Restitution | Toby Sumpter (School of Practical Christianity #3) 

The New Testament teaching is clear: - "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." (Ephesians 4:23) Zaccheus is often used as an example of restitution. But he was a Jew following the letter of the Jewish civil law. Apparently Zaccheus was already in the habit of restoring things to people he was tempted to rob, because he did not say, "I will restore" ... but present tense, he said, "Behold, I restore" thus and such. The Pulpit Commentary explaIns it this way -- "the chief publican's words do not refer to a future purpose, but they speak of a past rule of life which he had set for himself to follow and probably had followed for a long period." So no, there had been no "change of heart" proven by what Zacchaeus said, as the video preacher suggested, upon which Christ supposedly based the man's salvation, also falsely suggested. We know the Apostle Paul stated clearly, that - "by the works of the law no one will be justified."

yes, the general equity of the civil laws would be what our criminal justice system uses