Prior to this time, those who wholeheartedly embraced Christianity after repentance or being ‘born again’ never toyed with the aspect of restitution. While there were reports of some people rushing back to their former schools to restore stolen books and such other items, others went physically to those they had secretly offended or harmed in the past to apologize and ask for forgiveness. And those that married more than one wife sent the surplus packing. Today, however, this aspect of Christianity is not so prominent. Indeed, many preachers no longer bother the adherents with such message any more. The vogue now is to focus on prosperity message. But if restitution is biblical and considered critical to the genuineness of one’s spiritual state, why is it being gradually eroded from sermons?
RESTITUTION is Biblical. It is a requirement of God and a follow up on repentance. Without restitution, repentance is not complete. For instance, if I say I have become born again, repentance is a necessity. It is a requirement by Christ for one to be able to enter the kingdom of God. If I stole somebody’s shirt and he happens to see it on me, I need to go to him and say ‘I’m sorry I stole this shirt, which belongs to you’. Even if the fellow didn’t know I was the one that stole it, the restitution has cleared my conscience. The Bible says in Romans 5:1 “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. That justification comes as a result of repentance. And the thief comes as a result of fulfilling what Christ requests us to do by faith. If Christ has done His own part, I’m going to believe in Him through faith, but that can only achieve the goal if I also do my own part to fulfill God’s requirement of repentance.
During Paul’s time in the Bible, there was a time he was accused by the Jews and they brought him before the Council. The high priest ordered that he should be slapped and Paul was not happy about that. He used a language that was very offensive and the congregation reminded him that he was talking to the high priest. Immediately, he said he was sorry, that he didn’t know he was a high priest. “Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people…”
So, restitution is making amend to what was said or returning an item that was stolen and you can go the extra length to achieve it. The golden rule is to do unto others as you would want them do unto you. So, if a man took another’s wife, whether the woman was not happy with the husband and she left is immaterial, but as long as she belongs to somebody and another man took her to be his, he must return that woman. The same applies to a man with two or three wives. As soon as he repents, he should do away with the other women after his original wife. So, restitution is applicable to any area of our lives and we do it to have a clear conscience before God and the offender. You can’t tell me you are born again and you are still using someone’s certificate that you got through dubious means. When you restitute, it makes you a true child of God and a believable witness of Jesus Christ. But if you don’t do it, Heaven will know that you have actually not repented.
In the case of the lady that got pregnant for a man, if her parents say that they want to keep the child, they are free. But the man knows that the child is his and if he chooses to take the child, he is free but it has to be by mutual agreement. The fact that the girl had a child for the man doesn’t mean he should marry her. If both, however, agree to get married, it is another scenario entirely. But the child shouldn’t be a problem. They should agree on who should keep the child. Even if a woman is already in the man’s house as his second wife, and has child or children for him and the woman decides to do restitution, the children belong to the man and he can keep them, while the woman is free to marry another person.
Those who have been preaching restitution are still doing so. However, there are those that are preaching the gospel of prosperity. The main message of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist is repentance and there is no way you can preach repentance or being born again without talking about restitution. Everybody has a past that needs to be corrected and God has forgiven the past, but for us to be able to have a good relationship with one another and before Him, we need to do restitution. If you look at the agony and shame of going to somebody to confess, ‘I’m sorry I stole this thing,’ you won’t want to do such again. So, it encourages one to be able to live a righteous life.
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