continuation of Restitution I

Question 5: As a saved person, if I commit a sin, must I restitute after I have repented and obtained mercy from d throne of grace?

Restitution only makes for good human relations; God doesn’t require it for anything. It is important we understand that restitution is as led by the Holy Spirit. Some things may never be restituted. What do we say about an assassin who gives his life to Christ? He definitely cannot restitute with everyone. The most important thing is to get it right with God. Restitution doesn’t affect our salvation.


Restitution is only for better relationship between man and man, not between man and God. Restitution is not a prerequisite for forgiveness or salvation. In other words, it is not a price a man pays to earn forgiveness or to have peace. This belief that restitution is a prerequisite for salvation is an anti-grace thought and an anti-gospel thought. Christ has paid all that is there to be paid, so we have nothing else to pay for.

However, we must remember that restitution is biblically established, both in new and old testament. This is because there are certain things that we need to make straight, because these things have present or future physical consequences (not necessarily eternal consequences). So if the Holy Spirit deems fit, that a particular offence is to be restituted, then It is for our good, after all, those that are LED (controlled, directed, influenced) by the Spirit of God are Sons of God (saved people).

Question 6: What if we are instructed to make restitution by the Holy Spirit?

When the Holy Spirit lays it on our minds to restitute, we have to obey. Failure to do so is disobedience and disobedience is a sin. The Holy Spirit guides, guards and leads us; that is salvation- an act of submission

We should note that when we accept Christ, we not only accept Him as Saviour but also as Lord, heaven established that, it is imperative that as sons of God, we are to obey Him on every aspect not only In restitution. We carry out the instructions He gives us not to please man but Him because our new man is created for His pleasure alone. Any act that is contrary to His obedience is disobedience which is what we face. When instructed by the Holy Spirit to restitute and we disobey, it is not the restitution that is the sin but that we do not obey our Lord. Likewise, if you want to restitute and d Holy Spirit forbids you, if you still go ahead, you have sinned.

Restitution if not properly done can cause more harm than good.However, a Spirit led restitution turns out to be good and yields good results. And the Spirit of wisdom also teaches us how to go about it.Restitution can be used as a tool for evangelism and can bring people to Christ. It can also give boldness in the future to correct similar issues.

Question 7: If a husband commits adultery and afterwards ask for forgiveness from God, does that mean he should not beg for his wife forgiveness?

If such a man is born again, I believe the Spirit will lead him to confess and beg his wife because to God they are one, so he cannot have peace until he has been forgiven by his wife and he wouldn’t like to live in deceit with his wife. So I believe, what the Spirit will teach him how to go about it with God’s wisdom in a way that he wouldn’t break his home, and the Holy Spirit will minister to the wife too. The Holy Spirit should be the author, finisher and activator of Restitution. If any other thing (such as guilt, fear, shame, pride) drives it, it is wrong! We believe Restitution isn’t only for moral justification.

Question 8: if a church doctrine demands restitution and one is not convinced to go ahead, will that be disobedience?

No, we are led by the spirit of God alone and as Paul admonished, we should not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine but be renewed only by the Holy Spirit in us. However, God does not author confusion. In such a case the Holy spirit will most-likely tune to the biblical doctrine of your church on such matter, but if he forbids it, then please don’t do it at that moment. If you restitute, let it be that it is because the Holy Spirit inspired it and thought you how to go about it.

CONCLUSION

In summary, we have been able to establish that restitution is good but it does not affect our eternity and should not be substituted as the gateway to heaven which is Grace. We restitute to enforce a good relationship between men and men but not men and God asee long as God has pardoned us. Hence we obey the voice of God on restitution not because of fear but because we are obedient sons that hearken to the voice of the Father. Yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit is the only way to have an effective and fruitful restitution.

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