Q & A 110
Q. What does God forbid
in the eighth commandment?
A. God forbids not only outright theft and robbery,
punishable by law. (1)
But in God’s sight theft also includes
all scheming and swindling
in order to get our neighbour’s goods for ourselves,
whether by force or means that 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 God forbids all greed (4)
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
Q. What does God require of you
in this commandment?
A. That I do whatever I can
for my neighbour’s good,
that I treat others
as I would like them to treat me,
and that I work faithfully
so that I may share with those in need. (1)