Does Zacchaeus Teach Restitution for Salvation? (Luke 19:1-10)

Sometimes people wonder, “Is restitution needed for salvation? I committed all these sins before becoming a Christian. Do I need to do anything about them now?” If there’s one place in Scripture that could cause us to think restitution is needed for salvation, it is the account with Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Let’s look at it in detail to see what it does and doesn’t teach about restitution for salvation.

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00:00 Does Zacchaeus Teach Restitution for Salvation?
09:21 Lesson One: (Part One) Zacchaeus sought Jesus...
38:29 Lesson Two: Restitution is not needed for salvation, because (Part One) Zacchaeus’s behavior is descriptive versus prescriptive.
40:10 Lesson Two: Restitution is not needed for salvation, because (Part Two) there are too many sins to count.
45:17 Lesson Two: Restitution is not needed for salvation, because (Part Three) we’re saved by grace through faith.
47:18 Lesson Three: Restitution is not needed for salvation, but (Part One) repentance produces fruit.
55:22 Lesson Three: Restitution is not needed for salvation, but (Part Two) God might convict us to make restitution.
59:55 Lesson One: (Part One) Zacchaeus sought Jesus (Part Two), but Jesus sought him first.

Jesus declared Zacchaeus was saved after Zacchaeus made a declaration about righting his wrongs. This makes it look like restitution is needed for salvation.

So, let’s talk about what’s going on here. I’m going to go through many parts of this quickly. And this brings us to the first part of lesson two…

Reason One: Restitution Is not Needed for Salvation Because Zacchaeus’s behavior is descriptive versus prescriptive
The Bible can be descriptive without being prescriptive. In other words, parts of the Bible describe what happened without prescribing for us to do the same. Jesus was comfortable commanding Zacchaeus. He commanded him to come down from the tree. But he didn’t command him to give away half his possessions and restore fourfold. Zacchaeus chose to do this on his own, but we don’t have to do the same.

Reason Two: Restitution Is not Needed for Salvation Because There Are Too Many Sins to Count
Who can remember all the sins they committed, just yesterday? Zacchaeus was a tax collector, so maybe he had thorough records that would allow him to see who he ripped off over the years. But even if he could fix the sins he committed as a tax collector, there were lots of other sins that he couldn’t make right, simply because he couldn’t remember all of them.

If restitution was needed for salvation, nobody could be saved. We can’t remember all the sins we’ve committed, and even if we could, we wouldn’t have the means to make all of them right. People who have had abortions often struggle with guilt for years. They can’t make restitution for their sin.

My heart would break for any deathbed conversions. Imagine someone saying, “I want to be saved, but I don’t have the time to fix these things I did.”

Reason Three: Restitution Is not Needed for Salvation Because We Are Saved by Grace Through Faith
If restitution was needed for salvation, salvation wouldn’t be by grace through faith. Salvation would be by restitution through human effort. The point of the famous hymn, “Just as I Am” is God wants us as we are…not as we would be after we make things right.

Instead of restitution, what is required is repentance and faith. Repentance means change versus repayment.

Zacchaeus Is an Example of Repentance Producing Fruit
John the Baptist said, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”

This is exactly what Zacchaeus did. He was genuinely repentant, and his repentance produced fruit. Zacchaeus did what he did, not to be saved, but because he was saved.

Repentance isn’t just stopping something, it is also starting something, or bearing fruit. This is the biblical principle of putting off and putting on, which is taught clearest in Ephesians 4. Consider how well what Paul wrote describes Zacchaeus:

Ephesians 4:22 Put off your old self…24 and put on the new self…28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing...

Read the rest of the blog post: https://www.scottlapierre.org/does-zacchaeus-teach-restitution-for-salvation/