If you stole something through embezzlement, or, fraud, or, just out and out stole from your boss, or, a family member, or, a friend or a stranger, and you never got caught, and then you became a "Christian" do you believe that Jesus would forgive you without you rectifying this matter and making restitution?
If you were already a Christian and stole something regardless the value and you never got found out, do you feel that restitution as a part of your repentance is in order before you ask Jesus to forgive you? Think about it for a moment. Whether you ar a Christian or a non-christian, theft is theft. The fact that you never got caught, does not mean you got away with it because God knows what you did.
How sincere would your repentance be, without confessing and making restitution? Do you really feel that Jesus should simply Forgive.
EXODUS: 22: 1, 4, 5
"If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep and kill it, or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep."
"If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or, ass, or sheep, he shall restore double."
"If a man shall cause a field or a vineyard to be eaten, and shall put his beast and shall feed in another man’s field; of the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard shall he make restitution."
God is telling the Israelites, that it is not enough to simply give back that which was stolen but that restitution also will include a penalty inorder for you to be forgiven your sin debt.
ISAIAH: 30: 15.a. God explains to us once again: "For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In (returning) and rest shall ye be saved." Again we are being told that we must return that which is not ours.
In MATTHEW: 3: 1-2 we read: "In those days came John the baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying Repent ye for the kindom of heaven is at hand.
In MATTHEW: 4: 17; We also read: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Truly Jesus throughout his ministry preached repentance from sin. Repentance though must include a confession to the person or persons sinned against, that they might forgive you, and also the possibility of having to if possible make restitution, or to pay back that which was taken.
Without an admission of one’s sinfulness to the person or persons sinned against, negates any confession to Jesus because no remorse or repentance is recognized, therefore how could we expect Jesus to simply forgive us.
We can see that Jesus forgiveness is discretionary, as Jesus tells His apostles.
JOHN: 20: 23; "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."
In this scripture Jesus informs the apostles that they have the discretion to forgive or not forgive, depending upon whether they felt that the person was remoreseful and whether restitution had or had not been made under the law.
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