2.3 KiB
Lord’s Day 42
110. Q. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?
A. He forbids not only outright theft and robbery, which governing authorities punish,1 but in God’s sight theft also includes all evil tricks and schemes designed to get our neighbor’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 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
111. Q. What does God require of you in this commandment?
A. That I do whatever I can and may for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may help the needy in their hardship.1