Full Restitution – The Kingdom Curriculum XII (6)

Full Restitution

“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.” Exodus 22:6

Glossing over damage won’t get it done.

How many times have I done or said something that hurt Susie deeply? Too many to count, I’m sure. Not that I ever intend to hurt her. I’m nuts about this woman, and I wouldn’t lift a finger to hurt her if it meant my life. But I’ve done it anyway, over and over. Then, as it begins to come out that I’ve done it again, a strange thing happens. I start trying to minimize the damage and get it over with. So I say, “Sorry.” OK. I did a bad thing. Sorry. Now can we please get on with it?

Not so fast. Full restitution is what the Law requires whenever my actions harm the property or wellbeing of my neighbor. I must consider what is required in order to overcome the evil I may have done with some good that will restore our relationship (Rom. 12:21). I must discover, by continuing to talk with Susie, what I can do to restore peace, re-establish trust, strengthen the bonds of love, and build our relationship back to the same level – and higher – that it was prior to the goof-up. In other words, I can’t be content simply to gloss over the harm I’ve inflicted – the damage to Susie’s wellbeing my words or actions have caused. Just saying “Sorry” isn’t enough. The Law of grace requires full restitution.

Making full restitution can take time. It begins with accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, and agreeing to work for change. But it continues from there into new courses of action, new ways of relating, and a heightened focus in our times with the Lord to help us exercise vigilance over whatever “fire” might “burn” our neighbor’s crops.

It is the responsibility of those wronged and those who have done the wrong – even if unintentionally – to work together to chart a course that will lead to renewal, strengthening, and full restitution. Sometimes the help of a wise counselor can be useful, such as a pastor or church elder (1 Cor. 6:1-8). Whatever is necessary to achieve full restitution will be worth the effort, because neighbor love will only grow stronger as a result.

How can we use the Law of God to make wise ethical choices? Order your copy of The Ground for Christian Ethics today. Click on www.MyParuchia.com, then click Publications, Waxed Tablet.

–

In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.