Theology 101 No. 12

You shall not steal.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God

so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in some dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income.

In order to understand and keep this Commandment we must recognize that God is the giver of all material blessings and that we are merely stewards, managers of what He has given us. God gives material blessings as He wills (Jeremiah 27:5) and under God’s providence some people prosper and others do not (I Samuel 2:7). This Commandment is designed to protect personal property – that which belongs to us and to our neighbor. Because of sin, man is inherently greedy and will seek to gain what others have rightfully obtained for themselves.

There are four ways in which we can rightfully obtain material possessions: “(1) we buy it or work for it; (2) we may accept it as a donation or inheritance; (3) we may find it and not be able to restore it to the owner; (4) we may make a fair trade. Every other method of securing possessions is stealing” (Koehler, p. 68). In this Commandment God forbids all forms of theft, robbery, fraud, the coveting of our neighbor’s possessions, cheating (lying for financial gain), profiteering, charging too much interest, paying unfair wages, being unfaithful or lazy in one’s work, etc. (See Ephesians 4:28; Leviticus 19:35,36; Jeremiah 22:13; Psalm 37:21; Proverbs29:24).

Special mention needs to also be made, in this day and age, about gambling. Many localities have legalized various forms of gambling from lotteries to the trademark gambling hall/casino. It is labeled by the industry as “gaming” and justified by many as “just entertainment.” It is, however, a form of stealing. How? Simply put no one goes to a casino to loose. They want to win. A person’s winnings are made up of another person’s losses. The winner is taking from the looser what they did not truly want to give up.

Many also use gambling in the hope of “making it big.” Rather than place their trust in God and His providence and care, they place their hope in games of chance, often squandering what God has already given them. Gambling is not a sport nor is it a valid form of entertainment. And those who claim to be Christian and yet give more to their state’s lottery system or local cassino than they do to their local congregation or in the help of their neighbors are being exceedingly poor stewards of God’s gifts to them.

God has given us our possessions for two reasons: (1) to support ourselves physically and (2) to help others in need (I Timothy 5:8; Hebrews 13:16). The proper uses of our goods includes helping those who are in need and want (Proverbs 19:17) and the support of the church (Galatians 6:6). When one remembers that what he has is not truly his own and the purpose for which God has given it to him, one will have an easier time living out God’s desire for the possessions He has so graciously given to them.

But not only are we to help those around us who are in need, we are to also help our neighbor improve and protect his property and income. For example, if we are an employee we are to speak well of our employer and his business so that we do not harm their reputation and cause the business to suffer. Employees are also to give an honest day’s work for the wages they receive. Laziness in the work place is stealing because the individual is not earning that for which he is being paid. Employers are also to look after the proper care and welfare of their employees by providing fair wages. To under-compensate an employee is also stealing because the employer is receiving work for which he has not paid.

In this Commandment God desires us to rejoice in the prosperity and success of others and wants us to help our neighbor prosper. Christian love “seeks not its own” (I Corinthians 13:5). God calls upon us to love other men as we would love ourselves (Matthew 7:12) and as such we seek to help our neighbor when he is in need and to protect and improve his possessions as we would our own. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31).