The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.
Exodus 20:15
Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law
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- Dominion
- Theft
- Restitution and Forgiveness
- Liability of the Bystander
- Money and Measure
- Usury
- Responsibility
- Stealing Freedom
- Landmarks and Land
- The Virgin Birth and Property
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- Fraud
- Eminent Domain
- Labor Laws
- Robbing God
- Prison
- Lawful Wealth
- Restitution to God
- The Rights of Strangers, Widows and Orphans
- Injustice as Robbery
- Theft and Law
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The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648)
Question 140: Which is the eighth commandment?
Answer: The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal.
Question 141: What are the duties required in the eighth
commandment?
Answer: The duties required in the eighth commandment are,
- truth,
- faithfulness, and
- justice in
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- rendering to everyone his due;
- restitution of goods unlawfully detained from the right owners thereof;
- giving and lending freely, according to
- our abilities, and
- the necessities of others;
- moderation of our
- judgments,
- wills, and
- affections concerning worldly goods;
- a provident care and study to
- get,
- keep,
- use, and
- dispose these things which are
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- necessary and
- convenient for the sustentation of our nature,
- and suitable to our condition;
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- a lawful calling,
- and diligence in it;
- frugality;
- avoiding unnecessary lawsuits and
- suretyship, or other like engagements; and
- an endeavor, by
- all just and
- lawful means,
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- to procure,
- preserve, and
- further the wealth and outward estate
- of others,
- as well as our own.
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Question 142: What are the sins forbidden in the eighth
commandment?
Answer: The sins forbidden in the eighth commandment,
- besides the neglect of the duties required, are,
- theft,
- robbery,
- man-stealing, and
- receiving anything that is stolen;
- fraudulent dealing,
- false weights and measures,
- removing land marks,
- injustice and
- unfaithfulness
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- in contracts between man and man,
- or in matters of trust
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- oppression,
- extortion,
- usury,
- bribery,
- vexatious lawsuits,
- unjust enclosures and depopulations;
- engrossing commodities to enhance the price;
- unlawful callings, and
- all other unjust or
- sinful ways of
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- taking or
- withholding from our neighbor what belongs to him
- or of enriching ourselves;
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- covetousness;
- inordinate
- prizing and
- affecting
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worldly goods; |
- distrustful and distracting
- cares and studies in
- getting,
- keeping, and
- using them;
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- envying at the prosperity of others;
- as likewise idleness,
- prodigality,
- wasteful gaming; and
- all other ways whereby we do unduly prejudice our own outward estate, and
- defrauding ourselves of the due
- of that estate which God has given us.
- The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) explains our duties under the Eighth
Commandment. You will notice that the brilliant Puritan Theologians who compiled the
Catechism discerned duties in passages of Scripture which do not begin with the words
"Thou shalt" or "Thou shalt not."
- Every word of God is a command for us.
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- But even the "thou shalts" and the "thou shalt nots" demand more
from us than we might first think:
- How to Study the Ten Commandments
How to use the Catechism for a Moral Inventory
First, you must agree that the Catechism has correctly explained the implications of
the Commandment. Assuming it has, you must
agree with God that you are obligated to carry out those principles in your life.
Second you must ask yourself if you have
violated each aspect of the command.
Third, you must take steps to develop the
Character of Christ, and eliminate "character defects" from your life.
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