Lord’s Day 42

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 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

From the Heidelberg Catechism