1 John 1.9-Restitution and the Confession of Sin
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday May 9, 2017
First John: 1 John 1:9-Restitution and the Confession of Sins
Lesson # 41
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NASB95)
1 John 1:9 If any of us does, at any time confess our sins, He is, as an eternal spiritual truth characterized as being faithful as well as just to forgive these sins for the benefit of each one of us, in other words, to purify each one of us from each and every unrighteous thought, word or action. (My translation)
When a believer confesses their sins, they must also make sure that if their sin or sins has hurt another person in some way that they make restitution for this.
In other words, if a believer steals from another person, they not only must confess this sin to the Father but also, make restitution to the party they have stolen from.
The Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples the doctrine of restitution.
Matthew 5:21 You have heard that the ancients were told, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER” and “Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, “You good-for-nothing,” shall be guilty before the Supreme Court; and whoever says, “You fool,” shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. (NASB95)
Some propose that when the believer sins against another person that they need only to confess this offense to God who then freely forgives, without any need to seek forgiveness or to resolve the offended horizontal relationship.
Some make the claim that the death of Christ brings experiential forgiveness before God and before one’s fellow human being without any further resolution or restitution between one’s fellow human being.
These proponents argue that for every sin and crime, one need only to confess to God for total forgiveness experientially.
The victim is then required to forgive based solely upon the positional forgiveness that “they” have personally received in Christ.
This view is proposed from faulty interpretations of the following two passages:
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB95)
Colossians 3:1 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. (NASB95)
If we carry this view to its logical end, the victim must forgive and seek restoration with the perpetrator solely because of the forgiveness of Christ.
Thus, the thief steals, confesses to God, who supposedly totally forgives them, but tough luck for the victim who has lost real property!
The slanderer libels, devastates his target, and confesses to God, who supposedly totally forgives them but tough luck again for the victim with a ruined reputation!
In the case of sin against one’s fellow human being, those who hold that confession to God alone is all that is necessary for forgiveness in the experiential sense remove the basis for criminal law.
They also remove the basis of restitution to victims and some holding this view include in their logic a faulty interpretation of David’s prayer of confession in Psalm 51.
Psalm 51:4a Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. (NASB95)
In this way, they avoid the command of James 5:16 to confess your sins to one another but to the contrary, we should interpret this passage where the confession of the offender’s sin to the offended party takes place.
Our Lord taught His disciples that if their horizontal relationships with people are not right because of sin, then they are not right in their vertical relationship with God.
For instance, if we don’t forgive our fellow believers, then God won’t forgive us in the experiential sense and thus we won’t be restored to fellowship (Mt. 6:14-15; Mt. 18:21-35).
Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (NASB95)
So, if we have sinned and injured someone whether his or her property or reputation, we must confess it to the injured party and offer restitution, which in some cases, restitution could simply involve an apology.
Sins against society and against one another require civil restitution for experiential forgiveness before God and our fellow human being, thus, the thief steals, realizes their sin, and confesses it to God and their victim, then makes restitution, and God forgives him.
The divine requirement commands the believer to forgive the repentant offender.
The death of Christ compensated God and the perpetrator compensates the victim by restitution.
The slanderer libels and devastates their target, realizes their sin, confesses it to God and the victim, makes restitution, and God forgives them.
The Lord requires His people to forgive the repentant sinner and the death of Christ compensates God whereas restitution compensates the victim.
Leviticus 6 presents clear guidelines about the principles involved when one sins against God and another person.
Leviticus 6:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD, and deceives his companion in regard to a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or through robbery, or if he has extorted from his companion, 3 or has found what was lost and lied about it and sworn falsely, so that he sins in regard to any one of the things a man may do, 4 then it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery or what he got by extortion, or the deposit which was entrusted to him or the lost thing which he found, 5 or anything about, which he swore falsely; he shall make restitution for it in full and add to it one-fifth more. He shall give it to the one to whom it belongs on the day he presents his guilt offering. 6 Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation, for a guilt offering, 7 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any one of the things which he may have done to incur guilt.” (NASB95)
In the Gospel of Luke, Zaccheus informed the Lord that he gave to those whom he had defrauded four times as much.
Luke 19:8 Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (NASB95)