“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15

Unfortunately, this is one commandment that most of us are prone to rationalize or interpret in a wide variety of ways. In fact, it is interesting that I should even feel the need to describe the type of honesty I am talking about. Honesty should mean honesty, without exception, and not subject to definition by anyone.

There are a number of ways to steal, broadly categorized into two types: active and passive. Active stealing includes embezzlement, robbery, extortion, and kidnapping. We know these actions are wrong. After all, they are punishable by law.

Then there is passive stealing, which includes negligence resulting in damage to another’s property, failure to return a found object to its rightful owner, and failure to give what rightfully belongs to another (this includes greediness resulting in failure to tithe and to be charitable). Most times, these are “invisible” offenses. There are even more subtle ways to steal. A Robert Half study found that employees on average steal roughly 4.5 hours from their employer each week, either by fudging on time cards or by doing personal work on company time. Did it ever occur to you that this is stealing? This site provides biblical examples for all the above.

We rationalize stealing sometimes by thinking that we are not really stealing because it is something that is “owed” to us, or that no one will be hurt, a “victimless” crime if you will. We work it out in our heads that we are justified in taking what belongs to someone else. However, we know in our hearts that there is no victimless crime. There will be consequences, just perhaps not direct or immediate, so it is easy to get away with. But this rationalization fails to consider that there is One who sees and knows everything that we do and what our motivation is. The plain truth of the matter is that stealing of any kind is a sin. It is a sin because it directly violates the eighth commandment, and:

• Stealing harms another person or entity.
• Stealing assumes we have rights that are more important than those of another.
• Stealing implies lack of trust in God’s provision.

This eighth commandment undergirds some of the other commandments. Adultery is a form of stealing. Murder is a form of stealing. Stealing and lying usually go hand in hand. Stealing is a sin, in any form. So, what is the antidote for stealing?

1. If we steal in any form, we should be quick to repay our debts. Let us follow the example of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who, when addressed by Jesus, quickly said “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8).

• The Apostle Paul advises us to counteract the sin of stealing with generosity. “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28).

^“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 19:14