The Eighth Commandment
*The following post was originally written as a meditation for our Confession of Sin during Lord’s Day worship.
Confession of Sin
Acknowledging our guilt; resting in His grace.
The Eighth Commandment:
“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
Simply stated, the 8th commandment teaches us that obtaining gain by ungodly means is evil.
This of course applies to acts of theft, whether great or small, discovered or hidden. Yet, the 8th commandment should not be restricted only to pick-pockets and bank-robbers.
Theft involves any and every activity in which that which belongs to another is violated, infringed upon or taken away. This includes far more than mere physical or intellectual property. It also includes the intrinsic rights which God has given to all men.
Within this fallen world, we sinners have invented innumerable methods for bettering ourselves at the expense of others. Make no mistake, to do so is theft, because to do so is to take from someone else what God declares does not belong to you.
Every kind of unloving means that is employed for obtaining gain in this world is a violation of the 8th commandment because inherent to the nature of such actions is the theft of our brother’s good.
Thus, this command rightly condemns: The exploitation of others
To take advantage of the ignorance or poverty or powerlessness of another person and to exploit their condition for our own benefit is to steal the dignity which their Maker has decreed as the rightful due of every human being made in his image.
This command rightly condemns: Knowingly receiving that which was obtained through sinful means
It is not only wrong to steal, it is also wrong to knowingly benefit from those who steal. The support of entities known to violate the law of God through such exploitive sins as child-labor, coercion, slavery, oppression, or any other unholy means which violate basic human rights is to endorse the flourishing of such businesses and their practices, and to encourage their continuation.
While we cannot possibly know the private dealings of every business with which we do commerce, we are to endeavor to be responsible consumers who do not call money saved through the oppression and mistreatment of our fellow man “a good deal.”
This command rightly condemns: The violation of commitments & contracts
The terms upon which an agreement is struck between parties obligates those involved to honor and uphold those terms, even at great expense to themselves. To do otherwise is to steal that which was promised to them, which, by nature of the agreement, is rightfully theirs.
This command rightly condemns: Every form of fraud, false advertising, scheming, and misleading of others in the pursuit of personal or corporate profit
To prey upon the vulnerability, inherent trust, and good-will of others as a means to personal or corporate gain is despicable and vile. By such means, the well-being of our fellow man is stolen through deception, manipulation, and swindling.
At the very core of this commandment is a call to love, honor and respect our fellow man; it is a call do him good and not harm.
“Thou shall not steal” not only prohibits the violation of our brothers private property, but also means that we are not to willfully impede our brother’s success, to restrain his progress, to restrict his development, or to take advantage of his circumstances in any ways which are contrary to love.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. We have yet to consider that:
Plagiarism is the theft of our brother’s honor.
Envy is the sinful desire to rob our brother of blessing.
Slander is the sinful intention of stealing our brother’s good reputation.
And what of our robbing God?
Pride is attempted grand larceny of God’s glory.
Withholding some or all of your tithe is the sin of stealing from God’s treasury.
Self-congratulation is the sin of robbing God of praise.
What terrible thieves we have become in our sin! And what a world of brokenness we inhabit where rampant injustice, oppression, and theft of human dignity prevail. Surely God is proven right when he says, “No one is righteous; no, not one,” (Rom. 3:10-12).
Having had the light of God’s law once again expose the darkness of our hearts, let us run to the our Father in prayer. For our merciful Savior has willingly paid the debt of every sin for every sinner who is truly trusting in him, (I Jn. 2:1-2).
We invite you to privately confess your sins before the Lord now. — (A TIME OF SILENT CONFESSION)
Assurance of God’s Forgiveness
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19)