Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Ephesians 4:28
The eighth commandment prohibits stealing. It’s a very simple command with just four little words in English “You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15). On the face of it, it looks pretty easy. Don’t take other people’s stuff! Or as I used to tell our children, “If it’s not yours, don’t touch it!” But as with all the commands we’ve been studying, there is more to it than just keeping your hands to yourself! And while it is true that stealing from others is always wrong – as we see clearly in both Testaments – what is not true, is that merely keeping your hands off other people’s stuff makes you a good person. Or to put it another way, righteousness is about more than refraining from sin. True righteousness comes from a new heart made right with God through grace that results in a new Christ-like life that is filled with love and service to others.
That’s surely what Paul is getting at in Ephesians 4:28 when he moves from the negative command to “no longer steal” to the positive exhortation to “work hard” in order to “have something to share” with those in need. It is a move from taking, to giving; from self-centered theft to Christ-centered service as love takes hold of our hearts and moves us beyond the bare command so we begin to love others for Christ’s sake. Thus, as the Heidelberg Catechism says:
In this commandment, God requires that I
further my neighbors’ good in every instance I can or may,
and deal with them as I desire others to deal with me;
further also that I faithfully labor,
so that I may be able to help the poor in their need.
Do not steal, instead love with Christ’s love and serve others for His glory!
May the love of Christ fill our hearts to love our neighbors as ourselves!
Pastor Scott Lee