Christian Twelve Steps
Christian Step Nine
STEP 9 - Made Direct Amends To Such People, Wherever Possible, Except When To Do So Would Injure Them Or Others.
We make amends to people in many different ways. If we owe them money, we pay them back. If we have hurt them or insulted them, we apologize. If someone has harmed us, we forgive them. We do whatever we must in order to be at peace with our fellow man and ourselves. We find that when we hold resentments against someone or withhold something we owe to someone we cannot walk in "freedom", for we are then spiritually tied to that person. There may be some people we have harmed that we are unable to make amends to; perhaps they have died or moved away. In these cases we make amends by helping our fellow man, and since Jesus told us, "if we do good to our neighbors we are doing good to Him", we are also making amends to God. We may feel that we ourselves are the ones most in need of amends (and this may be true), but God's plan is that we first "become willing" to make amends to others. The amends to us are then manifested in the tremendous work that God does in our hearts.
Luke 20:25 - Jesus said to them, "give to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is Gods.
Ezekiel 33:14 & 15 - And if I say to the wicked man, "you shall surely die", but then he turns away from his sin and does what is just and right - if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil; he will surely live, he will not die.
Romans 13:7 & 8 - Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.
Proverbs 25:21 & 22 - If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
1 Peter 3:13 - Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.
Matthew 25:40 - The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."