included restitution. One cannot say that restitution went out with the Old Testament. No! From the giving of the Law of Moses, through the dispensation of the prophets, to the New Testament era, restitution was taught. It is still what God expects today of those who follow Him.

In our study of this topic, we will consider what restitution is, why we need to make it, when to make it, how to make it, and the blessings that result from obeying what the Lord has said regarding this necessary step.

What restitution is

Restitution is defined as, “Restoration of anything that has been taken from someone to its rightful owner; an act of giving an equivalent for loss or damage caused.” We find a Biblical explanation in Ezekiel 33:14-16, which reads, “When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.”

Another way to explain restitution would be that it is the act of making amends for something that slandered, harmed, or defrauded another individual, or put simply: righting wrongs done against others. It is required for all wrongs, not just what we might consider big misdeeds.

Restitution is not a requirement for salvation; it is a result of salvation. There are very few individuals who do not have restitutions to make when they get saved, and the Spirit of God is faithful to point out to us anything wrong we have done. One brother testified recently about God putting His finger on something in his life and impressing upon him, “I won’t let you off on this. You need to make it right. You have confessed it to Me and I have forgiven you, but you need to go back and make it right with that individual.”

Why we need to make restitution

The reason we need to make restitution is simple: because God requires it. Some people reason that since they have confessed their sins to God and those sins have been forgiven, they do not need to revisit their past wrongs. However, that idea is totally refuted in Ezekiel 33, where God stated that those who do that which is lawful and right by “restoring the pledge [returning what was obtained wrongfully] . . . shall surely live.” God will hold us accountable for our actions. Grace will not cover any wrong that we refuse to make right. When the Spirit of God points out to us an offense toward another, we must obey and rectify the matter.

Failure to make restitution may be why some people are stuck when it comes to receiving their Christian experiences. God is telling them to make something right, but they are rationalizing, side-stepping, or procrastinating. One cannot make spiritual progress while resisting God when He is saying, “You need to take this step.”

Making restitution also supports our testimony. Let me present a scenario. Suppose I stole a pair of glasses from a man but then prayed and received God’s forgiveness. Afterward, I go to the owner of the glasses and tell him how God saved my soul and forgave my sins. However, I am still wearing the glasses that I stole from him! What will he think? Compare that with an opposite scenario. After I am saved, I go to the man and tell him, “The Lord has saved me and forgiven my sins. I stole these glasses from you, and I am very sorry. I want to return them. Please forgive me.” Which scenario will incline him to believe my testimony?

A old-timer in the Gospel named Bruce Archer comes to mind. He testified that before he became a Christian, he lived a wicked life. He said, “I wore a mask and carried two big guns and had a string of crimes that reached clear across the United States. I stole automobiles and held up gambling houses.” But when he came to Portland, Oregon, and heard people giving their testimonies on a street corner, he wanted what those people had. He prayed, and God saved his soul and made a complete transformation in his life. He began going back over his old life and making restitution, although the money he had taken wrongfully ran into thousands of dollars. That was a lot of money back then! One man that he had robbed wrote back saying he didn’t want to be repaid. All he wanted was for Bruce to pray for him that he might have this same old-time religion. What a testimony to the work God had done!

It is true that at times there are consequences when restitutions are made. In fact, we know people who have gone to prison as a result of making restitution. Some years ago when I was pastoring in London, a young person of my acquaintance faced that type of situation. When he came to me, he had already met with lawyers who had fabricated what he needed to say in the courtroom. I advised the young man, “Tell the truth,” and he took that advice. On the day of the court proceedings, he surprised his lawyer when he simply confessed, “I did it.” The judge told him, “Because you have told the truth, I will reduce your sentence.” That young man spent some time in prison, but he was a free man in terms of his conscience, and he even became an evangelist in the prison.

Wrongs will either be made right in this world, or they will be faced in the world to come. We find that principle in 1 Timothy 5:24, “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.” We do not want our sins to follow us into eternity; we want to confess them now and make them right. If we do our part by following God’s instructions regarding restitution, we can leave the consequences to God. He will help us, and we will have a clear conscience before God and man.

When to make restitution

It is important to make restitution immediately after the wrong deed comes to mind. The longer we delay in taking care of a matter, the more difficult it becomes.

At God’s direction, Moses taught the Children of Israel the necessity for immediate restitution. In Leviticus chapter 6, Moses listed several situations that were to be made right: lying, violence, deceit, keeping another person’s belongings, and swearing falsely. In each case, the instruction was to restore or make right “in the day of his trespass offering” (verse 5). That phrase is significant. The penitent individual was to make matters right the same day that he brought his trespass offering to obtain forgiveness from God. For us, the phrase, “In the day of the trespass offering” suggests that when we become aware of or recall a misdeed against another person, we should immediately take steps to rectify the matter.

There may be situations where it is impossible to make restitution immediately. Perhaps the Spirit of God points out a misdeed we had forgotten about, but we are not in the same city as the person, or for some other reason are unable to take care of it that day. In those cases, we need to tell God, “I have the desire to make this right; I will do so as soon as I can.” God will trust us to keep our word.

How to make restitution

We make restitution by going to the individual we have wronged, confessing our wrongdoing, and asking for forgiveness—the same steps we took when we went to God and received His forgiveness. It is not enough to just say, “I have done something against you and I’m sorry.” That is not restitution. That would simply leave the person wondering, What did you do? No, we must explain exactly what we did and then do our best to make it right.

In Exodus 22, Moses gave instructions regarding how restitution was to be made with regard to theft. In verse 1 he stated, “If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.” Verse 3 notes the necessity of “full restitution” or repayment of the full value. Verse 4 states that one who takes the animal of another should restore double. Verse 5 indicates that if a person’s animal feeds in another man’s field, he should make restitution. Verses 6-15 give several more examples.

In the New Testament, we find an example of making restitution in the account of Zacchaeus. We read in Luke 19 that Jesus called out, “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down: for to day I must abide at thy house,” and Zacchaeus quickly came and “received him joyfully” (verses 5-6). We have no Scriptural record of what was said between Jesus and Zacchaeus as they went to his house. However, something must have happened because after they arrived at the house, Zacchaeus told Jesus, “If I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (verse 8). When Zacchaeus said those words, Jesus said to him, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9). Zacchaeus made a commitment to right his past wrongs, and Jesus accepted that commitment.

At times, making restitution is not possible. Perhaps we cannot find the person we wronged or that individual has passed away, but we know the Spirit of God wants us to do something about the matter. God instructed Moses to tell the Children of Israel to confess their sins and recompense the one trespassed against. Then he added, “But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him” (Numbers 5:8). This indicates that in such a case, restitution should be made to God.

When a wrongdoing that we committed involved other people, we make restitution for ourselves only. If possible, we should not implicate or place blame on someone else. If we are ever unsure about how to handle a particular situation, we can seek godly counsel. As we request guidance and follow through, the Lord will help us and our conscience will be clear.

Making a restitution may require a lot of prayer on our part. Some people are so ashamed of their past that they do not see how they can do what God requires. We cannot let the enemy deceive us by suggesting that if we make restitution, we will lose our credibility, the respect of others, and our integrity. In fact, the opposite is true. It may be difficult, but as Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). God will go before us and help us.

The blessings that result from obeying

Over the years, we have heard many testimonies about how God blessed when people followed His command and made restitution. I recall one case of a marriage that was dissolved for twenty-nine years. When the man was saved and came to make things right with his wife, it was difficult for her to accept him back. But by the special grace of God, that broken home was mended and they lived together for many years thereafter.

Another blessing that results from restitution is a clear conscience. In Acts 24:16 Paul said, “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” That is a wonderful feeling! When we have done what is lawful and right, we will have peace of mind.

When we read about the Welsh Revival of the early 1900s, we find that it was making restitution that sparked that outpouring. Evan Roberts, a Welsh preacher and leading figure in the revival, told the people to confess any known sins, put away any doubtful habits, and restore any broken relationships. The people did so, and when they came together to pray, the fire fell!

Today, that fire is still available for you and me. When God brings a wrongdoing to our minds, we must confess it and make restitution, saying, “Lord, I will do it.” When we have harmed or defrauded someone else, we must be ready to restore. God will give us the courage and help we need to make right all the wrongs that He points to in our lives. We will enjoy the fullness of His blessing when we do so!

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