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Catechism #29



Q. What is the eighth of the Ten Commandments?
A. The eighth of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall not steal.”

For many people the command to not steal applies to big things, like cars, money, or jewelry. But the eighth commandment is not limited to home invasions or bank robberies; God did not define stealing with a dollar amount.

Stealing is taking anything that doesn’t belong to you—regardless of value. Stealing is wrong even if the item stolen is an ink pen, piece of candy, or something intangible.

We have probably all stolen at some point in our lives. What does Paul tell former thieves to do?

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
Ephesians 4:28


Instead of taking from someone else what does not belong to us, let us give to someone else that which does not belong to them.
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