"You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Matthew 5:38-42
Last time we considered the difference between justice and vengeance (or retribution). We said it is not right to seek damages that amount to more than the actual loss that was suffered.
But wait! God’s law does require that restitution be paid to the one who suffered a loss in addition to the actual loss. Is this a contradiction? It is not a contradiction. What is the difference between restitution and vengeance (or retribution)?
Vengeance (retribution) is a way for the party that was wronged to wrong the other party in return. This is disallowed by God because vengeance belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19), not to us.
Biblical Restitution is not wrong for at least three reasons: (1) God commands it in several places in the Law (e.g., Exodus 12-22, Leviticus 6, and others). (2) It is written into the Law with prescribed limitations disallowing a person to seek exorbitant sums for relatively minor losses under the auspices of so-called “pain and suffering.” (3) It penalizes the wrong-doer to drive home the point that “crime does not pay.”
I read and recommend a great article entitled 5 Principles of Biblical Restitution. I’ve include the five points below and encourage you to read the entire article (it is not long) by Clicking Here.