Reformation
500 WEEK 42: Heidelberg Catechism QA 110-111
Question 110: What does
God forbid in the eighth Commandment?
God forbids not only such theft and
robbery as are punished by the government, but God views as theft also all
wicked tricks and devices, whereby we seek to get our neighbor’s goods, whether
by force or by deceit, such as unjust weights, lengths, measures, goods, coins,
usury, or by any means forbidden of God; also, all covetousness and the misuse
and waste of His gifts.
The
Eighth Commandment, “You shall not steal,” is designed for “the preservation of
the property or possessions which God has given to every one for the support of
life” (Ursinus, 595). Behind this commandment is the fact that “all property –
the world itself – belongs first of all to God the Creator: ‘the earth is the
LORD’s, and all its fullness” (Psalm 24:1). The Lord God gives His property to
men as a sacred trust, and each person who owns property is responsible to use
his property to serve God…. Never may we call our property or money absolutely
our own, any more than our bodies and souls are our own, for it all
belongs to our faithful Savior. We are always stewards or caretakers
of God’s possessions…. All that we possess has been given to us by God to be
used for His glory [Matt. 25:14-30]” (Jones, Study Helps, 274). “Behold,
all souls are Mine” (Ezek. 18:4). “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,
says the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). Daniel rebuked wicked King Belshazzar:
“you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone,
which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath
in His hands and owns all your ways, you have not glorified”
(Dan. 5:23). The Lord rebuked the wicked servant who buried his talent: “you
ought to have deposited My money with the bankers, and at My coming I
would have received back My own with interest” (Matt. 25:27).
If the
steward mismanages the owner’s property or money it is stealing. If we misuse
and waste God’s gifts we steal from God, by robbing Him of the glory He would
have received had we used our gifts in His service (Eph. 6:5-8). Tithing is a
reminder of stewardship, which is why God says that if we do not tithe we are
stealing from Him. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, in
what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8).
To steal from our neighbor is also to
steal from God, for God has given our neighbors everything they have to be used
for His glory. Therefore, “the private ownership of property is a divine right.
Property belongs to persons and no one has the right to take another person’s
property ‘by force or by deceit.’ … Six deceitful ways of stealing from
our neighbor are listed here: unjust weights, lengths, measures, goods, coins,
usury are mentioned. Weights, lengths, and measures refer to business honesty.
Unjust coins refer to counterfeit coins (coins made of a cheap
metal which are passed off as precious metal) or clipped coins (a
piece shaved of silver and gold coins, a trick often practiced in the Middle
Ages). ‘Usury’ is charging excessive interest on money loaned to another
person, or charging any interest on a loan to a Christian brother in need
(Leviticus 25:35-36). The book of Proverbs has many statements about dealing honestly
and justly with our neighbor. ‘Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
but a just weight is His delight” (Prov. 11:1; cf. 13:11; 14:23; 20:10; Isaiah
1:22-23).… Other forms of cheating are false advertising (television has much
of this!), receiving stolen goods (Prov. 29:24), not paying one’s debts, not
paying wages (Lev. 19:13; James 5:4), and gambling … (Prov. 13:11; 16:8; 2
Thess. 3:10-12)” (Jones, Study Helps, 275).
“The right of private property,
under God, is the foundation of the economic system called ‘capitalism.’ Freedom
and private property are required by God’s Word for man’s societal life. The
United States of America was founded by men who were steeped in these moral
teachings of Scripture received from their Reformed and Puritan heritage. They
embodied the basic principles of private property, economic freedom, and honest
money (money with real value) into our basic law, the United States
Constitution. Ungodly men have tried to do away with the Eighth Commandment” in
exchange for a society in which “the government takes over the land, the
property, and businesses with the promise to ‘help the poor.’ This ungodly kind
of government is called Socialism or Communism or the Welfare State. It has
been tried many times in history,” with the same results: “the persecution of
the church and the enslavement of the people to godless dictators…. It is the
duty of government to protect your rights, not take them away by confiscating
property, imposing excessive taxes, and curtailing your right to work how and
where you wish, by government restrictions. King Ahab sinned against God by
taking away Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21), and King Rehoboam sinned by taxing
the people too heavily (1 Kings 12:3-4, 14, 16)” (Ibid.).
Many socialists argue that the
Bible endorses the common ownership of property in Acts 4:32: “the multitude of
those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that
any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”
But the Bible goes on to make it clear that this practice was voluntary.
After Ananias and his wife lied about how much money they gave to the common
storehouse, Peter said to them, “While [the land] remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your
own control” (Acts 5:4).
Question 111: But what
does God require of you in this Commandment? That I further
my neighbor’s good where I can and may, deal with him as I would have others
deal with me, and labor faithfully, so that I may be able to help the poor in
their need.
Stealing begins with greed in our
heart (Mark 7:22), with a desire to take instead of to give. The
biblical cure for stealing is to ask the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and for
spiritual renewal, so we learn the true meaning of His words, “It is more
blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 22:35). God ordained work as a means to
provide for our needs (Prov. 13:11; 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Cor. 12:14), and to give
to others who are in need. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let
him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give
to him who has need” (Eph. 4:28; cf. Prov.
13:22; 19:17; 2 Thess. 3:10).
As believers, we are learning to be faithful stewards, working for
God’s glory, putting off our greed and
putting on hard work and generosity. We are learning to fight against
the desire to be rich (1 Tim. 6:9-10); and if we are rich we are learning not
to “trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all
things to enjoy.” We are learning to “be rich in good works, ready to give,
willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:17-18). God’s grace is teaching us to treat others the
way we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12).
NOTE: These Posts were written and designed as bulletin inserts by Pastor David Fagrey of the Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD .
Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 110-111
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: Reformation 500 Week 42
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