In the West, the belief that we are accountable to a holy God who judges people was one feature that helped foster a culture of honesty. But with that understanding of God gradually being discarded, we can expect stealing to increase in prevalence in Western society. The huge sums spent on CCTV systems in supermarkets today is evidence of this trend.

The word for ″steal″ used in the eighth commandment (Deuteronomy 5:19) can be used for stealing possessions or for cheating. Today, this could include entering wrong figures in tax returns, presenting a false medical certificate, depriving the poor of justice (Isaiah 10:1-2), and the failure to give to God (Malachi 3:8).

Dishonesty is seen not only in society, but also in the church. If we hope to rid the church of dishonesty, we need to rekindle an awareness of our accountability to a holy God. Our concept of God has a huge effect on our behaviour. We also need to remember that we do not need to resort to dishonest means to have a fulfilled life because God will look after us. As David puts it, ″I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread″ (Psalm 37:25).

The Bible speaks of the restoration of robbers (Ephesians 4:28). In the Old Testament, thieves were required to pay back what was stolen along with something added as a penalty (Exodus 22:1-4; Leviticus 6:2-5). This would be included under what John the Baptist called ″fruit in keeping with repentance″ (Matthew 3:8). There were, however, exceptions to this law. The Bible advocates leniency for people in abject poverty who rob when hungry, though they must pay their fine (Proverbs 6:30-31).

Restitution is crucial if we want to repent of our sin. I had a friend who had been dishonest with money and moved away from Christ. With great joy, I listened to him tell me how he had repented and returned to Christ. But I also told him that he must pay back the funds he took. He made no attempt to do that, and never really grew in his faith after his return. The lack of restitution may have indicated that there wasn't genuine repentance. As such, his life went downhill-he became an alcoholic and his life was ruined.

Often, people who return to God but do not make restitution end up doing the same thing again. Sin is serious. Though forgiveness is free, recovery from the weaknesses that caused our sin requires a thoroughgoing turn from the past. Paul says, ″Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need″ (Ephesians 4:28).