Biblical Restitution (The Bible’s Answer for Racism, Part 9)
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series helping us navigate this issue of racism in our world from a Biblical perspective. To read all of Ben’s articles on this subject - click on his name above by the date published and it will sort all of this articles in one place.
When someone sins against you, is it possible to make it right?
In previous articles, we’ve seen that God cares deeply about justice. We’ve learned that justice requires that everyone be treated equally under the law, and that God insists on laws based on righteousness.
We’ve seen that racism is sin, that Jesus is the antidote for sin, and that heart change stems from the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our lives to Him. We know that because of the fall, sin cannot be fully eliminated before Heaven. So, what is to be done when someone commits the sin of racism against their fellow man?
The only correct answer is to look to Scripture, to the Torah, God’s Old Testament Law. We must remember that, while in Christ this law is no longer binding for New Testament believers, it does reveal God’s timeless principles for restitution. God gave His children these laws in love, knowing that life works best by following them.
Because God is holy and just, He requires full payment for sin. Anything less would render Him unjust, and He cannot go against His own character, which is justice (Deuteronomy 32:4). The wages (cost) of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and justice demands that the exact payment for each sin be made, in order to make it right. This is why Christ (the only man still spiritually alive) had to pay in full the debt that we never could (because we were already spiritually dead), through his death on the cross.
And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”(Genesis 9:5-6)
In this passage, God implements the death penalty for animals and anyone who “sheds the blood of man.” What is God’s stance on the value of human life that leads to this otherwise harsh rule?
God treasures human life. All people groups are equally valuable because all are created in the image of God. God prizes human life so highly that even before He instituted government, He established the death penalty for anyone who destroyed the pinnacle of His creation.
Anyone who took another person’s life was required to pay equally for it with their own life. But what about for lesser offenses? What should happen when something is stolen? What should happen when there is hurt or injury?
In our current society, when crimes are committed, the guilty party usually faces a prison sentence or monetary fine. But what tends to be shocking to 21st Century minds is the fact that God’s Law never instituted prisons. During Biblical times, prisons were utilized by the Romans, the Greeks, the Egyptians, and other countries, but they were never authorized in the Torah. How could a civil penal system function without incarceration?
Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 24:17-22)
The answer is restitution (or reparations). Specifically, equal restitution.
God instituted a legal system founded on justice: equality before the law and equal restitution. Without these two elements justice is impossible! Prisons were not needed, since Biblical restitution ensured justice would be accomplished swiftly.
But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)
Exodus chapter 21 gives us the brilliant and life-giving general legal standard of “an eye for an eye” in punishment for human loss or hurt. This principle is fleshed out many times in the Pentateuch. God never authorized a head for an eye, or a foot for an eye. Only an eye for an eye, in exact measure of the loss.
I have heard numerous people today comment that they feel this rule is too harsh or gory, but we must remember that God gave this law in order to ensure balanced repayments (justice!). God establishes the principle of equal restitution to keep government from inflicting penalties that are too harsh or too lenient, and to prevent individuals from taking the law into their own hands and personally seeking revenge. He designed this system in love to prevent the very natural sinful human response of ever-escalating, perpetual retribution.
If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep… If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. (Exodus 22:1, 4)
In Exodus chapter 22 we see that God also required an increased amount for repayment in the case of theft: a double repayment is the general rule if the property is found with the thief; but if the thief kills or sells the property, the penalty increases to four or five times the original loss. In both instances the perpetrator is personally responsible for the repayment of the property in question, and once the payment has been made, justice has been served, and the matter comes legally to a close.
The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. (Deuteronomy 19:18-21)
There are a lot of legal details here, but as we close, don’t miss two big points:
1. God is a master at deterrence – The result of just punishments, even if they are severe, is that people will do all they can in order to avoid experiencing those consequences. God urged His people not to decrease the legal penalty for the guilty (“Your eye shall not pity”), because biblical restitution is very loving – it benefits the entire society and greatly decreases the occurrence of evil.
2. New Testament believers are not under Old Testament Law, but the biblical principle of justice is clear: if someone wrongs another, they, the debtor themselves, should make appropriate restitution for the property, injury, or loss, and this payment then brings a legal end to the matter.
Jesus himself shows His satisfaction with these principles:
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:8-10)
Zacchaeus admitted he had abused his position as a tax collector to steal from others, and offered to “restore it fourfold,” in accordance with the law of Moses. Thus- he is labeled “a son of Abraham.”
There is a lot of debate in our country today about reparations for slavery and racism. No matter what it is called – restitution, reparations, amends, compensation, redress, repayment – and no matter how it is implemented, (through equal physical/financial payments or through equivalent prison sentences), biblical restitution must be practiced in order to bring justice and legal closure after a wrong has been committed. Those who commit the sin of racism (the unequal treatment of people because of their skin color, or the devaluing of someone or some group because of physical characteristics) must make equal restitution for their wrong. But take note: there are two common misunderstandings about biblical restitution, and we will cover them both in our next article.
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ABOUT BEN
Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben is also the editor of The Worldview Library, editions of classical literature with student helps that afford the reader a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each work.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.