We have established that polygamy is not God's ideal for marriage neither is it in God's plan for marriage institution. Now, the issue we need to look into is this: for a polygamist who gave his life to Christ after marrying several women, is it compulsory for him to restitute away his wives and retain only one?
Before I give an answer to this, let me state clearly that nowhere in the bible is it stated that polygamists must restitute. In fact, in the days of Jesus and Paul, there were polygamists and it is not on record that Jesus nor Paul ever told any of them to put away their wives and retain one. There was no polygamist whose salvation was premised on restitution. If it were, salvation will no longer be by grace.
A saved polygamist is saved like every other monogamous person. Jesus will accept them as they are. Jesus will not say, "Go send your wives away before I'll save you".
Polygamy existed in Paul's day. In fact, in Corinthian church, Paul spoke against a man's immorality against his step mother: I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his STEPMOTHER (1 Cor 5:1 NLT).
Paul's statement gave the status of "wife" to that stepmother and that was why he cautioned that young man against his action. I state it again that there is no biblical injunction either in the gospels where Jesus featured or in the epistles where polygamists who came to Christ were told to put away their wives. Historical inference shows polygamists were part of the church.
What we don't know is If this adulterous stepmother was a member of the church. However, we can deduce there were polygamists in most of the churches Paul planted because most of his churches were planted among gentiles most of whom were polygamists. Historically, polygamy was rife among Jews and gentiles. It won't be uncommon to find polygamists in the churches Paul planted.
Even in the old covenant, aside Abimelech who was instructed to return Sarah for obvious reasons, there was no polygamist( including the Levites) God instructed to restitute. It will surprise you that there were polygamous Levites ( Judges 19). Elkanah was a Levite who had two wives: Hannah& Peninah (1 Sam1:1-2). Though Polygamy was not the ideal yet it was common in Israel society yet it was not on record that God instructed anyone to put away his wives and retain one.
In fact, speaking about the life and marriage of those who were unbelievers before meeting Christ, this is what Paul says, "Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and REMAIN AS YOU WERE WHEN GOD FIRST CALLED YOU. This is my rule for all the churches"( 1 Cor7:17 NLT).
The context of the scripture above is marriage. Paul instructed that those who are called ( into salvation) should remain as they were when they got saved. This applies to polygamists as well. If it doesn't apply to them, in that same pericope, he would have adddressed the matter.
Paul is not saying believers should go marry more wives, that would be sinful and flagrant disobedience against God's order of marriage but the scripture here applies to that man who when he was in the world married more than one wife. Paul says he should remain as he was when he met Christ. You see, he did that in the days of ignorance when he doesn't know his left from his right.
The bible says, "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent*"( Acts 17:30 ESV).
If the bible says God overlooked what was done in the days of ignorance (when unsaved), believe scriptures for what it says- God overlooked it. Let's not lay a burden on people that God did not put on them. I believe a polygamist should restitute only on two grounds which i'll share subsequently.
