Q&A 110 What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?

He forbids not only outright theft and robbery,

punishable by law.¹

 

But in God's sight theft also includes

cheating and swindling our neighbor

by schemes made to appear legitimate,²

such as:

inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume;

fraudulent merchandising;

counterfeit money;

excessive interest;

or any other means forbidden by God.³

 

In addition he forbids all greed⁴

and pointless squandering of his gifts.⁵

 

¹ Ex. 22:1; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:9-10

² Mic. 6:9-11; Luke 3:14; James 5:1-6

³ Deut. 25:13-16; Ps. 15:5; Prov. 11:1; 12:22; Ezek. 45:9-12; Luke 6:35

⁴ Luke 12:15; Eph. 5:5

⁵ Prov. 21:20; 23:20-21; Luke 16:10-13

Q&A 111 What does God require of you in this commandment?

That I do whatever I can

for my neighbor's good,

that I treat him

as I would like others to treat me,

and that I work faithfully

so that I may share with those in need.¹

 

¹ Isa. 58:5-10; Matt. 7:12; Gal. 6:9-10; Eph. 4:28

 

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