You shall not steal

This is the eighth post in a series of ten dealing with The Ten Commandments. The content comes from “Basic Christianity”written by John Stott.

To steal is to rob a person of anything which belongs to him or is due to him. The thief of money or property is not the only infringement of this commandment. Tax evasion is robbery. So is dodging the customs. So is working short hours. What the world calls “scrounging” God calls stealing. To overwork and underpay one’s staff is to break this commandment. There must be few of us, if any, who have been consistently and scrupulously honest in personal and business affairs. As Arthur Hugh Clough wrote:

“Thou shalt not kill, “but need’st not strive
Officiously to keep alive;
“Thou shalt not steal”–an empty feat
When it’s more lucrative to cheat.

These negative commandments also imply a positive counterpart. In order truly to abstain from killing, one must do all in one’s power to foster the health and preserve the life of others. To refrain from the act of adultery is insufficient. The commandment requires the right, healthy and honorable attitude of each sex toward the other. Similarly, to avoid stealing is no particular virtue if one is miserly or mean. Paul was not satisfied that a thief should stop stealing; he had to start working. Indeed, he had to continue in honest labor until he found himself in a position to give to those in need.