If you steal and give back, is that good or bad?

We all know that stealing is not good. It is one of the Ten Commandments. “You shall not steal” Ex. 20:15. But what about if you steal and give it back? Does that make everything okay? - Good question!

A couple of examples in the Bible of where stealing is mentioned is Exodus 22: verses1, 3-6, & 14 and Luke chapter 19. These examples show us that if there has been stealing then the person who has stolen needs to take steps to try and make things right, to pay back what has been taken. We call this restitution.

Let’s look at Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke chapter 19. As a tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated people by taking more money or possessions than he should have. The first thing Zacchaeus had to do is recognize he had been stealing and confess it, which he does in verse 8. But, in addition to confessing that he had stolen he also promises to pay back four times the amount he stole from anyone. He was committed to making things right with those he had stolen from. In other words, Zacchaeus brought about restitution. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Zacchaeus was promising to pay back four times the amount he had stolen. Zacchaeus was eager to make things right with those he stole from. His offer to pay more was a reflection of his heart.

If I steal, God wants me to recognize my sin. He wants me to be sorry that I have stolen and confess what I did. Then He wants me to do all I can to make things right with the person from whom I stole.

Personally, when someone has stolen from me, I have had to ask God to help me forgive them. With God’s help, forgiveness wasn’t hard to give, but being able to trust that person again may take some time.