Thou Shalt Not Steal

Faith Filled Thoughts


October 12th, 2009
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The Ten Commandments

First Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Have Any Gods Before Me
Second Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images
Third Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord in Vain
Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath, Keep It Holy
Sixth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill
Fifth Commandment: Honor Thy Father and Mother
Seventh Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery


Eighth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Steal

With this commandment,
the simplest and most obvious understanding may
actually be the most correct one — but not necessarily.
Most people read it as a prohibition against stealing,
but it may not be the way that everyone understood it originally.
Righteousness is defined in the Bible as obedience to the Law of God (Ps. 119:172).
The eighth commandment deals with theft.
The increase of property, goods, and wealth by illegal means is outside the boundaries of God’s Law.
This kind of activity constitutes theft and is a sin.
Politically speaking, the most widespread form of theft is collectivism-communism, Marxism, socialism.
Monopoly capitalism should also be included.
The efforts of the people to acquire wealth and to keep it are greatly hindered by these systems.
They operate primarily for the benefit of the elite.
Taxes appropriate the acquisitions of the people which are then distributed to others.
The eighth commandment states: “Thou shalt not steal” (Ex. 20:15).
Consider this: Most people generally gain their assets by means of labor or by gifts from others.
Such things as extortion, robbery, gambling, swindling,
and contests can be excluded from the normal means of acquiring wealth.
All good and perfect gifts come from God (Jas. 1:17),
and indeed the sleep of the laboring man is sweet (Eccl. 5:12).
There are many methods of theft.
Some of the most familiar are armed robbery, burglary, and shoplifting.
This kind of theft is, of course, clearly a violation of the eighth commandment.
Why do men steal?
The answer:
Theft is one of the fundamental evils of human nature.
Jesus said,
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matt. 15:19).
Unrepentant thieves will be excluded from the Kingdom of God.
The man who gains his livelihood by means that are approved by God can rest peaceably at night.
Cheating is a big temptation for gamblers.
Coveting by any means is contrary to God’s Law and will not pay off in the long run.
A prophecy for the last days indicates how rampant coveting will become (2 Tim. 3:2).
The Bible says,
“For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every
one is given to covetousness;
and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely” (Jer. 6:13).
The time is coming when all forms of theft will be forgotten, a time when
God says, “. . . They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree;
and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it” (Micah 4:4).
The property and wealth of people, whether large of small, will be secure.
It will not be taken from them by any illegal means.
There are warnings for those who covet and desire the riches of this world.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God,
who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).
Wealth, used properly, can be a benefit to all, but men are too greedy to really allow these benefits to occur.
No wonder Jesus said, “. . . Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23).
Those guilty of theft by whatever means will have to answer in the judgment!
To summarize, there are many ways by which people can be guilty of theft.
Listed above are some of the most common,
but there are any number of ways by which theft can occur.
Christians should be aware of the significance
of the eighth commandment and make every effort not to violate it.

May He Bless You and Keep You Today!

With Great Love
IN HIS SERVICE
Pastor Connie
Please click below to see something Jesus left for your Spirit!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5Yiyv5O0s&feature=related