Written by Andrew Koay
Forgiveness and Restitution
So, is restitution more important than forgiveness? The Bible says no. Forgiveness comes first but it doesn’t erase justice.
Forgiveness means letting go of revenge, refusing bitterness, and not trying to destroy the offender. It means giving final judgment over to God. But it doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened, letting a thief keep what they stole, blocking lawful justice, enabling repeated abuse, or calling evil good.
A victim can forgive and still say, “That was wrong.” He can forgive and still pursue rightful restitution, report a crime, set boundaries, avoid future deals, and tell the truth.
But the victim must also guard his own heart. Chasing restitution can turn into an obsession. It can eat us alive with bitterness and a thirst for vengeance. Sometimes, after every righteous effort is exhausted, it’s time to leave it in God’s hands: “Lord, you know what happened. I’ve tried to do right. Now I give this over to you.” That isn’t weakness but real faith.
From Robin Hood the Outlaw to Robin Hood the Government
Robin Hood isn’t just a story about medieval outlaws. The same questions come up in modern politics. These days, many governments behave like Robin Hood. They say, “The rich must pay their fair share, so let’s take more from those who have plenty and help those who don’t.”
And to be honest, this sounds kind and it appeals to Christians. After all, the Bible says to care for the poor, and Christians absolutely should not ignore poverty, hunger, or oppression. But it’s worth asking some tough questions.
Who decides who’s rich? Who sets the “fair share”? Who gives the government the authority to take? Where does the money really go? Who’s helped in the end? Does it actually lift people out of poverty, or just create dependence? Does it punish those who work hard? Does it stir up envy or replace family and church responsibility with the state? Will it become another way for politicians to grab power?
Governments can hide behind compassionate language while grabbing more control. They can say they’re helping the poor but are actually just growing their own power, building wasteful bureaucracies, making people dependent, and collecting political loyalty in the process. That’s why it’s so important to distinguish between justice and charity.
Let us be clear. The government does not get its authority from the people, through force or through ancestry. The government is a God-ordained institution. Hence, they must have authority from God to do what they are doing. Romans 13 calls public officials “God’s servants” to restrain evil, punish wrongdoing, and keep order. Paul says, “Rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.” They are “God’s servant for your good… an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” And Paul links taxes directly to that: we pay taxes so rulers can carry out their duties of ensuring justice, preserving order, providing protection, and the necessary administration. The government’s authority isn’t unlimited. Romans 13 isn’t a blank cheque for those in power to do as they please.
Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). That means we owe the state some things, but not everything. God’s claim comes first. So, when Caesar asks for something, we should always ask, “Does Caesar have the right before God to demand this?”
Government Is Not God
This is where the Bible draws a line. Moses’ law commanded Israel to make a way for the poor. They were to leave gleanings in the fields, forgive debts, pay fair wages, and provide for strangers. Leviticus 19:9-10 says, “Don’t harvest the corners of your field… leave them for the poor and the foreigner.”
Yet this wasn’t government welfare. The state didn’t seize the crop and hand it out through a welfare department. The landowner was responsible to God; the poor had to work to gather it; private property and work were protected; dignity and mercy ran together. The rich were accountable to God directly, not just to the state.
And God could command all this because He owns everything. “The land is mine,” God says in Leviticus 25:23. He’s Creator, Owner, and Lawgiver. As such, He can direct people in how to use what He’s entrusted to them.
But the government isn’t God. The state is a servant with delegated authority, not the ultimate owner. It has no divine right to act as if everything in the country belongs to it.
The biblical structure is this. God owns all; individuals and families are stewards; the church is charged with mercy; the government guards justice and order. When the state forgets this and tries to play God, it will start claiming too much, taking too much, pushing aside the roles God gave to families and the church. And that is what we are seeing today.
The Warning of 1 Samuel 8
When Israel asked for a king, God warned them exactly what centralised power could bring. The king would take. He’d take sons, daughters, fields, crops, servants, livestock. 1 Samuel 8:11-17 clearly warns, “He will take.”
That was not an ideal, but a warning. Centralised authority grows, centralises, and takes more. It may start by promising protection or aid, but it always ends up wanting more.
So, a solid case can be made that taxation can become a form of legalised theft when governments overstep their God-given authority. Just because something’s legal doesn’t make it righteous. When King Ahab seized Naboth’s vineyard, God didn’t call that righteous. Instead, He called it wicked (1 Kings 21).
Legal power can serve injustice, just as taxes can feed envy, redistribution can become a weapon for control, and “compassion” can mask covetousness.
The Poor Must Be Helped, But God’s Way
Of course, we can’t ignore the poor. The Bible has a lot to say about caring for those in need like the widows, the orphans, the foreigner, and the oppressed. But Scripture lays out a specific order in how this should happen.
Paul doesn’t mince words in Ephesians 4:28: “Let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Honest work isn’t just about providing for ourselves but also enabling generosity.
Second, families have a direct duty to their own. 1 Timothy 5:8 hits hard: “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith.” The family can’t just dump its responsibility on the church or government.
Third, the church steps in for those who truly need help. Acts 6 describes the church organising daily care for widows. Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 5 about caring for widows show this wasn’t some random act. It is the Christian way of life.
Fourth, Christians are called to mercy when confronted with real need. Think of the Good Samaritan. He didn’t call a bureaucrat. He acted. 1 John 3:17 exposes us: “If you have the world’s goods and see your brother in need… how can God’s love be in you?”
So, no, biblical charity isn’t cold isolationism or “every man for himself.” It’s not heartless, and it’s not a centralized welfare state stripping the family and church of their role. Christian duty is real for everyone: families, churches, individuals, the rich. But Christian charity isn’t government coercion dressed up as benevolence. (To be continued ………………..)