A man sits in his car outside a house he sold six years ago. He knew, when he sold it, that the back wall had a crack that went right through, and that the damp in the bedroom was not “just from the rain”. He painted over both and said nothing. The young couple who bought it were so pleased. He has heard, through a cousin, that they have spent a fortune on repairs. He has prayed about it many times. He has asked God to forgive him. And yet he still cannot drive down that road without feeling sick.
Many of us know some version of this. The rent deposit we kept that we should have returned. The builder we underpaid because we knew he could not afford to argue. The bag of cement that went home from the site. The relative’s share of the family land that we quietly sold. We have said sorry to God. But something is still unfinished.
Three movements of repentance
Genuine repentance is often described as having at least three parts. Each has something to say when the wrong involved money or property.
1. Conviction: seeing it clearly
Repentance begins when the Holy Spirit shows us what we have done, not in the soft version we tell ourselves, but as God sees it. Jesus said the Spirit would convict the world of sin (John 16:8). With property, the soft versions are well rehearsed. “Everybody does it.” “He could afford it.” “The house was sold as seen.” “I was owed that money anyway.” Conviction strips those away. It is uncomfortable, but it is a mercy. Without it, we would never change.
2. Confession and contrition: owning it
The promise is plain: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NKJV). Confession means agreeing with God about what we did, without excuses.
It helps to notice the difference between true sorrow and simply being uncomfortable. Paul distinguishes godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, from worldly sorrow, which leads to death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Worldly sorrow is being sorry that we got caught, or sorry that the guilt is keeping us awake. Godly sorrow is grief that we have wronged God and harmed another person.
3. Commitment to action: turning around
Repentance is not complete until it changes what we do. That means stopping the wrong behaviour. But when someone has been harmed financially, Scripture often expects something more.
Putting it back
The law of Moses was specific about this. A person who had cheated a neighbour, kept something entrusted to them or taken something by deceit was to restore it in full and add a fifth to it, giving it to the one who was wronged (Leviticus 6:1-5). Forgiveness from God and restitution to the neighbour went together.
Jesus taught the same spirit. If you are bringing your gift to the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave the gift, go and be reconciled first, and then come and offer it (Matthew 5:23-24). Worship does not replace putting things right with people.
For the man in the car, restitution might mean contacting the couple, admitting what he knew, and offering to contribute to the repairs. For others it might mean:
- Returning a tenant’s deposit, with an apology, even years later.
- Paying a worker what he was really owed.
- Telling siblings the truth about a sale and agreeing on a fair share.
- Moving a fence back to the true boundary.
- Paying for materials taken from a job site.
Restitution will not always be simple. The person may have moved, died or refused contact. Sometimes a full repayment is beyond our means, and a partial one, or a plan to pay over time, is the honest step. It may be wise to take advice from a pastor or, where legal questions arise, an attorney. But the heart of repentance is a willingness to make things right as far as we are able.
Why we slide back
Many people wonder why they keep falling into the same patterns with money. One reason may be that repentance stopped at step two. We confess, feel relieved, and carry on. Nothing costly has changed. Restitution is expensive, and that is partly the point. It breaks the hold that money had on us when we took it in the first place.
The freedom on the far side
God’s forgiveness is real the moment we confess. We do not earn it by paying back. But there is a particular freedom that comes when we have also done what we could to put things right. The knot in the stomach loosens. The road past the old house becomes just a road again. And the person we wronged may discover, perhaps for the first time, that faith can make someone honest even when it costs them.
For reflection
- Is there a wrong involving money, a house or land that you have confessed to God but never put right with the person?
- What would a first, realistic step towards restitution look like?
A prayer: Lord, thank You that You are faithful to forgive when I confess. Show me clearly what I have taken, and give me the courage and the means to put it right. Break the hold money has on me, and make me honest in all my dealings. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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