Step Eight

Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

When does the listing end? Let us not forget that in many instances, when a man was convicted of sin, he pointed out first and foremost that he sinned against God:

"There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39: 9)

Really, all of our wrongdoing is wrapped up in our dead flesh, and even our "good works" become a dead work if we are doing them in order to earn God's favor:

"For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them." (Romans 10: 5)

Yet Paul already established that one can be justified by doing the law:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 20)

When it comes to making amends, or rather reconciling with other people, Jesus did not make much of it, really. Consider the case of the man who was dying on the Cross:

"And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

"And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23: 39-43)

Jesus did not tell this man to take his inventory or to come up with a list of people whom he had harmed,  although he readily admitted while hanging on his own Cross that he deserved his punishment. Just the Word of God alone was all that he needed to pass from death to life!