4. He shall restore. Inasmuch as all these cases require restitution, God prescribes for each an equitable penalty. First comes confession, then restitution. This is to be done “in the day of his trespass offering” ( 5); in other words, restoration must accompany confession. It may not be delayed.
Restitution is a vital part of the program God sets before the man who would be free from the guilt of sin. Conviction of sin is not enough; sorrow for sin is not enough; confession is not enough. These are all desirable steps toward the kingdom, but they are not enough. They must be accompanied by a repentance so deep and thorough that the soul will not rest until every effort has been made to rectify mistakes that may have been made. This will in many cases include restoration, paying back with interest that which has been stolen, and making every effort to right wrongs. The fruits worthy of repentance that John the Baptist urged upon his hearers included restitution (Matt. 3:8).
“Trespasses” include questionable business transactions, fraudulent representation of values, wrong impressions without actual falsification, intentional crookedness, and any advantage taken of the poor or unfortunate. “Trespasses” include exorbitant charges of all kinds, excessive interest on loans, dishonest work for wages received. The course of many a man who boasts of his business acumen and who receives the approbation and praise of others for his skill in negotiation is not approved in heaven (see Hab. 2:6).
For these and many other things restitution must be made wherever possible. Where this cannot be done, it may be well to follow the instruction of old and “let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest” (Num. 5:8). The present-day application of this instruction would require that the money involved be given to and used in the Lord’s work.
There are times when bankruptcy proceedings may be advisable. The debtor is thus cleared legally from his obligations and is enabled to make a new start. But the Christian is bound by Heaven to consider carefully his responsibility to any who may have been deprived of that which was their due. He is to have a tender conscience, and to act honestly in the sight of God as well as of men. Worldly men have made restitution in such cases, and have been honored in so doing. Whenever possible Christians should do the same.
Lying is one of the popular sins of today, and is gradually coming to be considered respectable. In its various forms, ranging from the bold, barefaced lie to the smooth diplomatic lie or the social “white lie,” it is commonly and universally practiced. In its milder forms it is considered a necessary means of smoothing over a disagreeable situation, and is condoned as an accepted form of speech. To lie gracefully and convincingly is a high social and political attainment, and is considered a necessary accomplishment for holding certain positions.
A lie is a falsehood uttered or acted with the intent to deceive. It is a negation of truth. The father of lies is its creator, blasted reputations and ruined characters are its children. It makes white look black, and black white (Isa. 5:20); it parts husbands and wives, lovers and friends; it creates war and kills its millions; it sears the conscience, destroys confidence and faith, is the companion of thieves, gamblers, and prostitutes, and the bosom friend of rum. It pollutes all that it touches, and is the enemy of all that is noble and true and pure. He that “loveth and maketh a lie” is at last found outside the city with “dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters” (Rev. 22:15).
The Bible is plain on the subject of truth; it will tolerate nothing else. God is the “God of truth” (Isa. 65:16; Ps. 31:5; Deut. 32:4). The Son is truth (John 14:6). The Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6). The Word is truth (John 17:17). The law is truth (Ps. 119:142). All God’s works are truth (Dan. 4:37). His counsels are truth (Isa. 25:1). The judgment is truth (Rom. 2:2). Jerusalem is the city of truth (Zech. 8:3). The church is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Christians are to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Those who do not believe the truth will be damned (2 Thess. 2:12). Not only does God desire an outward conformity to truth; He desires truth in “the inward parts,” in the heart (Ps. 51:6; 15:2).
A passion for truth must activate the Christian. He is a representative of the God of truth, and must not bear false witness in any respect. He must first of all love truth, for it is this that sets him free (John 8:32). Having come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), through obedience to the truth (1 Peter 1:22), he is to be sanctified through the truth (John 17:19). The Spirit will guide him into all truth (John 16:13), and as Christ did, so will he bear witness to the truth (John 18:37). His witness to the truth will be in love (Eph. 4:15), and the love will be the love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:10).
A person who is filled with love of the truth will be truthful in all of life’s relations. He will hate and shun all pretension and hypocrisy; his motives will never be questionable. His yea will be yea, and his nay will be nay (James 5:12). He will not pride himself on his frankness, nor will he unnecessarily wound another’s feelings, but will in meekness instruct “those that oppose themselves” (2 Tim. 2:25). He will have the reputation of being a man whose word can be trusted.