Should a Christian turn themselves in for minor crimes committed before being saved? (Mostly answered but you can still reply if you want)

BornAgain73 · Mar 27, 2025

I've been thinking about this and I wonder, should I turn myself in for crimes I committed before coming to Christ, i.e. Pirating games and movies, I stole a thing of beef jerky from a gas station when I was in middle school once, and other things. And if this applies for smaller crimes what about bigger ones, how should a Christian go about this? In terms of Pirating games I bought most of the games I pirated before becoming a Christian, kinda reconciling it, but would I be called to go to the police and admit these crimes and asked to be charged, or would this be just a personal thing for me to decide.

EDIT: I have been reading some of the answers today and I got a clear, picture, If i want to I can pay what I owe with normal stuff If i want, but I don't need to bother police or anything with it. The main reason I wanted this question answered is because the bible says to obey our earthly governments when it doesn't conflict with God's word. And I just want to be on the right side of the law so I can be within God's will. But your answers have been helpful. Thank you everyone who's responded so far.

Hoping2 · Mar 27, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I've been thinking about this and I wonder, should I turn myself in for crimes I committed before coming to Christ, i.e. Pirating games and movies, I stole a thing of beef jerky from a gas station when I was in middle school once, and other things. And if this applies for smaller crimes what about bigger ones, how should a Christian go about this? In terms of Pirating games I bought most of the games I pirated before becoming a Christian, kinda reconciling it, but would I be called to go to the police and admit these crimes and asked to be charged, or would this be just a personal thing for me to decide.

Make a real effort to restore what has been taken from the victims of such crimes.
Contact the game company and ask if you can pay now, for what you took earlier.
(Be sure to state, that since you became a Christian you are trying to set things straight in your life...that way Jesus gets the glory !)
Congratulations on your repentance from sin !

BornAgain73 · Mar 27, 2025

Hoping2 said:
Make a real effort to restore what has been taken from the victims of such crimes.
Contact the game company and ask if you can pay now, for what you took earlier.
(Be sure to state, that since you became a Christian you are trying to set things straight in your life...that way Jesus gets the glory !)
Congratulations on your repentance from sin !

I kinda already did this for a lot of the games I had indirectly since I purchased most of the ones I already pirated, but its hard to remember everything, also some shows that i did pirate I cant really purchase a physical copy so its hard to do so, I still need to do it with music.

Also some things that I pirated would be things that a christian in any circumstances shouldn't watch or own, so I also don't know what to do with that, since the material is sinful in nature.

d taylor · Mar 27, 2025

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You can just as long as you do not think this is part of receiving God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation.

com7fy8 · Mar 27, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
the material is sinful in nature.

Well, that was in Satan's kingdom. They cheated you by misleading your attention to that stuff. Your time and attention is worth much more than any amount of money. They owe you. Forgive them, and enjoy that you are forgiven. And get rid of any Satanic stuff; it is not worthy to be kept and returned to anybody.

Hazelelponi · Mar 27, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I've been thinking about this and I wonder, should I turn myself in for crimes I committed before coming to Christ, i.e. Pirating games and movies, I stole a thing of beef jerky from a gas station when I was in middle school once, and other things. And if this applies for smaller crimes what about bigger ones, how should a Christian go about this? In terms of Pirating games I bought most of the games I pirated before becoming a Christian, kinda reconciling it, but would I be called to go to the police and admit these crimes and asked to be charged, or would this be just a personal thing for me to decide.

No.

Just repent of your sins. As Jesus said, go and sin no more.

If the law comes knocking get a lawyer.

timf · Mar 27, 2025

There is usually a statute of limitations for petty crimes which means that they are not prosecuted after a period of time. You might want to let go of the past which tends to accentuate a self focus. When looking to the future one might work on the transition from selfishness (the flesh) to selflessness (the Spirit). We are all supposed to be maturing which often involves letting go of the past.

Maori Aussie · Mar 27, 2025

I do recall an incident decades ago of someone sending a small parcel of cash to the tax office, with a handwritten note quoting a bible verse about repentance. Payment WAS in the mail!

Hoping2 · Mar 27, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I kinda already did this for a lot of the games I had indirectly since I purchased most of the ones I already pirated, but its hard to remember everything,

Good.

BornAgain73 said:
also some shows that i did pirate I cant really purchase a physical copy so its hard to do so, I still need to do it with music.

Can you contact the company the shows and music came from ?
If you can, ask how much you owe.

BornAgain73 said:
Also some things that I pirated would be things that a Christian in any circumstances shouldn't watch or own, so I also don't know what to do with that, since the material is sinful in nature.

Destroy what you have, as that is all you can do.
God knows you are trying.

ozso · Mar 28, 2025

Maori Aussie said:
I do recall an incident decades ago of someone sending a small parcel of cash to the tax office, with a handwritten note quoting a bible verse about repentance. Payment WAS in the mail!

Hopefully someone didn't just pocket it. Probably better to donate the money to a government program.

trophy33 · Mar 28, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I've been thinking about this and I wonder, should I turn myself in for crimes I committed before coming to Christ, i.e. Pirating games and movies, I stole a thing of beef jerky from a gas station when I was in middle school once, and other things. And if this applies for smaller crimes what about bigger ones, how should a Christian go about this? In terms of Pirating games I bought most of the games I pirated before becoming a Christian, kinda reconciling it, but would I be called to go to the police and admit these crimes and asked to be charged, or would this be just a personal thing for me to decide.

If by pirating you mean just for your personal use, then nothing you mentioned is a crime. Trying to "fix" such small things is exhausting and useless. For example, trying to contact a game company with tens of millions of dollars budget that you pirated a 10 dollars game 10 years ago will actually be more expensive for them than if you did nothing (somebody must read it, react to it or even organize things...).

If you have a problem with your conscience, better donate some money to a charity, help your family with something or similar. It will be much more effective and much less in the "OCD style". If it is easy (the company still exists, still sells things etc), then yes, why not. But if it is not easy anymore (game companies frequently do not exist for long), then do not lose your sleep over it. They moved on, you can too.

ozso · Mar 28, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I kinda already did this for a lot of the games I had indirectly since I purchased most of the ones I already pirated, but its hard to remember everything, also some shows that i did pirate I cant really purchase a physical copy so its hard to do so, I still need to do it with music.

Also some things that I pirated would be things that a christian in any circumstances shouldn't watch or own, so I also don't know what to do with that, since the material is sinful in nature.

Perhaps you could buy other materials from whatever company and then donate those items to charity or a library.

Maori Aussie · Mar 28, 2025

ozso said:
Hopefully someone didn't just pocket it. Probably better to donate the money to a government program.

Business rule: The mail must be opened with two persons present because it might contain cash. I was in the building and saw the note. The note was handed around as it was exceptionally rare. Different times. At the time, if you went into a junior school and asked what is heroine, they would say "a brave women"....

Richard T · Mar 28, 2025

It is nice that you have a soft heart on this matter and make amends. I do not wish to destroy that, but as a practical matter here is my advice.
In a sense we all pay for the theft of others. For instance, Wal-Mart loses 1.38% I read from theft. Who pays that? Most of that is paid from other consumers because Wal-Mart is not going to take a loss. Electronic Arts or whoever the gamemaker is generally will do the same thing only pirating does not steal money directly, it steals potential sales.

The owners of the company too change fairly often. Electronic Arts as an example has around 1% of their stock change hands daily. So in less than a 100 days much of the total ownership of the company has changed hands. With 235 million shares, you could never find those exact owners. This however, does not let you off the hook nor does it justify your violations. Jesus is the one that let you off the hook, he took that sin. What restitution represents though is your change of heart. How you perform that restitution is between you and God. I would just suggest to be practical and find the grace of God so that you can serve and love more with a clean conscience.

The beef jerky certainly is already passed any date that the law would matter. So again, just a matter of your conscience. Be sure to forgive yourself and do not let past conduct impede your future. There is no condemnation under Christ Jesus. Finding the exact owners is impossible, so just give in a way that closes the issue of restitution on this.

Hoping2 · Mar 28, 2025

ozso said:
Hopefully someone didn't just pocket it. Probably better to donate the money to a government program.

It doesn't matter.
God saw the "repenter's" atonement, and whatever happens to that money is really 'after the fact'.

ozso · Mar 29, 2025

Hoping2 said:
It doesn't matter.
God saw the "repenter's" atonement, and whatever happens to that money is really 'after the fact'.

It's still unwise to send cash in the mail in most cases.

Hoping2 · Mar 29, 2025

ozso said:
It's still unwise to send cash in the mail in most cases.

If that is the only way to make things right with God and man, I will send the cash.

Scoutship · Apr 7, 2025

BornAgain73 said:
I've been thinking about this and I wonder, should I turn myself in for crimes I committed before coming to Christ...

Nah, you were born again when you became a Christian, so the old 'you' doesn't exist any more..

Like many teenagers, me and my mates used to do shoplifting, I regret doing it but I put it down to just a phase I was going through, so it's ancient history now my 'punishment' is the remorse I feel.

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