If it doesn't belong to you, don't take it

Open: College Admissions Cheating Scandal. Wealthy parents paid money to have their “privileged children” accepted into elite schools. By doing so, they stole the limited spots from the students who actually earned the admission slots.

Transition: The practice of breaking the 8th commandment is alive and well in America. Due to the wickedness of the human heart (), we continue to come up with new ways to steal from others. We as individuals, and as a nation, need to respect and obey God’s moral code.

Thou Shall Not Steal ()

Explanation: God gave the people this command so that their personal possessions would remain secure. The Bible clearly supports the concept of personal property, and repeatedly refutes the worldview of communism and socialism. A person’s property is to be respected ().

When considering the topic of stealing, one typically thinks of a thief who breaks in and steals something that does not belong to him. This is indeed a sin, and God stresses that His people are not to be engage in this practice (). The 8th commandment, however, encompasses more territory than we initially consider.

At the base level, the thief is expressing unbelief in the good God’s ability to provide. The thief does not believe that God is “going to come through for him,” so he must take matters in his own hands. Anytime we think we have to “help God” that is a red flag - sin lies ahead!

The words of Agur are extremely helpful in putting this in context for the believer who desires to honor God. “give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘who is the LORD? or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” ()

Ways to violate the 8th Commandment

Explanation: As stated, the thief who breaks in and steals is readily identified as a thief, a person who is in clear violation of the 8th commandment. Believers often overlook (or don’t understand) the other myriad ways this commandment is broken in our own times.

Luther defined stealing as acquiring any property by any unjust means. It includes  1. Burglary  2. Robbery  3. Larceny  4. Hijacking  5. Shoplifting  6. Pickpocketing, Pursesnatching,  7. Embezzlement  8. Extortion  9. Racketeering  10. Cheating on taxes.  11. Government stealing from future citizens by wasting or creating huge deficit.  12. Stealing by not putting in a full day’s work. (Some retailers lose more through employee theft than through public theft.)  13. Employers steal by demanding more hours than allowed by the contract.  14. Price gouging.  15. Marketing and false advertising.  16. Exaggerating the value of a product.  17. Insurance fraud. Filing false claims.  18. Theft of intellectual property. Plagiarism (Stephen Ambrose).  19. Identity theft.  20. Playing the lottery (stealing from the poor) 21. Not giving to the needy. (thegospelcoalition.org ; article by Trevin Wax on 9/4/2007. accessed on 3/19/2019)

Luther defined stealing as acquiring any property by any unjust means. It includes  1. Burglary  2. Robbery  3. Larceny  4. Hijacking  5. Shoplifting  6. Pickpocketing, Pursesnatching,  7. Embezzlement  8. Extortion  9. Racketeering  10. Cheating on taxes.  11. Government stealing from future citizens by wasting or creating huge deficit.  12. Stealing by not putting in a full day’s work. (Some retailers lose more through employee theft than through public theft.)  13. Employers steal by demanding more hours than allowed by the contract.  14. Price gouging.  15. Marketing and false advertising.  16. Exaggerating the value of a product.  17. Insurance fraud. Filing false claims.  18. Theft of intellectual property. Plagiarism (Stephen Ambrose).  19. Identity theft.  20. Playing the lottery (stealing from the poor) 21. Not giving to the needy. (thegospelcoalition.org ; article by Trevin Wax on 9/4/2007. accessed on 3/19/2019)

Ways we can honor the 8th Commandment

Many believers who would never consider breaking in another person’s home and taking their stuff can still be guilty of violating this commandment. Therefore, we need to think critically in this area and pray for God’s discernment. We don’t want this to be a transfer of information, but rather an exhortation as to how we can honor God with our lives.

Develop a more full understanding of the content involved

Critically examine our lives for the “little things”

Pray for God’s wisdom on necessary changes

Stop buying lottery tickets

If your product only lasts 5 years, quit telling people it will last 20

Quit “fudging” your taxes

Do the work you are paid for - work with the understanding that God is your boss!